RORY WELCOMES NEW COUNCIL CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Rory met with Rose Rouse last week to welcome her to Eden and congratulate her on her new role as Chief Executive of Eden District Council, which she started at the beginning of July.

Mrs Rouse, a former Corporate Director with Worcester City Council, said her main role over the next few months was to ‘get to know people’; not just in the Council, but in the communities she is working for. Mrs Rouse also said she was looking forward to continuing to engage with her teams and build a team focused on good communication and a can do attitude. She also stated that she was encouraged by the ideas already coming forward from Council staff.

Mr Stewart and Mrs Rouse discussed the difficulties the Council faced in Eden including strategic housing, and planning and development. Mrs Rouse, who spent time working at the Cumbria Police Headquarters earlier in her career, said she believed in planning for the future, and said she was already impressed by the recent developments she has seen in the town including the leisure facilities and the growth of alternative food shopping.

Kevin Beaty, Eden District Council Leader, joined Mr Stewart and Mrs Rouse to discuss the Penrith Master Plan. Mrs Rouse spoke about how the plan was ‘morphing and changing’ constantly to represent the views of the community. She said: “People drive change, retaining the working age population in Eden by providing the necessary services, homes and shopping facilities will support the area”.

Mr Stewart said “I am delighted with Mrs Rouse’s appointment. It is important that we continue to ensure Eden is supported to grow and achieve its economic potential. This is a challenging time for Eden, but I am confident that with Mrs Rouse at the helm, these challenges will be well managed, with the interests of the communities at the heart of any decision making process”.