BRIGHTON and Hove is set for a major transformation in its economic fortunes over the next five years, the council’s new chief executive has claimed.

Newly appointed Brighton and Hove City Council chief executive Geoff Raw said the city was on the cusp of a radical overhaul with several major developments coming to reality.

He compared the city’s fortunes to Liverpool’s Big Dig – a £3 billion decade long makeover of the city culminating in it achieving European City of Culture status.

Mr Raw stated his ambition to transform Brighton and Hove into one of the “top beachfront destinations in the world”.

The new chief executive, whose promotion from executive director was confirmed last week, has overseen many of the city’s major works including the King Alfred, Black Rock conference centre and the redevelopment of Churchill Square in his previous director role.

Mr Raw, who previously worked as project coordinator on Wembley Stadium, said he will continue to have a “direct hand to steer” major projects despite his promotion.

He said: “It is a tremendous opportunity.

“Lots of cities have gone through some big improvements and I think what you are looking at is something like Liverpool’s Big Dig where we have an opportunity to really transform the economic fortunes of the city.”

Mr Raw said that while the city council faced some “tough choices” its challenges were the same faced by authorities across the country and that he was “incredibly enthusiastic” about the potential of the city.

He said: “I think one of the great things about the city is the huge economic potential but where there’s huge potential for that to develop further, what we need to make sure is that the benefits are shared by the residents of the city and by the whole of the city.”

He also told The Argus he cannot rule out the prospect of further strikes as his authority prepares for a dramatic overhaul in the way it serves the city over the next four years.

As strategic director for environment, Mr Raw was a key figure during the bin disputes of 2013 and 2014 which brought the city unwanted national attention.

He said: “In terms of disruption to services, I wish I could promise that there won’t be any more disruption to services over this period but I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

Mr Raw said he would be looking at “slimming down” the council’s management structure as the local authority seeks to manage a £68 million budget shortfall over the next four years.

He described himself as a “safe pair of hands” in the role bringing “stability and continuity” to the council.

He said: “I absolutely like to think that I am very reliable and resilient.

“I hope to be a safe pair of hands but also hope to inspire my team to be part of transforming how the council delivers its services over the next four to five years.”

The Argus: Geoff Raw speaks to Argus local government reporter Neil Vowels.  Picture: Terry Applin

LOOKING AT ‘BEST WAY’ SERVICES CAN BE DELIVERED

How will you manage the transition of council services over to the voluntary, not-for-profit and private sector?

I think reaching out and sharing some of that risk with our partners is important, reaching out to the local community to be involved and to voluntary sector partners to develop new ways of delivering services is important but we need to make sure those new ways of delivering services are resilient.

They also need to have the right framework around them, managing risk so that vulnerable people are safe and that volunteers and staff that continue to provide services feel supported.

I think what matters is what is the best way to deliver services, what’s going to work best.

Certainly the steer I’ve had from the politicians is that they don’t have any one particular ideological way they feel things have to be delivered.

What they want are services that are going to be good, that are resilient and that are offering value for money and services that our residents, businesses, customers and clients feel that they are getting a good service from.

When did you first consider taking on the chief executive role – had you had other offers from local authorities?

I suppose having done five years in the executive director role I was starting to think, where does my career go next?

This was an unexpected opportunity and I was very fortunate to be given the option of doing the acting up role.

I was a little in trepidation about what that would be like but what I found is that I absolutely love it, the breadth and range of work that comes across my desk and what I see when I go out in the community is incredible.

There are recruitment consultants out there who contact you all the time but Brighton and Hove is the place where I want to be.

Has the number of interim department heads affected the long-term planning of the city council?

It would be great to have a stable and committed team but sometimes the world isn’t like that.

One of my priorities over the coming few months is to ensure that we have the right business structure in place to deliver services going forward.

We have also been reviewing the management structure anyway because we know if we are taking a lot of money out of the budget, our management structure is going to have to shrink.

And therefore we will be looking at a new management structure but I very much hope I will be able to bring some continuity and stability to the council.

How has your relationship with the unions been impacted by the bin strike discussions?

The trade union representatives have a mandate to look after the interest of their members and I completely respect that.

I think they are also aware that we cannot carry on as we have in the past because the budgets aren’t there, we need to do things differently.

We need to be mindful of what that means for our staff and we will continue to have recruitment and retention problems.

Just because we are reducing our budgets doesn’t mean we don’t need to consider how we retain the best talent in the council – we still do.

In terms of disruption to services, I wish I could promise that there won’t be any more disruption to services over this period but I’m afraid I can’t do that.

What I can do is say I will be working incredibly hard and closely with the trade unions to ensure that we get the best possible outcomes for the city. I very much hope not [that the dispute had damaged relations]. We meet on a regular basis. 

There will be some points where we can’t agree, but there are many areas where we do agree, and what has to come out on top is the interests of residents and businesses in the city, that’s who we are paid to serve and that’s my priority.