Hayley Barsby
A former clerical assistant at Mansfield District Council looks to have completed her journey to the top with her appointment as the organisation’s new Chief Executive.
Hayley Barsby, who this month celebrated her 19th anniversary of working at the council, has been the Interim Chief Executive Officer since May 2017 and will take on the role on a permanent basis – subject to approval at a council meeting on Wednesday 24 January 2018.
The role includes the duties of Head of Paid Service, Electoral Registration Officer and Returning Officer.
Hayley has dedicated almost her entire working career to MDC, prior to which she was an industrial engineer at Mansfield Shoe Group.
The married mother-of-two has had eight roles during her time at the council including Head of Housing and Director of Communities. She was instrumental in taking the council from being a weak authority to a good authority in a short period of time and says the previous organisational change she has been involved in means she is confident she will be able to bring about further positive changes.
Hayley takes over at a time when the council needs to make significant financial savings due to ever increasing cuts in Government grants but while residents’ demands for services are increasing.
She is committed to putting residents at the top of her agenda as she promises to improve services, make it easier to access council services and to ensure the council better meets the needs of customers.
Hayley, who was born in Mansfield Woodhouse and attended school there, lives just outside Mansfield but considers it to be her home town, said: “I am delighted and really excited to be appointed the Chief Executive Officer at Mansfield District Council and I’m looking forward to the many challenges and opportunities the role will bring.
“My priority from the Mayor and councillors is to protect the services that matter the most to our residents and I’m confident we can achieve that.
“Since I took over as Interim Chief Executive, we have been improving the way we work to ensure we deliver local services in a more innovative and creative way now and in the future. This includes us having a better understanding of our customers; improving our use of technology; operating more commercially; and making better use of our resources.“We need to be able to respond, not only to the needs of our community now, but to predict future demand and meet changing needs.
“This means exploring whether the council should continue to provide existing services or whether another public, a private or voluntary sector organisation should be commissioned or assisted in delivering those services instead.
“One of the ways we are making better use of technology for the benefit of our customers is introducing additional ways to access our services online at all times of the day and night. One of the first ways we are doing this is through our new customer portal which is due to launch in the coming months.
“Customers will be able to access a range of services including reporting an issue, making payments, checking their rent account, viewing their council tax bill, or logging a housing repair at any time of the day or night.
“The portal will also allow benefits claimants to report a change in their circumstances online rather than by attending a face-to-face meeting and will receive an immediate response, which will cut down on waiting times.
“This will allow us to help more people in less time and free up staff time so we can provide more support for those customers who need it.
“I’m also excited to be working with the Mayor, Cabinet and councillors to deliver a more positive Mansfield. We want to ensure that we celebrate what we already have and build on the positive legacies of the past to create a more positive future for Mansfield.
“This year will be an exciting one as we continue to shape our plans for the redevelopment and regeneration of the town centre and as we work on our vision to create a positive destination for culture and events.
“This includes plans to bring the Old Town Hall back into public use with retail units and office space, the creation of a much-needed hotel on the site of the former bus station on Stockwell Gate, and the start of a five-year project to return the Leeming Street, Church Street and Market Place areas to their former glory.
“There are both opportunities and challenges ahead but I look forward to continuing to work with residents, our key partners – including Dame Asha at West Notts College and Mansfield and Ashfield 2020 – to realise our plans to make the district a better place to live, work and visit.”
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