Cumberland Council - Chief Officer appointments
This is a unique, once-in-a-generation opportunity, to shape and lead a brand-new council. Cumberland Council will be an ambitious authority that will shape public services for the better, building on the best and transforming them for the future.
Following our successful Chief Executive appointment, we are now looking to recruit talented, innovative, and inspirational professionals to the posts of Director of Adult Social Care and Housing, and Director of Children and Family Wellbeing.
The successful candidates, working closely with members, will be at the forefront of leading and creating Cumberland Council - a brand new organisation that has been created following the biggest change to local government in Cumbria since 1974.
Councillor Martin Harris, Executive Member for Adults and Community Health, said:
"This is a unique time to join the Cumberland Council and a fantastic opportunity to lead and shape a brand new service. We all know it is a challenging time for adult social care but we are ambitious for our services. We want a director who has a real passion for adult social care, who understands service users, who will innovate and drive new ways of working, and who will relish the challenge ahead. At Cumberland Council we believe public health, in its broadest sense, is at the heart of everything we do. Getting the right person for this role is a fundamental part of that approach and I would encourage anyone who shares our commitment to making a difference for local people to apply."
Councillor Emma Williamson, Executive Member for Children and Family Support, said:
"We're excited about the future and about the positive difference we can make to the lives of children and families in Cumberland. To do that, we need the right director. You will need to share our passion for making a difference, be dynamic and forward-thinking, be ready to lead a new service through a period of change and committed to putting children and young people at the centre of our service design and delivery. We want all children and young people to be supported and have the opportunity to fulfil their potential, whatever their circumstances. You can help us achieve that."
About Cumberland Council
We have the opportunity to create a fantastic new council for the people of Cumberland. This is an opportunity to build on the work that is already in place and to make our services even better for everyone. What better than to be at the forefront and leading that change?
We want to create the best set of services for our communities to ensure all our residents will be getting the help and support they need.
People are our strong point - in our communities and in our staff - and they will be our focus of our efforts. Our Council Plan is all about people.
We also want to engage fully with our communities and work with them to understand what they want, and how we provide services.
Our Council Plan puts the health and wellbeing of our residents at the heart of everything we do.
To achieve this our plan focuses on four main areas:
- The first is making Cumberland a fairer place by tackling inequality and exclusion in all aspects of society, including racism.
- The council also seeks to be a high performing organisation which provides excellent, efficient and enterprising services for everyone. We want to make the best use of technology as well as plan our services in close collaboration with residents and partners.
- The Plan also sets out how we will help support the local economy through our procurement processes and assets, and do what we can to ensure people have the skills they need to succeed.
- Also key to our plans is action on the environment, supporting the growth of a low carbon economy and help for those affected by extreme weather events.
Staff will be crucial to our success. That's why we want a culture which where you feel empowered to make decisions; and relationships are based on trust and integrity. We shall also care about each other and our communities.
We want to invest as much as possible in our workforce, such as training and development. And whilst we have a strong desire to get things done right first time - we won't be afraid to try new ways of doing things and learn when we don't get it quite right.
We'll recognise good performance, and understand and remove barriers to achieving this.
And we want to make this a flexible workplace - using technology to the best of our abilities, and not be tied by geography or boundaries.
Our vision for Cumberland Council is that we take "a fresh approach to the delivery of inclusive services that are shaped by our residents and communities. By enabling positive outcomes for health and wellbeing, prosperity and the environment we will fulfil the potential of our people and our area."
If you share that vision, then we want to hear from you today.
Salary: £125,000 to £140,000
Director of Adult Social Care and Housing job profile (PDF 119KB)
Director of Children and Family Wellbeing job profile (PDF 119KB)
Apply online for Director of Adult Social Care and Housing
Apply online for Director of Children and Family Wellbeing
For a confidential discussion about any of these exciting roles, please contact our consultants at Penna:
Nick Raper on 07715 690 463
Carol Coyle on 07500 887 849
Closing date: Midnight on Sunday 8 January 2023
Final interviews: will take place week commencing 23 January 2023
Cumbria is a Centre of Nuclear Excellence: a world leader in nuclear waste and decommissioning, decarbonising heat, power, and transport, and driving clean growth as we head towards Net Zero by 2050. Through the Barrow shipyard we are also at the core of the UK's defence industries and nuclear deterrent.
Cumbria has significant assets for renewable energy including a large coastline and wide-open spaces which can support the UK's clean energy agenda and net zero ambitions, for instance through Offshore Wind Leasing.
Cumbria is home to a wealth of natural assets including the Lake District world heritage site, three Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, parts of the Yorkshire Dales National Park and the Cumbria Coast Marine Conservation Zone.
These cultural landscapes and their biodiversity supports tourism which brings over 47 million people and £3.1bn to the local and national economy every year.
Cumbria makes a significant contribution to national rural economy with the commitment to innovate and the use of new technologies to support food self-sufficiency and wider national agricultural policy.
Cumbria has good connections and a high quality of life so is well placed to benefit and grow from changes to working practices resulting from COVID-19.
Population:274,400 persons; an increase of 0.2% over the last decade. 17% of the population are aged 0-15 years (lower than the national average of 19.2%), while 23.3% of the population are aged over 65 years (higher than the national average of 18.5%).
By 2028 the population of Cumberland is projected to decrease (-0.3% vs. England +5%) and become older; with numbers of 0-15 and 16-64 year olds projected to decrease by 7.2% and 4.8% respectively (England -1.6% and +2.7%), while numbers of people aged 65+ are set to increase by 16.8% (England +19.6%).
There are 130,000 jobs at workplaces in Cumberland.
The public administration, education and health sector accounts for the greatest proportion (24%), followed by wholesale and retail (17%) and manufacturing (16%).
The median annual household income in Cumberland is estimated to be £28,794; lower than the national average ( £37,436).
The unemployment rate is below the national average (2.8% vs. 4.0%). 33.1% of residents in Cumberland are estimated to be qualified to level 4 or higher, below the national average (43.5%); this is in part due to the sector and occupational profile of employment in the area.
20% of residents in Cumberland report their day-to-day activities are limited because of an illness or disability, higher than the national average (18%). Public Health England (PHE) report that Cumberland has worse rates than the national average in relation to emergency hospital admissions for coronary heart disease, stroke, heart attack, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and hip fractures in over 65s, as well as incidence of lung cancer and hospital stays for self-harm. Furthermore, PHE report that Cumberland performs worse than the national average in relation to deaths from all causes, cancer, circulatory disease, coronary heart disease, stroke and causes considered preventable in under 75s.
16.1% of children in Cumberland live in relative low-income families. While this is lower than the national average (18.7%), there are some wards where levels of child poverty are much higher than the national average; the proportion of children in relative low-income families in Maryport South ward is almost one and a half times the national average (25.8%). 14 communities (LSOAs) in Cumberland fall within the 10% most deprived of areas in England; these communities are spread across districts as follows: Allerdale (7 LSOAs), Carlisle (4 LSOAs) and Copeland (3 LSOAs). It is generally in these deprived areas that unemployment and crime rates are higher, while household incomes and educational attainment are lower and health outcomes can be poor. Inversely, Cumberland has 10 LSOAs that are classified as being in the 10% least deprived of LSOAs nationally; these LSOAs are located as follows: Carlisle (5 LSOAs), Allerdale (3 LSOAs) and Copeland (2 LSOAs).
