Birmingham City Council has appointed a Director for Education and Skills, Dr Tim O’Neill, currently Strategic Director for People (DCS and DASS) and Deputy Chief Executive at Rutland County Council
New director appointed
Tim O’Neill, newly appointed director of education and skills
Tim will also be the statutory director of children’s services (DCS) at Birmingham City Council, a position which must always sit with the local authority. Children’s social care in Birmingham is run by the Birmingham Children’s Trust.
Councillor Jayne Francis, cabinet member for education, skills and culture, said: “I’m really pleased to welcome Tim to Birmingham. This was a rigorous recruitment process with some excellent candidates, and Tim demonstrated he has the right qualities the council needs with his child-centred approach and clear vision for children’s services in the city.”
Tim will join Birmingham in the new year and there will be a comprehensive handover between him and the current acting director, Anne Ainsworth.
Dawn Baxendale, chief executive of Birmingham City Council, said: “This is a challenging time for the city council as we continue to drive through changes and improvements to services, and I look forward to working with him. I am grateful to Anne Ainsworth for her hard work and dedication while filling the acting role.”
Tim has worked in Local Government since 2001 in senior roles at Derby City Council, Leicestershire County Council, Northamptonshire County Council and Nottingham City Council. He has a PhD in the History of Medicine from the University of Manchester, where he has previously taught.
Tim said: “I am absolutely delighted to be joining Birmingham as director of education and skills. There are some big challenges ahead and I’m confident that by working closely with our key partners such as schools and health, and by listening to our amazing children and young people we can achieve the council’s vision for Birmingham.”
