Peterborough council names new appointment for 100k+ head of legal services role

A new head of legal and governance will be appointed at Peterborough City Council (PCC) next week.

Neil McArthur, who has been a lawyer for almost 25 years, has been chosen to take up the £100K+ role.

It involves advising PCC staff and councillors in legal matters and ensuring governance procedures are followed correctly across the council.

Mr McArthur will also lead on elections, complaints and democratic services.

He’s due to take up the role on 1st June.

PCC’s previous director of legal and governance was dismissed in September after having been deemed to have failed her probation by the council.

Rochelle Tapping was replaced by Adesuwa Omoregie who remains in the role as interim director.

Mr McArthur has held various local authority roles including head of legal and governance at Winchester City Council, head of commercial law at Sandwell Council and head of civil litigation and personal injury at Birmingham City Council.

Most recently he has served as head of companies and director of commercial and procurement at Nottingham City Council.

Between 2018 and 2021 he was chief executive of the government’s gambling commission, which licences and regulates businesses in the sector.

In a statement to press, he said: “I am delighted to be appointed as Peterborough City Council’s new Director of Legal and Governance. I am looking forward to joining the team and to working with colleagues to build on all the progress that has been made as we meet the challenges ahead.”

Councillors will be asked to rubber stamp his appointment at a meeting on 20th March.