Suspended council chief steps down with immediate effect
A council chief executive who was suspended 16 months ago on full pay has resigned from his post.
Mike Suarez, the chief executive of Cheshire East Council, was suspended due to concerns over his conduct.
He was was suspended in April 2017 along with two other officials. He had been suspended on his full salary of £158,015.
The council’s former head of legal services, Bill Norman, resigned in December last year and chief operating officer Peter Bates is still suspended.
Mr Suarez had been suspended on full pay as a neutral act after a disciplinary committee meeting examined “concerns over officer conduct”.
The authority did not reveal details of the allegations or which officials they related to.
Mike Suarez has written to the local media in Cheshire to confirm he had stepped down.
He did not give his reasons for resigning but thanked staff, resident and councillors for their support.
He said: “Setting aside my reasons, I just wanted to thank all those staff, residents, businesses, partners and town and parish and other councillors who have offered me their sincere support and well wishes over this period.
“I am very grateful to staff, residents and partners for their significant contributions over my time at Cheshire East. Without them, the council could not have come out of OFSTED intervention, delivered a new state of the art leisure centre at Crewe or secured a future HS2 Station, or successfully delivered such impressive community events such as the Tour of Britain.
“I was also very impressed with CEC staff and the recognised trade unions at Cheshire East and the way they were prepared to support the creation of new forms of service delivery, from Limited Companies to a Leisure Charity. These new arrangements helped to improve services and value for residents and ensured a strong, albeit different form of ‘going concern’, for the staff involved.”
Mr Suarez finished his letter by sending his best wishes to staff at Cheshire East Council.
“Despite circumstances, I still think Cheshire is a great place to live and work with a great community here.
“I wish the staff at Cheshire East and its partners all the best for the future,” he said.
The council stressed the suspensions were a neutral act taken in the interests of the council and the individuals.
A spokesperson for Cheshire East Council said: “The council’s chief executive, Mike Suarez, has tendered his resignation with immediate effect. Mr Suarez’s resignation has been accepted.”
