Senior appointments in council reshuffle
Lichfield District Council is undergoing a staff restructure - with several key senior appointments.
As part of the restructure, a new assistant director has been headhunted to join the senior leadership team.
Lizzie Barton (pictured) will lead the Being a Better Council programme in her role as assistant director, Customer, Residents and Business - returning to Lichfield District Council after working as head of customer services at South Derbyshire District Council.
In her previous role in Lichfield, Lizzie had responsibilities which included building communications, performance, and the development of the Lichfield BID, the council 's digital platform and tourism.
"It's been fantastic coming back to Lichfield District Council and seeing all the work taking place to modernise and transform the way we operate and deliver services, ” said Lizzie.
“I'm really looking forward to helping the team to simplify the way we serve our customers, making it as easy as possible to self-serve and making sure customers know what to expect from us and how to get in touch if they need extra help and support.
“Our services should be easy to access, deliver what we promise, and satisfy the needs of our residents and businesses, and I'm looking forward to playing a part in making this happen."
Lizzie joins Anthony Thomas who has been appointed assistant director, Finance & Commissioning after more than three decades at the authority.
Anthony said: “As statutory chief finance officer, my aims are to continue to ensure the council continues to have a healthy and sustainable set of finances that are able to withstand current and future external challenges and to lead on the development and implementation of the financial strategy to enable the effective delivery of the Being a Better Council programme.
“I also aim to ensure a culture across the whole authority of good financial management so that public money is safeguarded at all times and used appropriately, economically, efficiently and effectively. ”
The assistant directors will support chief executive Simon Fletcher and chief operating officer Christie Tims.
Mr Fletcher said: “I am thrilled Lizzie and Anthony are now in post as our new Assistant Directors.
“They each bring a wealth of knowledge, experience and leadership qualities to challenge the existing culture and processes that sometimes hold us back and create barriers and issues for residents.
“All of what is now a largely changed leadership team appreciate there is a lot of work to be done to achieve this, all of them are a committed to doing so, as am I. ”