A new chief executive has been appointed to head Powys County Council and will oversee the £41m savings the council needs to make over the next three years.
It follows the departure of Jeremy Patterson earlier this year in which councillors agreed on a severance deal worth £181,500.
Dr Caroline Turner, Assistant Chief Executive with the Isle of Anglesey County Council, was appointed chief executive yesterday. She will be paid £138,000 which is £60,000 less than when Mr Patterson held the position.
A fluent Welsh speaker, with more than 25-years’ experience in local government and the civil service in Wales, Dr Turner will succeed Dr Mohammed Mehmet, Powys County Council’s Acting Chief Executive.
“I am delighted to have been appointed chief executive of Powys County Council and look forward to working with elected members, officers and partner organisations. Local government in Wales is facing challenging times but by working together we can deliver good quality sustainable services for the people of Powys,” she said.
Originally from Anglesey, she is married to Michael and has a 23-year-old daughter Gwenan. She has a Degree in Government, a Master’s degree in Leading Public Service Change and Organisational Development.
After five years tutoring International Politics at the University of Wales Aberystwyth, she joined Gwynedd County Council and later Isle of Anglesey County Council holding a number of senior positions in economic development.
She joined the Welsh Government in 1999 and spent more than 17 years working in Cardiff and Merthyr holding a number of very senior positions including, Head of Communities, Head of Digital Wales, Head of Expert Services, Deputy Director of Welsh Language and Deputy Director of Governance.
In 2015 she returned to local government when she joined Isle of Anglesey County Council as Assistant Chief executive.
Photo: (L to R) Cllr David Meredith, Chairman of Powys County Council, Dr Caroline Turner, newly appointed Chief Executive and Cllr Rosemarie Harris, Leader Powys County Council.
