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Chief executive of Cornwall Council, Kate Kennally, has announced she is to step down from the role she has held for a decade.Kennally previously served as strategic director for commissioning and deputy chief executive at Barnet LBC before joining Cornwall.She said: ‘I am privileged to have served Cornwall for 10 years, during which time Cornwall has hosted the G7 leaders' summit, worked with communities to respond to the Covid pandemic and recovered from significant events such as the Coverack floods and Storm Goretti.Interim deputy chief executive Andy Keeling will continue to fill in until a permanent replacement is appointed. Bob Granville has been appointed to the newly-created role of interim executive director of housing at Richmond and Wandsworth LBCs.While the new directorate will cover both councils, a spokesperson said: ‘Wandsworth's housing improvement agenda is the principal driver for the change'.Granville has previously held roles at Redbridge LBC and Norwich City Council and worked with the boroughs on an interim basis since November.Wandsworth LBC's leader Cllr Robert Morritt said: ‘The creation of a dedicated housing directorate is a huge step forward in addressing the previous failures of the council in housing and giving our residents the high-quality service they deserve.' Manchester City Council has announced the appointment of Darryl Smedley as its director of housing.He was previously assistant director of strategy and regulation for housing at Sheffield City Council where he spent six years.Chief executive Tom Stannard said: ‘Darryl joins a fantastic team in our housing services department and we are delighted to have him on board as part of our brilliant senior team at Manchester City Council.‘I am looking forward to supporting him deliver the change we need to continually improve our housing offer to residents across the city.' Ben Holliday has been appointed as Westmorland and Furness Council's new chief innovation, technology and digital officer.Ben is currently chief design officer at digital transformation consultancy TPXimpact and has previously held senior roles at FutureGov and the Department for Work and Pensions.Cabinet member for communications Cllr Helen Chaffey said: ‘Ben will play a key role in helping us make the most of digital, data and technology, ensuring we are delivering services that are modern, responsive and fit for the future.' Aptia has appointed Wendy Neller as head of Local Government Pension Schemes (LGPS) and governance.She joined East Sussex CC in 2006, where her roles included pensions operational manager and strategy and governance manager.She was responsible for governance, strategy and administrative arrangements for the East Sussex Pension Fund, as well as pension administration for East Sussex Fire Authority.In 2020, Neller joined the Pensions Regulator as technical principal in relationship supervision. The Northern Housing Consortium (NHC), which represents housing associations, local authorities and combined authorities across the North of England, has appointed Fiona MacGregor as a co-opted board member.She served as chief executive of the Regulator of Social Housing from 2018 until 2026, having previously held the position of executive director.NHC chief executive Tracy Harrison said: ‘Fiona has made an enormous contribution to social housing throughout her career and is one of the most respected figures in our sector.' Sir Alan Wood has joined place-based change charity Right to Succeed as chair of its board of trustees. He replaces Suzanne McCarthy, who reached her maximum six-year term with the charity in October.Sir Alan is a former corporate director of children's services at Hackney LBC, president of the Association of Directors of Children's Services and commissioner for children's services at Solihull MBC.Surrey CC has announced that Andy Haldane will chair its new economic commission.He is a former chief economist at the Bank of England and ex-permanent secretary of the Cabinet Office.Haldane said: ‘As a long-time resident of Surrey, I have a vested interest in seeing the county succeed – which is why I'm determined to deliver a bold, ambitious and inclusive blueprint which has the collective buy-in of local stakeholders, business leaders and the broader community.'

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Cornwall chief executive announces departure

By Martin Ford | 14 October 2026

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