Chief stepping down prevents service cuts, Cannock Chase Council says

Cannock Chase Council chief Stephen Brown has taken early retirement and voluntary redundancy following an agreement with the council.

The move is likely to save the authority £150,000 a year. It is aiming to make £578,000 worth of savings by 2018.

The management restructure has resulted in the council posts of chief executive and corporate director being scrapped.

Those are the only two posts to go under the re-shuffle, it has emerged.

Tony McGovern, the council's former corporate director, has been appointed in the new post of managing director and will take over the reins from Mr Brown.

Council spokeswoman Kirsteen Miles said today: "This move is linked to the budget savings we are having to make.

"Essentially Tony will take over the role of chief executive but will be the managing director.

"The management restructure has been carried out to stop services from being cut which we are not planning to do at the moment."

Cannock Chase Council is yet to set its budget for 2015/16. It will be announced at a full council meeting on Wednesday.

All along the council has said it would rather look at other ways to make savings rather than cutting services.

Sharing buildings and services is one of a number of ways in which the district council will pull in funds to reduce the potential shortfall.

It also wants to keep and use more of the business rates it collects from employers.

The council says that it would use them to invest in the area, rather than sending them to central government.

Cannock Chase is also sharing human resources and IT with Stafford Borough Council, and it is making more use of its council offices in Beecroft Road.

Cannock's registrars service will be moving to the council's civic centre in the coming months.

Mr McGovern has said he is looking forward to leading the council through 'challenging times' for local government.