Annie Righton, formerly the Joint Strategic Director for Community Wellbeing, has been appointed interim chief executive to Waverley & Guildford Councils.

Last night, at an Extraordinary Meeting of  Waverley Council, UNANIMOUSLY agreed that Ms Righton should be appointed Interim Joint Chief Executive and Head of Paid Services.

The need arose due to the resignation of Tom Horwood, who leaves as CEO of both authorities on February 9, and the intervening period before the new CEO, Pedro Wrobel, arrives to lead Waverley & Guildford on Monday, April 8. He was initially believed to be coming on Apri 1.

Perhaps Apri Fools’ Day was what both administrations believed was inappropriate for the new joint CEO opening a new chapter in Waverley & Guildford’s collaboration.

Mayor Penny Rivers thanked Tom Horwood for everything he had done for Waverley and its residents and for steering both councils during his term of office. Mr Horwood briefly thanked the council and the officer team for their support over the past six and a half years.

The Leaders of Guildford and Waverley Borough Councils recently invited expressions of interest from the current Joint Strategic Directors to cover the interim role of Joint Chief Executive for both authorities. The deadline for receipt of expressions of interest was Thursday, January 11.

At its meeting on January 15 2024, the Joint Appointments Committee (JAC) considered the expressions of interest by two Joint Strategic Directors and conducted interviews with them. Ms Righton’s appointment was agreed upon. 

Guildford and Waverley borough councils had approved the appointment of three Joint Strategic Directors; last year, Joint Chief Executive Tom Horwood led the officer team of both councils. The councils agreed to work together in a partnership to sustain and improve local services in the face of falling Government funding and increasing demand for services. They now share staff and will soon share offices in a bid to make further savings.

The decision to recruit the shared senior team of chief executives and directors saves £430,000 per year compared with the previous structure.