End of an era as North East Lincolnshire Council chief announces departure.

THE Chief Executive of North East Lincolnshire Council, Rob Walsh, has announced that he will step down from the role in May 2025, after 11 years at the helm of the unitary authority.

Following a public service career that has spanned more than three decades and started when he joined the then Cleethorpes Borough Council as a trainee solicitor, Rob will take early retirement next Spring.

Reflecting on his career journey with pride, he says: “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.

“The privilege and the responsibility has never been lost on me. There is no greater honour than being Chief Executive in the place you are proud to call home and where your family has grown.”

During his tenure as Chief Executive, he has steered the borough through investment, change, challenge and opportunity.

Working with colleagues, partners and politicians, Rob oversaw the borough becoming the first area of the country to secure a ‘Town Deal’ from central Government in 2018. That deal shone the national spotlight on the borough – paving the way for a series of successful and significant funding bids, the benefits of which will be seen in the years ahead as major regeneration schemes are completed.

Rob was also integral in the formation, in 2016, of a unique partnership with the then CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group) in North East Lincolnshire, which saw health care teams integrated with their colleagues at the council. This established a joint working arrangement aimed at improving health care for residents in the borough.

This new way of working was to come into its own when, in 2020, the world was struck down by COVID-19. In North East Lincolnshire the integrated relationship between council and health colleagues enabled a strong and co-ordinated response to deal with the huge impact of the global pandemic.

Reflecting on a positive and historic moment, Rob – who is from a military family – remembers the honour he felt when the borough hosted National Armed Forces Day in 2016. This, he says, remains a ‘true highlight’.

As Rob leaves next year, the dawn will break on the new Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority, (GLCCA). During his years as Chief Executive, he has worked extensively on the devolution agenda for the region and takes immense pride in the success he and his peers and colleagues have achieved in securing the deal that is being taken forward.

As he prepares for early retirement, Rob also pays tribute to the tremendous amount of people who he has come to know and respect both professionally and personally.

“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, Cllr Philip Jackson, paid his own personal tribute to Rob, who he has worked alongside both in opposition and as Leader.

“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.”