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PRESS RELEASE
Tuesday, September 21
BARKING AND DAGENHAM COUNCIL CHIEF MOVES TO PUBLIC SERVICE CONSULTANCY INNER CIRCLE
Barking and Dagenham Chief Executive Chris Naylor is moving to Inner Circle Consulting after nearly seven years at the helm of the London borough, to focus on “reimagining public services and connecting them fully to the people who need them.”
Naylor, Municipal Journal’s Chief Executive of the Year in 2020, will take up position in January 2022 as Director at Inner Circle, which is currently leading a range of projects in partnership with councils, public services and communities across the UK.
He said: “The pandemic has shown that we need to find answers to big problems, and we need them to work for everyone, for years to come. For the most vulnerable people, what we do next is the difference between barely getting by, and flourishing.”
“It’s been a privilege to work alongside Darren Rodwell, whose energy and leadership created a hugely fertile environment to try out new ideas. Together we’ve demonstrated the remarkable things that can happen when ambitious organisations and communities together foster economic growth and civic trust, underpinned by services that support people to live well their whole lives, not just at crisis point.”
Naylor added: “I am looking forward to working with many more people who want better for their towns, cities and places.”
Co-founder of Inner Circle Jamie Ounan said: “We are the go-to partners for Cities and local authorities that want to unlock growth. Increasingly, our clients are looking for more support and innovation. We could not be more delighted to welcome on board Chris, a public sector leader with such a track record of delivering transformational change.”
Chris Twigg, Inner Circle co-founder, added: “With the ‘levelling up’ agenda top of mind in a post-Covid world, we want Inner Circle to encapsulate public sector purpose and be a hothouse of invention and creativity for everyone who wants to design better cities and services – and deliver them.”
EDITORS’ NOTES:
About Inner Circle Consultancy:
Inner Circle Consultancy is a management consultancy based in Bermondsey, London. It builds great places with everything a neighbourhood needs – from parks, houses, schools and GP surgeries – to create communities for curious minds, joyful living and a sense of safety. It does this by helping to build better councils that can deliver better services and, in a difficult financial environment, ensure every drop of investment goes towards transforming and improving lives. Examples of its recent work include developing world leading life-science research districts, restructuring a local authority’s land holding to deliver regeneration, and creating an independent living housing programme across a county.
It was co-founded by directors Jamie Ounan and Chris Twigg in 2011.
About the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham:
Barking and Dagenham is an East London borough with a population of over 200,000 that has seen its residents’ numbers rise and diversify rapidly over the last 20 years. In 2006 the borough became a national focus when it elected 12 BNP councillors, who were in position for four years. Darren Rodwell was elected Leader of the Council in May 2014 with a remit to urgently address the economic and social challenges the borough faced. He appointed Chris Naylor as Chief Executive the same year. Over the next seven years, Barking and Dagenham won Council of the Year twice and racked up several more awards for housing, economic regeneration, service transformation and was awarded the Investors in People New Gold Standard.
In 2021, almost a quarter of all affordable homes being built by councils in London are being built in Barking and Dagenham.
Media information:
Chris Naylor, Jamie Ounan and Chris Twigg are available for interview.
Pictures are available on request.
Please direct media requests to: [email protected]
