New council chief executive sets out plans for first week in office

Cardiff Council's new chief executive Jon House is to begin his stint with the local authority on 1 September and will use his first week in the job to visit council departments and meet employees to gain first-hand experience of how council services are run. House, 39, is one of the youngest chief executives in the UK and was previously deputy chief executive at Bristol City Council where he led a team of 18,000 staff and managed a £1m budget. House, who has also held previous posts as a police commander in Sheffield, and with Metropolitan Police and Hertfordshire Police, said: "In my first week I want to meet the people who are committed to the city and the services the council provides. Employees are the life blood of any organisation and for me to be successful in my new role it is important that I meet with staff members who will help deliver top services for the people of Cardiff. "There is no doubt there are difficult times ahead in the current financial climate and there will be a need for the council to deliver key services with restricted budgets. The aim of meeting front line staff is to get a greater understanding of their role and hear their thoughts and opinions on how we can adapt to the new era of delivering public services." Along with visiting key council departments in his first few weeks, House will also visit wards across Cardiff to meet with residents and to talk to them about their area. Wards he will visit include Splott, Riverside, Lisvane and Rhiwbina. Cardiff Council Leader, Rodney Berman, said: "I am delighted that Jon is hitting the ground running as he takes up the reigns of his new post and gets to grips with the challenges ahead. I am very much looking forward to getting down to business with him in continuing to take Cardiff forward and improving the services we provide for local communities."