New Year’s Honours: OBE for East Sussex transport chief
A former president of the County Surveyor’s Society, Wilkins has worked for the council since 1994, where he was a county engineer prior to his role as transport director.
He has also held posts in local government in Surrey, Warwickshire, the Isle of Wight and Hertfordshire, and was president of the CSS in 2003/04.
His department is responsible for strategic land use and transport planning, waste planning and management, highway maintenance and construction, rights of way and countryside management, and ecology and archaeology.
Wilkins, who retires later this year, said: ‘I am delighted with this honour, which really is a recognition of the high-quality work my staff do for East Sussex, the region and nationally.’
John Deegan, current president of the CSS, said Wilkins ‘well deserved the recognition’. ‘Bob is a great guy to get along with,’ he said.
And Cheryl Miller, chief executive of East Sussex, added: ‘Bob has helped put East Sussex at the forefront of sustainable waste-management policy and practice, and saved many lives with the innovative road safety initiatives he has introduced.’
Wilkins studied civil engineering at Manchester University and for an MSc at Warwick University.