Council management

How the council is managed, the Chief Executive, the Corporate Leadership Team and senior officer salaries, how decisions are made.

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Council management

We employ officers to give advice, implement decisions and manage the day to day delivery of our services. This is done under the leadership and direction of the Corporate Leadership Team.

The Corporate Leadership Team

The chief officers are organised under the title of Corporate Leadership Team (CLT). CLT is formed of:

  • the Managing Director Commissioner
  • 3 strategic directors
  • 2 directors

CLT is responsible for managing council employees and for advising elected members on the potential implications of political decisions.  

Managing Director Commissioner – Richard Carr

The role of the Chief Executive is currently being performed by the Managing Director Commissioner. 

The Managing Director Commissioner is responsible for the strategic leadership of the council, acting as an ambassador for the borough and the organisation. This role also oversees the successful and effective delivery of all council services, ensuring that the council’s resources are deployed and managed effectively.

The Managing Director Commissioner also works closely with the Leader of the Council and other elected members, particularly the Executive, to provide leadership, strategic direction and operational management.

Contact Richard Carr

Email: richard.carr@woking.gov.uk

Strategic Director: Corporate Resources – Kevin Foster

Our Strategic Director for Corporate Resources brings together our corporate functions and work across to develop the necessary commercial and financial skills we need to deliver on our corporate priorities and objectives.

Services include:

  • strategic and service planning
  • finance
  • customer services
  • revenues and benefits
  • marketing and communications  
  • procurement
  • information governance and security
  • legal and democratic services
  • organisational and service transformation
  • digital and IT services
  • human resources and organisational development

Contact Kevin Foster

Email: kevin.foster@woking.gov.uk 

Strategic Director: Place – Beverley Kuchar

Our Strategic Director for Place works with external partners and across the council to secure sustainable economic growth across the borough. This is to ensure we:

  • protect and enhance the environment
  • meet our carbon neutral commitment by 2030
  • provide key environmental services to residents

Place services will plan for the future in terms of housing, employment space and associated infrastructure and ensure that development is high quality, meeting the needs of our communities now and in the future. Place services also support the borough's communities to live healthy and active lives by working in partnership to promote sustainable and active travel.

Services include: 

  • property services and asset management
  • planning services, including building control
  • environmental health
  • regeneration, economic growth and business liaison
  • climate change and green infrastructure
  • parking services
  • neighbourhood services
  • technical services, including engineers, drainage and flood risk, town centre management
  • waste and grounds maintenance

Contact Beverley Kuchar

Email: beverley.kuchar@woking.gov.uk 

Strategic Director: Communities – Louise Strongitharm 

Our Strategic Director for Communities works in partnership to deliver on our key housing, wellbeing and community objectives as set out in our Housing Strategy and Health and Wellbeing Strategy. 

The provision of leisure, culture and arts services, along with our partnership work around community safety, supports the borough’s residents to live safe, healthy and active lives.

Services include: 

  • housing register and homelessness
  • management and maintenance of council homes
  • affordable housing delivery
  • private sector housing standards
  • health and wellbeing services, such as Careline and community meals
  • family services
  • community services
  • community safety
  • leisure and cultural services

Contact Louise Strongitharm

Email: louise.strongitharm@woking.gov.uk 

Statutory officers

Each council has to nominate statutory officers for specific roles. In addition to the Chief Executive as the head of paid service, the Director of Legal and Democratic Services and the Director of Finance are the council’s Monitoring Officer and Section 151 Officer respectively. 

The Director of Legal and Democratic Services is also accountable for the following services:

  • legal services
  • elections
  • democratic services
  • marketing communications
  • information governance 

Monitoring Officer

Our Monitoring Officer has the specific duty to ensure that the council, its officers, and its elected councillors, maintain the highest standards of conduct. 

The main duties of the Monitoring Officer are set out below. The Monitoring Officer's legal basis is found in Section 5 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 (as amended) – legislation.gov.uk.

The role includes:

  • ensuring lawfulness and fairness in decision making
  • dealing with allegations that a member has failed to comply with the Members’ Code of Conduct
  • promotion and maintenance of high standards of conduct through provision of support to the Standards and Audit Committee
  • advising on the scope of powers and authority to make decisions
  • maladministration
  • financial impropriety
  • probity and budget
  • policy framework
  • maintaining the Constitution

They cannot be the chief finance officer or the head of paid service.

Contact Adesuwa Omoregie

Email: adesuwa.omoregie@woking.gov.uk 

Director of Finance (Section 151 Officer) – Stephen Fitzgerald

The Section 151 Officer has a statutory duty under Section 151 of the Local Government Act 1972 – legislation.gov.uk, to ensure that there are proper arrangements in place to administer our financial affairs. 

The role includes:

  • ensuring lawfulness and financial prudence of decision-making
  • responsibility for the administration of the financial affairs of the council
  • advising on the scope of powers and authority to make decision
  • maladministration
  • financial impropriety
  • probity and budget
  • policy framework

Contact Stephen Fitzgerald

Email: stephen.fitzgerald@woking.gov.uk