Council chief executive is leaving after 10 years

Cornwall Council's chief executive "has decided to leave her role" as after 10 years, the authority has announced.

Kate Kennally said: "I am privileged to have served Cornwall for 10 years, during which time Cornwall has hosted the G7 leaders' summit [in 2021], worked with communities to respond to the Covid pandemic and recovered from significant events such as the Coverack floods and Storm Goretti."

Her departure comes after she went on a leave of absence in September. An exact date of her leaving has not been announced.

The council said interim leadership arrangements were in place and it would recruit a new permanent chief executive "in due course".

The council appointed former chief executive of the Falkland Islands government Andy Keeling as interim deputy chief executive in September after Kennally went on the leave of absence.

For a decade, Kate Kennally has been one of the most influential figures in Cornwall's public sector, despite largely working out of the spotlight.

As chief executive of Cornwall Council, she led more than 5,000 staff and oversaw a £1.7bn budget, playing a key role in some of the county's biggest challenges and changes.

During her time in charge, the authority navigated the Covid-19 pandemic, major storm responses and continuing financial pressures facing local government.

She also held the council's top officer role as Cornwall secured greater devolved powers, with further negotiations continuing in recent years.

However, the circumstances surrounding Kennally's departure remain unclear.

Since the council announced she had taken a leave of absence last month, few details have been made public. Discussions have been restricted to a small group of councillors, with meetings held behind closed doors, fuelling speculation at Lys Kernow (County Hall).

The council has now begun the process of recruiting a successor. In the meantime, interim deputy chief executive Andy Keeling remains in charge of the authority's day-to-day operations.

Kennally joined the council from the London borough of Barnet, where she was the strategic director for commissioning and deputy chief executive.

She has been in charge during three political administrations in Cornwall.

She has been the highest paid highest earner at Cornwall Council, with a base salary of £201,661, rising to £239,479, including pension and expenses, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

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