Council finance chief bows out

Ian Kell, deputy finance director for Wigan Council, is stepping down after twenty five years helping to steer the borough through the choppy waters of local government finance.

Accountant Ian, who turns 60 in a week’s time, was influential in managing the council’s finances during the controversial poll tax and the cuts imposed when the council had its budget ‘capped’ in 1990.

In recent years Wigan has been praised by the public spending watchdog, the Audit Commission, as a model of an efficient council that manages its resources well. Council leader Peter Smith said Ian had played a big part in that success story.

He told colleagues past and present who gathered to toast Ian’s retirement:

“He has been a loyal and dedicated servant of the borough but he’s not just your typical accountant.

“Ian has always been open to new ideas and fresh ways of thinking, and as councillors we knew he would always give us honest and straightforward advice. We will miss him and his contribution.”

Ian was deputy to former council treasurer Philip Grayling and current finance director David Smith, who also paid tribute to his “incredible contribution”.

Now Ian, who lives in Horwich with his wife Anne, plans to spend more time pursuing his talents for playing the organ and scuba diving, as well as walking, bird watching and travelling.

He said he would miss Wigan:

“When I came here from Oldham council in 1980 I never thought I would be here more than a quarter of a century later. But Wigan is a genuinely nice place – people come here and they don’t want to go.

“The best piece of advice I’ve given my colleagues is that, whether we work in front line services or support services like finance, we should never forget that we are here to do our best for the residents and the tax payers who pay our wages.

“I feel I’m leaving on a high note with yet another very positive report from the government inspectors on how we manage our resources. But after 38 years in local government finance the only financial management I’m interested in now is my own!”