North Yorkshire County Council Chief Executive is leaving to return to his old stomping ground

Marsden returns to North Tyneside

By Jim Dunton



North Tyneside Council is hiring former chief executive John Marsden to return to the authority’s helm as interim replacement for Andrew Kerr.


Mr Kerr announced in November that he was leaving the authority to become chief executive at Wiltshire Council from February.

Mr Marsden, whose appointment has yet to be approved by a full council meeting, left North Tyneside in 2005 for North Yorkshire CC.

Elected Mayor Linda Arkley (Con) said her priority in appointing Mr Marsden was to ensure strong leadership at the council during the recession.

“Our residents expect us to deliver high quality services, but with value for money at their core,” she said.

“To achieve that we need a corporate management team with experience and expertise,” she said.

“John Marsden has both the excellent professional credentials that we need and knowledge about North Tyneside.

“When he worked for North Tyneside previously he supported it in improving from one of the poorest performing councils to one of the fastest improving councils in the country.”

Mr Marsden said he would leave North Yorkshire with mixed emotions because of the dedication of staff and councillors, but added that he was really looking forward to returning to North Tyneside.

“It is an area where I enjoyed working and I still have strong connections to the area,” he said.

North Tyneside’s strategic director for young people and learning, Gill Alexander, will serve as interim chief executive between Mr Kerr’s departure at the end of 2009 and Mr Marsden’s arrival in February