Earlier this week, the Council’s current Chief Executive, Russell Williams, tendered his resignation from his role. He will leave at the end of January 2023 – by which time he will have completed 27 years with the Council – and over 13 of them as Chief Executive. His departure should enable a new Chief Executive to be in place by the time of the next Annual Meeting of the Council in May 2023 when a new Leader will be elected to replace Councillor David Ellesmere – who announced earlier this year that he will stand down as Leader at that time.
Russell Williams said:
“It has been an honour and a privilege to be the Council’s Chief Executive – only the 5th in the last 70 years. I have always planned to depart when I am young enough – and hopefully fit and healthy enough - to do something new and challenging. Going now should enable the Council to appoint a new Chief Executive to be in place for a new Leader after the 2023 elections. I am very grateful to the Councillors, Council staff and partners that I have worked with over the last 27 years and in particular the two Leaders I have worked with – initially Councillor Elizabeth Harsant and more recently, Councillor David Ellesmere.”
Councillor Ellesmere, Leader of the Borough Council, said:
“I will be very sorry to see Russell go. He has been the Chief Executive throughout my time as Leader of the Council and has been an incredible support. In those twelve years he has been instrumental in helping the Council protect services in the face of large funding cuts, bringing the Garden Suburb to fruition and dealing with the enormous challenges from Covid. I wish him well in whatever he does in future.“
Councillor Harsant, former Leader of the Borough Council, said:
"It has been a great privilege to work with Russell over the years and for the support he has always given me especially when I was Leader of the Council and during the difficult time when he took over as Chief Executive after the untimely death of James Hehir. We have seen some huge changes in Ipswich which have been admirably led by Russell and he will be greatly missed by all. I, like all my colleagues, wish him all the very best for the future wherever that might take him."
