Pendle Borough Council appoint interim chief executive following resignation of previous incumbent Rose Rouse

Lawrence Conway’s temporary appointment was approved by councillors at the Special Budget Council meeting last night (Thursday).

This follows the announcement that Rose Rouse will leave the council at the end of March to take up a new post as chief executive of Darlington Council.

The estimated additional cost of engaging an interim chief executive for six months and for the permanent chief executive recruitment process is around £95,000 which has been included in the 2025/26 budget.

Mr Conway will be working four days a week.

Consultants Solace have been appointed to support the recruitment process for the substantive role. It is expected that the advertisement for the role will go live in March, with selection processes continuing through April, and the final interview with the Senior Management Appointments Committee in late May.

Mr Conway was chief executive of South Lakeland District Council from 2010 until 2023 and has worked in the public sector since 1998.

He joins Pendle Council on Monday March 3rd.

Coun. Asjad Mahmood, leader of Pendle Borough Council, said: “I look forward to welcoming Lawrence to Pendle and working with him to continue our drive to provide good quality services to our residents and businesses.

“He has extensive experience of local government reorganisation which will be immensely helpful as we work through the upcoming changes to councils in Lancashire.”

Coun. Mahmood thanked Miss Rouse for her hard work and commitment during her time as chief executive. Miss Rouse has been with Pendle Council since 2021.

He said: “I wish Rose all the very best in her new role at Darlington Council.

“Since she came to the council in late 2021, she has built a strong management team and has led the organisation to deliver an ambitious Corporate Plan for Pendle.

“Rose has overseen some fantastic regeneration schemes in Pendle and has really helped to put the area on the map.”

As the ehad of Paid Service, the chief executive has overall responsibility for the management and coordination of the employees appointed by the council.