Croydon Council has appointed Jane West as corporate director for resources – Section 151 officer, subject to Full Council approval later this month.
Jane is a highly experienced senior leader in finance and governance, with more than 30 years working in local government and a strong track record in delivering transformation programmes.
As Croydon’s corporate director for resources, she will be responsible for leading and directing financial strategy and operations for the council. Her portfolio will include all financial, property, legal and governance services. Jane will work with other corporate directors and the chief executive to deliver the Croydon Renewal Improvement Plan and a financially sustainable budget by March 2024.
Jane comes to Croydon from Havering Council, where she has held the post of chief operating officer since April 2018. Prior to that she worked as managing director of one source, which was established by Newham and Havering Councils to provide corporate services for the two boroughs, as well as other public sector organisations.
She was also the interim bi-borough director of corporate services for Westminster City Council, also covering Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and Hammersmith and Fulham Councils. Jane has also held senior leadership roles in finance and governance at Hammersmith and Fulham, and Lambeth Councils.
Jane accepted the role following a cross-party appointments committee which took place on 17 January. Her appointment must now be confirmed at Full Council on Monday 31 January.
Jane said: “Having had strong links with the borough all my life, I’m really excited to be part of Croydon’s renewal plans – getting the council’s finances back on track, rebuilding trust with residents and restoring its reputation as a provider of fantastic local services. I am passionate about making sure public money is spent effectively and putting strong financial management at the heart of decision-making. This is a great opportunity for me to bring that passion to one of the biggest transformation programmes in local government today.”
Councillor Hamida Ali, leader of the council, said: “I am delighted to welcome Jane to our council – it’s fantastic that Croydon is attracting such high calibre talent and demonstrates confidence in our renewal programme. With her extensive experience in local government finance and governance, I am confident that Jane will be a real asset to our council. I very much look forward to working with her as we continue delivering our renewal plans at pace, transforming our council to become an organisation that is financially sustainable and offers our residents best value for money in everything it does.”
Councillor Jason Cummings, shadow cabinet member for Croydon renewal, said: “I’m really pleased that we have offered this critical role to Jane. She is an outstanding candidate who brings with her a vast amount of experience across finance and transformation at a crucial time for our council. I look forward to working with her in the future.”
Rob Whiteman, chief executive of CIPFA, said: “CIPFA is pleased to see so strong an appointment for Croydon. Jane West is a leading chief finance officer in the local government sector with a commendable track record of helping organisations to make tough decisions, get the basics right and then motor on to transformation.”
