Former historian, Kersten England, tells Heather Jameson how she rose from the school which inspired a literary classic to become the chief executive of one of the most historic cities in the country
Kersten England, the chief executive of York City Council, has a misleading name. She is, in fact, a Scotswoman.
‘There is a by-law in York which allows Scots people – well, Scotsmen – to be shot by a crossbow within the walls of the city after dark.’
She says she has been threatened with it, but so far, she has dodged the slings and arrows – and, indeed, the crossbows. Ms England is, however, considering repealing the bylaw – for obvious reasons.
Born and educated in Edinburgh, Kersten went to Gillespies School – an experience which appears to have had an impact on her entire life. As a former all-girls school – and the inspiration for the book, The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie – the school gave her a strong belief that girls could achieve whatever they wanted.
But, just as she arrived at Gillespies, it became a co-ed comprehensive. ‘I had the best of both worlds,’ she explains, the confidence given to women at a girls school, with all the skills of dealing with both sexes.
Kersten went on to have an ‘eclectic career path’ centring, initially, on the academic. When she left university after a degree and post-grad in history, academic positions were a bit thin of the ground, and she found herself doing a mixture of lecturing and voluntary work.
The crossroads came when interviews for a lecturer at Lancaster University and a job at Kirklees MBC came up on the same day. She plumped for the gender-management job at the council, and her first assignment was to run a training course for the management team’s PAs.
She spent a total of four years at the council, working under chief executive, Rob Hughes, and ended up as a training officer. But it was the first 18 months which saw her rise from her entry-level post to a third-tier officer, which kept her interested in the possibilities of local government.
After Kirklees, came Bradford City Council. As she moved there, the council was being investigated by the Commission for Racial Equalities over its racial policies. She worked under HR boss, Keith Handley – the former president of local government’s HR society SOCPO, as it then was.
‘When Keith went off to SOCPO, I worked in HR. I did the TUPE transfer of all the LEA staff.’
Kersten ’s next role was in policy and performance – alongside current Bristol City Council chief executive, Jan Ormaroyd. ‘I was working in Bradford when we had the riots. It was an exciting time to be there – but then, Bradford is never boring.’
In 2005, she switched to the civil service, working for Communities and Local Government as a director in the regional office – and she describes it as a ‘huge learning curve’. As with most people who cross the divide, she found a massive culture gap, and says: ‘I was employed to be from the sector, bridging the divide between local government and the CLG.’
Kersten was lead officer for both Hull and North East Lincolnshire when they were in intervention. ‘It was a great couple of years. But I chose to go back into local government,’ she says.
She was appointed as director of communities at Calderdale MBC. As with all the chief executives and colleagues she has worked with, Kersten pays tribute to chief executive, Owen Williams – who she had known from her Bradford days.
Then the job came up at York. She describes the city as ‘teaming with assets, but it could be so much better’. It is easy to see why the historic city would appeal to the former history graduate – but it has more than just a past.
‘Everywhere I turn, there is talent. It’s also the location for Science City York – we are a real centre for innovation.’
Kersten is clear on the priorities she has for the city. Included in her priorities are dealing with the recession for a city which has moved on from the ‘confectionery and railways’ of days gone by, and ensuring there are jobs for young people entering the workplace.
As a Lib Dem authority, the authority is also keen on tackling climate change.
The ‘More for York’ programme was set to yield £15m from the budget, but the financial climate has changed since it was set up, with treasury management delivering less than predicted.
At around 100 days into the job, there is a lot she wants to do, but Kersten loves the role. A restructure has been approved, and she will be moving from a structure with six directors, to just four – including one mammoth task of director of adults, children and families, which will include education and housing.
If she can continue to dodge the bullets – and indeed the crossbows – she has high hopes for the future of the historic city.
‘There is a by-law in York which allows Scots people – well, Scotsmen – to be shot by a crossbow within the walls of the city after dark.’
She says she has been threatened with it, but so far, she has dodged the slings and arrows – and, indeed, the crossbows. Ms England is, however, considering repealing the bylaw – for obvious reasons.
Born and educated in Edinburgh, Kersten went to Gillespies School – an experience which appears to have had an impact on her entire life. As a former all-girls school – and the inspiration for the book, The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie – the school gave her a strong belief that girls could achieve whatever they wanted.
But, just as she arrived at Gillespies, it became a co-ed comprehensive. ‘I had the best of both worlds,’ she explains, the confidence given to women at a girls school, with all the skills of dealing with both sexes.
Kersten went on to have an ‘eclectic career path’ centring, initially, on the academic. When she left university after a degree and post-grad in history, academic positions were a bit thin of the ground, and she found herself doing a mixture of lecturing and voluntary work.
The crossroads came when interviews for a lecturer at Lancaster University and a job at Kirklees MBC came up on the same day. She plumped for the gender-management job at the council, and her first assignment was to run a training course for the management team’s PAs.
She spent a total of four years at the council, working under chief executive, Rob Hughes, and ended up as a training officer. But it was the first 18 months which saw her rise from her entry-level post to a third-tier officer, which kept her interested in the possibilities of local government.
After Kirklees, came Bradford City Council. As she moved there, the council was being investigated by the Commission for Racial Equalities over its racial policies. She worked under HR boss, Keith Handley – the former president of local government’s HR society SOCPO, as it then was.
‘When Keith went off to SOCPO, I worked in HR. I did the TUPE transfer of all the LEA staff.’
Kersten ’s next role was in policy and performance – alongside current Bristol City Council chief executive, Jan Ormaroyd. ‘I was working in Bradford when we had the riots. It was an exciting time to be there – but then, Bradford is never boring.’
In 2005, she switched to the civil service, working for Communities and Local Government as a director in the regional office – and she describes it as a ‘huge learning curve’. As with most people who cross the divide, she found a massive culture gap, and says: ‘I was employed to be from the sector, bridging the divide between local government and the CLG.’
Kersten was lead officer for both Hull and North East Lincolnshire when they were in intervention. ‘It was a great couple of years. But I chose to go back into local government,’ she says.
She was appointed as director of communities at Calderdale MBC. As with all the chief executives and colleagues she has worked with, Kersten pays tribute to chief executive, Owen Williams – who she had known from her Bradford days.
Then the job came up at York. She describes the city as ‘teaming with assets, but it could be so much better’. It is easy to see why the historic city would appeal to the former history graduate – but it has more than just a past.
‘Everywhere I turn, there is talent. It’s also the location for Science City York – we are a real centre for innovation.’
Kersten is clear on the priorities she has for the city. Included in her priorities are dealing with the recession for a city which has moved on from the ‘confectionery and railways’ of days gone by, and ensuring there are jobs for young people entering the workplace.
As a Lib Dem authority, the authority is also keen on tackling climate change.
The ‘More for York’ programme was set to yield £15m from the budget, but the financial climate has changed since it was set up, with treasury management delivering less than predicted.
At around 100 days into the job, there is a lot she wants to do, but Kersten loves the role. A restructure has been approved, and she will be moving from a structure with six directors, to just four – including one mammoth task of director of adults, children and families, which will include education and housing.
If she can continue to dodge the bullets – and indeed the crossbows – she has high hopes for the future of the historic city.
