Congratulations Dr Priest.

Dr Susan Priest has been elected by Shepway District Council as the new Head of Paid Services and the Returning Officer (The Chief Executive). The vote was unanimous. Dr Priest becomes the first ever woman to run Shepway District Council, which we personally believe is about bloody time. Since Shepway DC was born it has had four male Chief Executive’s. She will take up her new position as of the 1st April 2018.

On the 27th March Dr Priest was interviewed by the personal committee who voted unanimously to endorse Dr Priest for the position of Chief Exec. This as we said was then voted on by members at a Extraordinary meeting of Full Council on the 28th March.

Dr Priest joined Shepway in  Oct 2013 according to her linkedin page. In her time at SDC she has provided “strategic and corporate leadership in the development and delivery of a wide range of local authority activities to deliver the vision, values and objectives of the Council’s Corporate Plan.

Determining and establishing the organisational structure, managing and providing strategic direction across the portfolio of services covering Planning; Communities; Housing; Property Development; and Economic Development.

Establishing Oportunitas, the local authority owned Regeneration & Housing Company, to deliver an ambitious agenda: working with the private sector and local stakeholders to unlock strategic development sites, developing a housing and land acquisitions programme, an asset disposal programme, and establishing a trading arm for services. 

Supporting elected Members across a range of activities, with a range of stakeholders, public and private sector partners, government departments etc.”

with Cllr Michael Lyons

Prior to her arrival at Shepway, Dr Priest was a director at South East Local Enterprise Partnership for one and half years and prior to that appointment, she was an Executive Director at SEEDA – South East England Development Agency. According to The Argus, Dr Priest received more than £170,000 in compensation for the loss of her role.

We wish her well in her new role as Chief Executive of what will be Folkestone & Hythe District Council as of the 1st April 2018.

The Shepwayvox Team