Alison Griffin has been appointed as Chief Executive of London Councils, the cross-party organisation which represents London’s 32 boroughs and the City of London Corporation.
She will take up her role in July 2021 and Deputy Chief Executive of London Councils, Dick Sorabji, will be acting Chief Executive in the interim.
Ms Griffin, currently Chief Executive of Southend-on-Sea Borough Council, joined the authority in July 2017, having previously been Director of Finance and Corporate Services at the London Borough of Bexley.
During her time in Essex, she has been instrumental in developing ‘Southend 2050’, the resident and stakeholder led ambition for the borough, which was approved in December 2018.
Commenting, Chair of London Councils and Leader of Camden Council, Councillor Georgia Gould said: “The pandemic has demonstrated the vital role of local government more than ever before.
“The London boroughs have risen to the challenge of supporting their communities through Covid-19 by developing new ways of working together to support our communities, residents and businesses. London Councils has played a vital role in supporting that agile response.
“Alison brings with her a passion for community engagement and a deep understanding of local government finance that will enable London Councils to build on what has been learned over the past year and provide even stronger support to the boroughs in the years to come.
“I’m very pleased that we have been able to appoint her to this vital role for London and Londoners.”
Ms Griffin said she is “very excited” to be joining London Councils and added:
“I am looking forward to working with the boroughs and partners in central government, the GLA and all London’s public services, as well as the business and voluntary sectors to ensure that London and Londoners are able to recover from the pandemic, tackle the big issues, such as climate change and seize the opportunities of the future.”
The appointment comes after London Councils’ Chief Executive, John O’Brien, announced in September 2020 that he would be leaving the organisation after 14 years at the helm.
