Salford selects Tour as new City Solicitor

Salford City Council has appointed Surjit Tour as its City Solicitor, following Cathy Parkinson’s departure from the position on an interim basis.

The local authority said the appointment followed a competitive recruitment process, led by the appointment panel established by the Workforce Panel and chaired by the City Mayor, and will see Tour start from 3 February 2025. 

The City Solicitor position also includes the statutory role of Monitoring Officer for the council. 

In addition, the postholder is responsible for a range of services within the Legal and Governance division of the Resources and Transformation Directorate. These include Democratic and Members services, Elections, Coroners, Registrars, Information Governance and client management for the Shared Legal Service with Manchester City Council. 

Tour has worked at Monitoring Officer level for more than 15 years, most recently at Sandwell and Wirral Councils, and as the Deputy at City of Wolverhampton Council. 

“He comes to Salford with a record of delivering transformational governance to achieve corporate priorities and as a provider of high-level legal advice to elected members and senior officers,” the council said.

As part of Salford’s Corporate Management Team, Tour will join new interim Chief Executive Officer, Melissa Caslake, and Executive Directors in delivering the council’s Corporate Plan.

Paul Dennett, Salford City Mayor, said: “I’m pleased join colleagues and other elected members in welcoming Surjit Tour to Salford City Council as our new City Solicitor and Monitoring Officer. 

“He brings a wealth of experience, knowledge and expertise to this key role for our organisation. I look forward to working closely with him as our organisation’s Chief Legal advisor." 

Surjit Tour added “I am excited to join Salford City Council and support the council deliver its ambitious and exciting Corporate Plan. 

“The council has achieved so much over the recent past and I look forward to building on those successes with the City Mayor, Elected Members, colleagues from across the council, and our partners and stakeholders.”