New finance chief appointed to £97k-a-year role in Staffordshire
The appointment of Staffordshire Commissioner Ben Adams’ new £97,000-a-year finance chief has been confirmed.
Sarah Wilkes will be the director of finance and section 151 officer within the Staffordshire Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, after her appointment was rubberstamped at a confirmation hearing.
Ms Wilkes currently performs the same role at Newcastle Borough Council, and has worked in local government for more than 20 years. Members of the police, fire and crime panel quizzed Mr Wilkes on her skills and experience before deciding to confirm her appointment.
Ms Wilkes told the panel that during her time at the borough council she had been heavily involved in several major initiatives, such as the move to the new headquarters at Castle House and the authority’s response to the pandemic, as well as the annual budget-setting process.
She said: “I’m from Staffordshire, I’ve always lived in Staffordshire, I’ve raised my family in Staffordshire. I love the county and I have a real passion for doing my bit to try and help services operate as best as they can, whether that’s local government or the police, fire and crime commissioner.
“Staffordshire is a wonderful place with some of the nicest people you could meet. I’m very privileged to have the opportunity to support that community.”
Ms Wilkes replaces previous director of finance Heather Lees, who left the role earlier this year. Between 2018 and 2023 the position had been shared with Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service.
Mr Adams told the panel that he felt the commissioner’s office needed its own finance chief. He said: “We’ve had two excellent people in this role in recent years, and that’s really cemented for me how important it is for me to have my own S151 officer. We did share that role with the fire and rescue service for a period.
“Having an overview of the two services and looking to see what influence we can have, particularly with devolution and local government reorganisation down the road, is really quite important I think for setting a more sustainable future.”
Ms Wilkes will be responsible for ensuring that the commissioner’s financial affairs across policing and fire and rescue are properly administered, and to work closely with the two services’ finance chiefs to maintain capacity and capability.
The role is one of a number of senior positions within the police, the fire and rescue service and commissioner’s office where appointments have to be confirmed by the panel.
