Becky Hellard was appointed in September 2021 as Birmingham City Council’s Director of Council Management (s151). Having joined the Council as Interim Director for Finance and Governance in October 2019, Becky has overseen the delivery of financial improvement plans across the Council, strengthening the strategic approach to the Council’s budget, and delivering financial resilience.
Progress on these fronts was recognised as exemplary in an independent report from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA). The review of financial management capability against CIPFA’s five-star model and ranked the City Council as a three-star authority – up from the one-star rating awarded in 2019 and delivered a year ahead of schedule.
Becky is a double qualified accountant and has worked in local government approaching 30 years, having held permanent and interim positions in Core Cities, Metropolitan Authorities, County Unitaries and London Boroughs.
The Director of Council Management role has overall responsibility for the Council’s engine room and support services as well as front line services including Revenues and Benefits and Customer Services. In addition, the post covers aspects such as Performance Improvement, Programme Delivery, IT & Digital, Financial Management, Assurance and Governance Arrangements. The Director is also the Council’s statutory Section 151 officer.