Andrew’s story
Borough Secretary
Meet Andrew. He’s the Borough Secretary and directs an area of the council that handles a range of services, from professional legal advice to the registration of births, deaths and marriages. Like everyone here he’s been supported through training at every stage of his career and been given every opportunity to develop.
I decided to work for Barnsley Council when I was looking for a more senior management job, and I was attracted by the vision and ambition that Barnsley was showing. It clearly needed to respond to the difficulties arising from the closure of the coal industry and while I’ve worked here the place has changed enormously, and the council’s made a major contribution to that - so I’m very glad that I came.
When I decided to work for Barnsley Council the selection process wasn’t as sophisticated as it is today. I think I was, in fact, the first person to do psychometric testing though, and that clearly indicated the ambition that we had to focus on recruitment and retention. Things have improved significantly, and I think that’s a reflection on how much importance we attach to recruiting good quality staff.
I came here as a senior manager to be Head of the Legal Service, and eight years ago I was appointed as an Executive Director. I’m responsible for a range of corporate functions. I’m the council’s principal legal advisor and responsible for its member administration and other areas of governance, such as elections, births, deaths and marriages.
Barnsley’s always been a forward looking authority and that’s why I wanted to come here. It’s certainly supported me as a senior manager in terms of the training opportunities it provides internally, through our internal training courses, and also in terms of external arrangements. We’ve team development sessions as senior managers as well, so I think I’ve been able to grow with the training that Barnsley has given me.
Well, the council’s here to achieve important things for the community, that’s why I want to work in public services, and my department has an important role in supporting many of the major things we do. It may be advising members to make the right decision, it may be giving professional advice through the team of lawyers that I run, so that’s really satisfying to feel that we’re making that important contribution.
My team is a group of professionals who’ve all got experience in different areas of what I will call the governance of the council, so I’ve got lawyers, member support officers, administrative staff and we all very much work together. We’ve a team ethos within the department to mutually support each other, so I think I’d like to say we’ve a friendly and enjoyable working environment.
Barnsley’s a wonderful place to belong to. There’s a real sense of togetherness as a strong community - that reflects its past. And you get that within the council; people feel that the council’s something of a family. The community’s very warm. I live just on the edge of Barnsley. I support Barnsley Football Club now instead of Chelsea, for example, so that’s how Barnsley’s taken me to its heart.
A typical day for me is very unpredictable. As a senior manager you have to respond to whatever are the immediate issues of the moment. So in terms of my role, which might involve some major policy issue or some risk or legal-based decision that I have to get involved in, that can happen very unexpectedly. You often find yourself doing things quite differently from what you planned to do when you came in the morning.
I think the council’s got tremendous vision in where it wants to go. The leadership politically is very clear and strong in terms of the ambitions that we’ve got for the borough, and that’s then reflected in the plans that we make and the responsibilities that the senior managers have got to deliver those plans. So there’s clear direction, clear pace, and clear benefits and outcomes that you’re looking to achieve.
I’ve worked for Barnsley Council for 15 years, and I’ve found that people who come to Barnsley do stay for a long time. And I think that reflects what an attractive place it is to work and an attractive place to live.
