Tandridge District Council’s Chief Executive, Stephen Weigel, retires on 31st December 2012, after more than eight years in the job. He is the longest serving Chief Executive in Surrey. Stephen became Chief Executive in January 2004 and has championed partnership working, as well as a programme of innovation, service improvement and efficiency.

He was involved in the creation of the East Surrey Improvement Partnership, made up of Tandridge District Council, Mole Valley District Council, Epsom & Ewell Borough Council and Reigate and Banstead Borough Council.

The Council also has shared services with Sevenoaks District Council. As part of the Surrey First initiative, Stephen was also the lead officer for two of the five core workstreams (Human Resources and ICT) across the whole of Surrey and is the current lead officer on the ICT workstream which has delivered more than £1m of savings to date. Stephen began his career in industry, working for a large American International company as a loudspeaker design engineer before joining local government in 1976, as a trainee Trading Standards Officer at the London Borough of Greenwich. He also worked for Lambeth, Greenwich and Thurrock Councils. Talking of his time at Tandridge District Council, Stephen Weigel said: “I have really enjoyed working here and I am proud to have been given the opportunity to work with such talented people within the Council.”

Leader of the Council, Councillor Gordon Keymer, said: “We will be sorry to see Stephen go. He has been an excellent Chief Executive and I have enjoyed working with him. I wish him well in his retirement.”