Fenwick leaves Liverpool to join Thurrock as Executive Director of Corporate Services and Monitoring Officer

Thurrock Council has selected Daniel Fenwick, City Solicitor at Liverpool City Council since 2021, as its Executive Director of Corporate Services and Monitoring Officer.

Fenwick, who has held senior legal roles and been monitoring officer at the London Boroughs of Newham, Havering, and Dagenham, as well as Liverpool, will take over at Thurrock on 1 March this year.

He took on his first monitoring officer role in 2007 at Waltham Forest.

He is set to replace Thurrock’s Interim Director Legal and Governance, and Monitoring Officer, Asmat Hussain.

Liverpool is meanwhile set to appoint Karen Mcilwaine, currently the city council's Deputy Director, City Law and Governance, as Acting Director of City Law and Governance and Monitoring Officer from 1 March, when Fenwick is scheduled to leave.

Commissioners, sent into Thurrock after the council issued a section 114 notice in December 2022, proposed restructuring the council's senior leadership in July 2023.

Fenwick's appointment is part of that restructure, which condenses the senior leadership team into six roles.

The council embarked on a recruitment campaign for four senior roles in total, including the Executive Director of Corporate Services role. Thus far, Thurrock has filled two of the positions.

Commenting on the appointments, leader of the council, Cllr Andrew Jefferies, said: "I am delighted that we have found excellent candidates for these senior positions.

“As we continue to rebuild the council, with Commissioners oversight, this is an important step forward and will help us bring about the necessary changes throughout the whole organisation. Working together councillors and officers will ensure we make the improvements and deliver a council our residents deserve."

Adam Carey