Croydon council officers in Power 100 list » Local Government » 24dash.com

Two local government officers from Croydon feature in the Power 100 list of Britain’s most influential public servants.

Croydon Council chief executive David Wechsler and director of finance and resources, Nathan Elvery were both selected alongside figures including the heads of MI5 and MI6, the permanent secretary at the cabinet office, the commissioner or metropolitan police, the chief of defence staff, director general of the BBC and the chairman of the commission for race equality.

Both were described as role models and profiled in a brochure which paid tribute to the significant contribution the public sector makes to the well-being of the nation as a whole.

The initiative, set up by the Carter Anderson media and business consulting organisation, also featured in an eight page supplement to a national broadsheet newspaper.

The high fliers singled out in the list were shortlisted from thousands of nominations received from people working in the public sector and backed up by months of independent research and verification.

An introduction to the associated top awards ceremony observed that public servants dedicate their considerable talents to serving fellow citizens, usually for a lot less reward than they could get in the private sector and a fraction of the recognition.

Council leader Mike Fisher, said:  “Public servants comprise around a fifth of Britain’s work force.

"Their contribution is now measured constantly through performance monitoring which helps taxpayers understand what they are getting in return for the outlay taken from their monthly earnings.

"Thanks to the drive, vision and commitment of people such as our own David Wechsler and Nathan Elvery, the public sector has adopted some of the most successful private business practices while building on its traditional strengths of delivering public services.

"It says a great deal about Croydon that not just one but two of its chief officers should feature in such formidable and distinguished company.

“For our chief executive, who is retiring next year, the accolade is particularly deserved.  It’s not just for his dedication to Croydon but also his longstanding contribution to emergency planning in the capital through London Resilience.

"The public sector power 100 recognition for Croydon shows that candidates aiming to take advantage of the very rare opportunity to be our next chief executive can be expected to be recognised along with the very top public servants in the country.”