A new chief executive has been appointed to Tameside council after the previous incumbent resigned following a controversial tweet. Sandra Stewart, who was formerly the council’s monitoring officer and head of governance and pensions, will now be the permanent chief executive after filling the role on an interim basis.
At a full council meeting on Tuesday she was officially welcomed into the role, in which she will be paid £184,767, and will serve as the council’s electoral registration officer and returning officer.In the summer councillors were told that the previous long-standing chief executive Steven Pleasant had resigned ahead of a report finding he breached legislation with a social media post in which he expressed surprise that a Tory voter had ‘compassion and empathy’.
Ms Stewart has worked at Tameside council since 1994, going on to assume the role of borough solicitor and deputy chief executive, becoming director of governance in 2010 and pension fund director in 2016. As chief executive she will also continue as director of the Greater Manchester Pension Fund, and will also have the responsibility as Tameside's place-based lead for health and care integration.
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