CEO Kevin Lowry leaves two-star organisation after seven months
2010 Rotherham to employ fifth chief executive in two years
Rotherham’s arm’s-length management organisation is looking to employ a fifth chief executive in two years, after its current chief resigned after just seven months in the job.
Kevin Lowry’s departure means 2010 Rotherham will have had two full-time chief executives and two interim chief executives since 2007.
The 21,000-home ALMO hopes to have another head in place by mid-October and insisted Mr Lowry’s decision to leave at the end of last month was ‘for personal reasons’.
Anita Heaton, chair of the 2010 Rotherham board, said: ‘I would like to stress that Mr Lowry has decided to leave for personal reasons, not as a result of operational matters or any other issues, as has been speculated.’
After Isobel Riley - now chief executive of South Tyneside Homes - took early retirement in November 2007, Colin Earl took over as interim chief on secondment from the council.
Consultant David Hucker was interim chief from October 2008 until January 2009, before Mr Lowry’s appointment. Mr Hucker told Inside Housing the ALMO had faced ‘some challenges’. ‘The Audit Commission inspection [last year] was two stars with uncertain prospects [for improvement] - as it was two years before that,’ he said.
The inspection, carried out in June and published in November last year, found ‘2010 had made progress in some areas, but has not addressed many of the previous weaknesses and recommendations made at the last inspection’. Both reports found a ‘weak approach to value for money’.
The earlier 2006 report concluded the delays to find a permanent chief executive meant ‘progress in developing stable leadership had been slower than it should have been and this was affecting the organisation’s ability to assert its arm’s-length status’.
Mr Lowry was previously chief executive of Three Valleys Housing in Derbyshire, which was inspected last summer and given a one-star rating with ‘excellent prospects for improvement’. The Housing Corporation had placed Three Valleys under supervision in April 2006. It was taken out of supervision in October 2007.
Timeline
May 2005
2010 Rotherham was set up for 21,500 tenanted and 420 leasehold homes. Jim McCausland is appointed interim chief executive
February 2006
Isobel Riley becomes permanent chief executive but takes early retirement in November 2007
March 2006
Audit Commission finds 2010 to be a ‘good, two-star service with uncertain prospects for improvement’. An inspection in June 2008 produces the same findings
December 2007
Colin Earl is appointed interim chief executive on secondment from Rotherham Borough Council
October 2008
David Hucker takes over as interim chief executive
February 2009
Kevin Lowry is appointed as permanent chief executive only to resign seven months later for personal reasons
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Readers' comments (2)
Peter | 09/10/2009 10:32 am
Mr Lowry must have realised that he became the captain of the Rotherham 2010 Titanic and the avoiding the impending the icebergs was not his speciality.
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Byronboy | 11/02/2010 6:53 pm
Pure speculation of this nature does nothing to resolve anything. If people are genuinely interested in the situation they should make it their business to discover the true facts before passing comment. This kind of speculation only makes life difficult for the out-going and in-coming incumbents, and is very negative indeed.
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