Ealing Council Chief Executive Stepping Down | |
Paul Najsarek 'moving on to new challenges' after six years
The chief executive of Ealing Council has announced that he is to leave his role next month. Paul Najsarek quoted in the Local Government Chronicle as saying that he will have departed by Christmas after nearly six years in the job. He said, “I have mixed emotions about leaving Ealing, a borough I have loved, but this felt like the right time to be moving on to new challenges now that the worst aspects of the Covid pandemic seem to have passed. “It has been a privilege to work with so many excellent people: our great community, council staff, my senior management team, members of the council and all of our brilliant partners." “I would also like to pay tribute to our staff, members and the community for the way they responded to the Covid pandemic during the most demanding time in our history. “I believe that through our efforts we not only helped protect our community but put measures in place to help it thrive in the future.” He came to Ealing in February 2016 to replace Martin Smith after previously being the leader of Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council for just five months. He had moved north having run Harrow Council but decided to return to London saying he needed to prioritise his home life. The local press reported that there may have been a breakdown in his relationship with the council leadership. His previous experience includes top social care roles in Harrow, Hammersmith and Fulham and Hertfordshire. The leader of Ealing Council, Peter Mason said, “Paul has been a leading figure in the West London Alliance, supporting the delivery of Good Jobs for the borough and beyond. "He played a big part in the response to the Grenfell Tower tragedy and he helped build excellent relationships with the NHS throughout the Covid pandemic, as well as taking a leading role in the London response. “All of this was achieved at a time of austerity and a big reduction in government funding, despite which Paul has kept the council stable, despite the turbulence. “I know Paul will be missed by councillor colleagues, the staff who hold him in high regard and our partners throughout the Ealing community and beyond." An interim chief is expected to be appointed at a council meeting on 14 December.
November 11, 2021
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