Council chief executive to step down in 2025

Rob Walsh, chief executive of North East Lincolnshire Council, has announced he will step down in May 2025 after 11 years of leading the unitary authority.

With a public service career spanning over three decades, Walsh will retire early next spring, following his start as a trainee solicitor at Cleethorpes Borough Council.

During his time as chief executive, he played a key role in guiding the borough through periods of investment, change, and challenge.

 In 2018, he led the borough to become the first in the country to secure a ‘Town Deal’ from the Government, a move that brought national attention to the area and paved the way for significant funding bids.

Walsh was also instrumental in the 2016 creation of a unique partnership with the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), which integrated health care teams with the local council.

The partnership proved vital during the COVID-19 pandemic, enabling a coordinated and effective response to the crisis.

Walsh said: “Not in my wildest dreams did I expect to experience the career that followed those early days in Cleethorpes. On January 1, 2014, I became the Chief Executive of this great organisation, in this amazing place. It really has been a pleasure to know and work with so many professional, dedicated and wonderful people over the years. Together we have strived to take our borough forward, fronting up to the challenges and being ambitious about the opportunities. I would like to thank every single person who has joined me on this journey over the last decade and I know that journey will continue.

The leader of North East Lincolnshire Council, councillor Philip Jackson, said: “Rob will leave next year with our heartfelt thanks and sincere best wishes for the future. For the last decade, he has proved to be a Chief Executive with determination, integrity and a work ethic that has put North East Lincolnshire front and centre on the regional and national stage.

“His personal and professional skills have ensured this borough has attracted an unprecedented level of investment, which has, and will be, significant in overcoming the challenges and grasping the opportunities we face. We go forward with optimism on a local and regional level thanks to the leadership that Rob has provided.”