Preston City Council confirms Adrian Phillips as chief executive

Following a 12 month interim period, Adrian Phillips has been formally appointed as the permanent chief executive for Preston City Council.

He replaces the former chief executive, Lorraine Norris, who retired last May.

Mr Phillips said: “It has been my privilege to serve Preston City Council as the interim chief executive over the last year and I am honoured with this permanent appointment. I look forward to working energetically with colleagues and partners to deliver the council’s ambitious plans for our city.”

“Preston is currently enjoying a period of development and opportunity – the council and its partners have an ambitious agenda for Preston and its city region and I am proud to play a leading role within this.

“Everyone benefits from a growing city and economy, and continuing the strong track record of development, partnership and quality services for our residents is a key priority for us.”

Chair of the cross-party chief officer employment committee, Cllr Matthew Brown, said: “Recommending Adrian for appointment was a unanimous decision by the committee following a formal application, interview and assessment process.

“I can speak for all Preston City Council councillors when I say that we look forward to continuing to work with Adrian to deliver the council’s ambitions for our city and ensure we continue to enhance the lives of all our communities by ensuring quality services for residents.”

Key ambitions for the city include the newly-developed Preston Partnership, a public-private-third sector collaborative that is led by local businesses and supported by Preston City Council, and significant Harris Quarter projects such as the £10m re-imagining of the Harris project and the proposed cinema scheme.

The council said these, and other, aspirations help build an even greater city and are made possible through innovative partnerships and investments such as the Preston, South Ribble and Lancashire City Deal.

Having worked as an officer at Preston City Council for the past 33 years, Mr Phillips has been actively involved in the delivery of a range of major capital projects including leading on heritage park restorations such as Avenham & Miller and Winckley Square, and as project sponsor for the Preston Markets Quarter redevelopment.

Prior to his appointment as interim chief executive in 2018, Mr Phillips was the council’s director of environment.