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Chief Executive's directorate

John Harmeston,
Chief Executive,
Bridgnorth District Council,
Westgate, Bridgnorth, WV16 5AA
Email: cexec@bridgnorth-dc.gov.uk

The Chief Executive's directorate is made up of the following departments

• Legal and Democratic Services
• Finance
• Organisational Development

Legal and Democratic Services

The Head of Legal and Democratic Serices is Richard Iliffe.

Legal and Democratic Services includes the solicitors and legal executives that deal with the council's own legal business, the officers who make sure all the meetings are properly served and have access to the minutes from those meetings and the Elections team. If you have a question about a legal matter you should contact the Council on - 01746 713100.

In addition to their normal duties the Democratic Services team also look after Concessionary Fares, which are issued in March of each year for commencement from April 1 to persons over 60 years of age or with a qualifying disability. People already in receipt of a Concessionary Fare will receive a letter asking them to renew their concession. New claimants, however, should contact Democratic Services for the necessary forms. The application can also be made on the council's website.

The Legal and Democratic team lead on equality issues. If you are suffering problems as a result of being different from the rest of the community you can report the matter to the Reception at Westgate or complete a Hate Crime Form on the website. If a criminal act is occurring we will then report the matter to the Police but otherwise we will refer it to a mediation team operated by Shropshire Council who will provide support.

Finance

The Head of Finance is Steve Ogram.

This department is reponsible for managing is responsible for managing all aspects of the financial affairs of the council.

These include accounting for the council's financial resources which have a gross annual turnover in excess of £65 million, collection of Council Tax and business rates, administration of Council Tax and Housing Benefits, risk management and performance monitoring.

The section also undertakes payroll services, payments to suppliers, Insurance, internal audit and car parking.

Steve Ogram is Head of Finance, Rob Keane is Revenues and Benefits Manager, Clive Crook is Accountancy Manager.

Organisational Development

The Head of Organisational Development is John Hodkinson.

This department is responsible for developing and promoting the council and its staff both inside and outside the organisation.

Our Policy Manager and Policy Support Officers are involved in looking at Government policies and applying them to Bridgnorth District Council as well as developing our own local strategies. They also work in partnership with other organisations across the district and beyond.

The Communications Officer is also in this section and is in charge of co-ordinating and managing public relations, media and consultation activities, to let residents know what is going on and find out what they think.

Community Safety is part of Organisational Development and is responsible for working with the Community Safety Partnership to promote safety and healthy living.

Staff also swing into action in an Emergency Situation.

The Personnel team are also part of Organisational Development and offer training to make sure staff provide the best service possible to residents.