When I first stepped into the Royal Greenwich Town Hall, I was an apprentice. Over my time here – 38 years to be exact – I have seen how the council works under different leadership, both political and corporate. It's now my turn to take that experience and knowledge and steer the workforce in a new direction so that we continue to evolve and meet the needs of our residents whatever comes our way.

We're all well versed in the huge financial challenge facing local government nationally and, as Greenwich has done, many local authorities will have made administrative, managerial and process-led efficiency savings before even thinking about making cuts to frontline services. However, this in itself comes with its own set of challenges. One of the most important of these is ensuring our hard-working staff feel valued and remain motivated – after all, staff are the biggest asset of any successful organisation.