I’m deeply disappointed Cheshire East did not involve residents in their selection of candidates for the post of chief executive, as was the case with MP David Rutley.

It would have been a wise move to expose candidates to public scrutiny.

We currently have a stand-in carrying out the role of chief executive who promised to ‘make the system sing.’

Unfortunately the song he chose was ‘Up, Up and Away’.

The previous incumbent was allegedly ‘Reaching for the Stars’ but reached for the door with a substantial pay-off.

The now defunct borough council brought in a firebrand chief exec who recruited his own top management team then promptly left for a better offer.

The CEO who replaced him hardly had time to powder her nose before she departed with another big pay-off.

It’s no exaggeration to say recruitment results for this important post have been a disaster.  (I’m being gentle here. If I told it like it is, I’d be censored.)

Look, I wish Michael Suarez, the newly appointed CEO, a long and successful tenure.

I genuinely wish him well in the role. I just hope that Mr Suarez will not be a ‘stepping stone’.

The only common feature between Lambeth Council, from where Mr Suarez emanates, and Cheshire East is they both spend money.

That’s where all similarity ends.

 Not that I know anything about Mr Suarez, it’s just the modus operandi of past leaders, which would be fine if they didn’t insist on stamping their authority on us before jumping ship.

It must be a nightmare for CEC employees who are expected to embrace each new initiative with enthusiasm before another incumbent appears and changes everything.

We’ve had high-flyers,  stargazers and hatchet men – what we haven’t had is commitment. 

Say what you like (and many did) about former chief planning officer Peter Yates, he stuck around and faced the music.

He didn’t cut and run when the going got tough.

Mr Yates resided within our community (and still does) and lived with every decision he made.  That counts for a lot, especially when controversial policies are implemented.

Residents don’t want to be left to deal with the devastating aftermath of another departing CEO (or another expensive pay off).

Involving residents in the selection process would have gone some way to alleviating that worry, as well as ticking the ‘transparency’ box.

If we are ‘all in this together’, as the Tories insist we are, this was a good place to show it.