Karl Battersby, has joined Noth Yorkshire Council as the new Corporate Director of Business and Environmental Services.
Mr Battersby, who has been a corporate director for 12 years, has taken over the position from David Bowe at North Yorkshire County Council.
He will take on responsibilities including managing North Yorkshire’s 5,350 miles of highways, the disposal of more than 300,000 tonnes of waste per year and the county’s leading edge trading standards team.
Mr Battersby was the Strategic Director for Economy and Infrastructure at Kirklees Council from 2018. The post has responsibility for all front line environmental services, planning, regeneration and development functions, the Capital programme and all council land and property assets.
“I’m looking forward to encountering a brand new set of challenges in the most beautiful county in the country,” said Karl. “I want to get a really good feel for the place. I’ve got a local background because I was born in Bradford, so I have a good knowledge of the geography.”
He will be using his skills and experience to meet the challenges of the pandemic. He said: “I’m joining the County Council in what are challenging and unprecedented times. However, we have an excellent team going all-out to support our residents, businesses and communities. Key priorities are supporting business growth, ensuring that we continue to improve the condition of the county’s extensive highways network, and deliver successful projects despite inevitable budget pressures.”
Mr Battersby has taken over from David Bowe, who has retired after a decade in the post. During this time, David has overseen the successful build and implementation of the Allerton Waste Recovery Plant, improved the condition of the county’s extensive highways network, established a number of successful commercially operating trading arms and functions and supported the development of the county as a venue for world class cycling events.
North Yorkshire County Council’s Chief Executive Richard Flinton said: “I am extremely grateful to David Bowe for his professionalism and astute leadership. He has played an integral role in our many successes over the past ten years.
“We are very pleased to be welcoming Karl and I am confident his experience of managing major programmes of change and improvement will be of huge value at a critical time for the county. Not only are we in the midst of a pandemic, we are also planning for local government reorganisation, Brexit, climate change and increasing demand for our services which all require our absolute focus.”
Mr Battersby will head a number of initiatives including the maximisation of benefits environmentally and commercially from Allerton Park, the County Council’s Yorwaste partnership with York and the establishment of a new highways maintenance service.
Other projects include permanent repairs and a by-pass for the A59 at Kex Gill, as well as fulfilling a commitment to be carbon neutral by, or as close as possible to, 2030.
