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Janet Callender: ‘It was my dream job’
Shock as chief exec resigns
by Adam Derbyshire12/11/2008
REVERBERATIONS were felt round Tameside Council this week when chief executive Janet Callender dramatically resigned.
In a shock move, the town hall chief walked away from her £155,000-a-year post, which she once described as her "dream job".
Rumours of her departure swept through the town hall on Friday, but her decision was officially announced to senior councilllors and officers at an emergency board meeting on Monday.
It is unclear what triggered the decision, but she is not believed to have another job lined up.
Although Mrs Callender, who lives in Stalybridge, is only required to give three months notice, she has been persuaded to stay until the end of the financial year in March. The council insist there has been no bust-up, but senior town hall sources admit the decision is "strange".
Meanwhile Tories say her sudden decision to resign "makes no sense whatsoever".
Mrs Callender said: "After five successful years in office ... the council has now reached a natural watershed in its improvement journey. When I leave Tameside in the spring, I intend to take a short break from public office. However, I remain as passionate as ever about local government and public service and feel sure that before too long there will be new and exciting leadership opportunities for me to explore. My leaving Tameside and handing over the reins has been an enormously difficult decision for us all, but I believe it is the right one for both myself and the council."
The former solicitor joined Tameside Council as chief executive five years ago. Previously she held both legal and senior management posts at Knowsley Council from 1993, and prior to that Manchester City Council.
In June, she was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s birthday honours list for services to local government.
Earlier this year it emerged she drew a salary of £155,000 a year — pocketing even more than a cabinet minister.
It drew criticism from trade union bosses angry that her pay packet had been agreed while the equal pay claim issue for many of council workers dragged on.
Council leader Roy Oldham said: "Janet has been an outstanding chief executive, bringing a passionate belief in public services and visionary and inspirational leadership. She will always be respected as one of the best chief executives that Tameside has ever had. I want to thank her personally for her service to Tameside, and while she has undoubtedly already had an illustrious career in public service, I have no doubt she is destined for greater public office."
Tory councillor John Bell said, "The news has come as a complete shock. Mrs Callender always claimed that she was proud to be the chief executive of Tameside, so her decision to walk away from her highly paid job, with nothing new lined up, makes no sense whatsoever. It begs a lot of questions about the competency of the council’s political leadership when an apparently high-achieving chief executive is prepared to walk away from their job. The council’s senior management team has been undermined by the departure of several key officers in recent months. It is concerning that we will now need a new chief executive during this period of transition, at a time when council services are stretched. In the meantime, I wish Mrs. Callender the very best of luck for the future and I thank her for the role she has played in Tameside over the last five years."
Under Mrs Callender’s stewardship Tameside has received a four-star rating by the Audit Commission for two successive years.
Anne Keighley, UNISON secretary, said: "While we wish Janet all the best for the future, we hope the equal pay claim issues will be resolved for our members before she leaves in spring."
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