County Council will be ‘in safe hands’ with Adrian Smith as new chief executive

Councillors voted unanimously in favour of approving Adrian Smith, who was previously the authority’s deputy dhief executive, under Anthony May – who was the highest earner across all Nottinghamshire councils with a salary of £185,386.

Mr May has now taken up the chief executive role at Nottingham University Hospitals Trust, a job which has been described as one of the toughest in the country.

Mr Smith, 42, joined Nottinghamshire County Council in 2016 as corporate director for place, having previously worked at the London borough of Lambeth.

Mr Smith was previously described as “well respected” by the current leader of the council, Coun Ben Bradley.

Coun Bradley (Con) said: “Having worked with Adrian for five-and-a-half years now in various capacities, I have always been impressed by his work and his knowledge of our organisation and his ability to look beyond our boundaries at the bigger picture.

“I am looking forward to working with him on the task of driving the kind of change and reform we will need if we are to make our council services sustainable for local residents.”

Councillor Kate Foale (Lab) added that the council would be “in safe hands” with Mr Smith as chief executive.

She said: “We are very happy to support this report.

“It was a privilege to be a part of the committee that interviewed him and recruited him. He was a very strong candidate, his answers were exceptional.

“We are looking forward to a good working relationship with Adrian.”