New council chief hired

Arthur Charvonia has been selected as the next joint chief executive of Babergh and Mid Suffolk district councils.

He will replace former chief executive Charlie Adan who joined the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in August after five years at Babergh and Mid Suffolk.

A qualified barrister, Mr Charvonia has worked in local government for 11 years and has been strategic director at Suffolk Coastal and Waveney district councils for the past six years.

The councils had agreed a salary range of £110k to £128k for the role and Mr Charvonia has been appointed to the bottom of the scale.

Although Mr Charvonia will not take up his new role until the New Year, he is expected to begin attending key meetings shortly after the appointment has been ratified by both councils at full council meetings on October 31.

The 39-year-old has worked at Norfolk Constabulary and the London Borough of Waltham Forest. He moved to East Anglia in 2000 and is married with three children.

He said: “My recent experience at Suffolk Coastal and Waveney puts me in an ideal place to help lead the councils through the challenges of building on their successful partnership, as well as the forthcoming move to a new headquarters.”

A qualified barrister, Mr Charvonia originally worked in London practising family, housing, licensing, criminal and immigration law. Born in North London, he was educated in Hertfordshire.

Jennie Jenkins, leader of Babergh District Council, said: “All the candidates went through a rigorous two day recruitment process and the standard was very high.

“However, Arthur quickly emerged as the candidate with precisely the right combination of skills and expertise.

“The cross party appointment group felt Arthur’s experience of joint working across two district councils, and the wider Suffolk public sector family, made him the ideal candidate to lead our two councils through the many challenges and opportunities ahead.”