You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles
London council recruits former Homes England director for top housing role
Paul Kitson is among three new senior leadership appointments announced by a local authority in east London.
Mr Kitson joins Newham Council as corporate director of inclusive economy, housing and culture.
He joins from Birmingham City Council, where is currently the strategic director of place, prosperity and sustainability.
He joined Birmingham at the end of 2021, and is credited with the launch of the Our Future City Plan and working to secure development partners for multiple regeneration schemes.
Before that, Mr Kitson had spent a decade at Homes England where he was regional director for the South East, as well as the interim executive director of markets, partners and places.
READ MORE
Mr Kitson said: “Newham has many of the most exciting regeneration and development plans in London, if not the country, and I cannot wait to work with the mayor, the chief executive and the communities of Newham to bring those plans to life and to build on the already strong work that has taken place.
“Now more than everm it is essential that the whole borough feels the benefit from the development taking place within it; I look forward to getting on with that work.”
He will be joined in his new role by Laura Eden, who has been appointed corporate director of children and young people.
She joins from Islington Council, where she was director of safeguarding.
Finally, Adrian Thomas joins the London council as chief marketing officer.
Mr Thomas has been the director of communications at Unison since 2021 and was previously director of marketing and communications at Barts Charity.
Rokhsana Fiaz, mayor of Newham, said: “I am thrilled to announce these appointments. Laura, Adrian and Paul are highly skilled leaders who have driven significant change and innovation in their previous roles, and I look forward to working with them all to drive our agenda to build a fairer Newham for all our people. I know they are all as ambitious for Newham as I am.
“The wealth of passion, experience and knowledge they bring will be vital as we continue to navigate the pressures that are currently being faced by councils across the country.”
All three new appointments will start their new positions in March and April.
At the end of last year, Inside Housing revealed that Newham Council planned to buy a 172-home block in Essex as part of its accelerated acquisition programme in a bid to reduce temporary accommodation pressures.
Sign up for our monthly Housing Moves newsletter
Already have an account? Click here to manage your newsletters
