A FINAL decision will be made next week on the appointment of the new chief executive for Hampshire County Council.

Following national competition for the role, the 11 cross-party member appointment panel, which met last Friday, is recommending John Coughlan, the county council’s current deputy chief executive and director of children’s services, for the role.

A final decision on the appointment will be made by all 78 members of the county council at their meeting next Thursday.

Hampshire County Council leader Roy Perry said: “John Coughlan’s experience, knowledge of the county council and abilities shone through during the appointment process. We believe we have found an inspirational and visionary leader who will lead the authority as it continues this journey of transformation and modernisation.

“The appointment panel is delighted to be recommending John Coughlan to the full county council for the position of chief executive and I am indebted to the members of all parties who have helped in this process.”

He continued: “Hampshire County Council is a large and complex organisation and one of the best-performing councils in the country. As head of paid service, the chief executive is responsible, through the council leader, for managing an overall annual budget of around £2bn, a workforce of around 37,000, and for providing services for 1.3 million people across the county.

“The people of Hampshire rightly expect a high-quality service from the county council which requires us to ensure that we are continually pushing boundaries with innovative and efficient methods of working. To do this we need the best people working for us.”

And he added: “The challenges faced in public services between now and end of the decade also mean that it is essential that we have a strong successor to take forward the county council’s ambition to be a modern business providing public services.”