Who is Slough's chief executive and what does the role entail?

Amid Slough Borough Council’s money woes, chief executive Josie Wragg has not been seen in post since September 2021.

The council could not confirm or deny where she is, but provided further update in November to say the officer was now “off sick”. That remains the case in the latest update from the local authority.

What does a council chief executive do?

A chief executive, also known as the head of paid service, is a statutory position that a majority of councils have in post.

READ MORE: Slough Council's missing chief executive "off sick"

They are the most senior officer who leads and takes responsibility for the work of paid staff of the council and ensures a local authority’s functions are properly co-ordinated.

A chief executive, who is only appointed via approval of a whole council, also works with elected members to ensure strong and visible leadership and direction as well as act as principal policy adviser to councillors to lead the development of workable strategies which will deliver the political objectives set by members.

They also oversee financial and performance management, risk management, people management, and change management within the council.

Council chief executives are usually the top earners within their local authority. In the case of Slough, Mrs Wragg earns between £143,107 and £171,731 a year, according to the council website.

Observatory House (Image: Google Maps)

Who is Josie Wragg and how did she get appointed?

Mrs Wragg has had a career in local government spanning about 30 years. She also has a master’s in government and politics.

Before taking the top job in Slough in July 2018, she was the director of customer services and localities in Wokingham Borough Council.

The chief executive first started in Wokingham in 1998 as policy manager, going on to hold other senior positions in strategic partnerships and community sustainability.

Before Josie joined, the council was left without a permanent chief executive for two years after Ruth Bagley left for reasons unknown to the public. According to Taxpayer’s Alliance, the former chief exec took a remuneration package of £224,179 excluding pension contribution for 2016/17.

Ruth Bagley, former chief executive of Slough Borough Council

Councillors voted unanimously to appoint Mrs Wragg in part two of a full council meeting, which excludes the public and press, in July 2018.

Council leader James Swindlehurst was “delighted” to welcome the new chief executive to Slough, adding: “Josie is dedicated to public service and shares my belief that our staff are our best and most important asset.

“We went through a rigorous recruitment process to make sure we selected the best candidate and I am confident Josie will help us achieve our exciting vision for Slough.”

Mrs Wragg took the reins from former interim chief executive Roger Parkin, who was going to take the role as permanent but concerns over the transparency of his past performance and behaviour during the selection process led to councillors rejecting his appointment.

READ MORE: Slough named as some of the worst places to live in England

Mrs Wragg spearheaded the ‘Our Futures’ programme to restructure the council as well as save £5.2m in 2021/2022. However, it turned out this saving was now expected to be £2.5m after the council failed to budget for certain services.

In July, the council chief apologised to the public after the Labour-run council declared itself bankrupt.

It filed a section 114 notice, effectively declaring bankruptcy while banning any non-essential spending, after warnings of its financial deficit could rise to £174million by 2025 if drastic action was not taken.

This figure has now risen to £308m.

What’s happened with the chief executive?

The status of the chief executive is currently unknown. The council said in December that she was “off sick” after a sickness notice was received from the local authority boss in November.

Residents and opposition councillors have questioned the whereabouts of the chief executive after she missed a few vital council meetings back in September.

Cllr James Swindlehurst (Image: Slough Borough Council)

In October, Cllr Swindlehurst and the authority’s chief finance officer Steven Mair only stated she is 'away from work' and could not reveal any more details.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands that Mrs Wragg's future position at the council is currently being decided following two meetings said to have taken place in October and early November. The council would neither confirm or deny this.

In her absence, a board of senior officers will be acting as chief executive on rotation and making decisions on Mrs Wragg’s behalf.