A London council has publicly welcomed a ‘top local government chief’ to its ranks. Rachel McKoy, the immediate past president of membership body Lawyers in Local Government, will join Newham in September as its monitoring officer.
In an announcement on its website this week, Newham said McKoy will also be director of legal and governance at Newham and Havering councils under their shared service collaboration.
McKoy, currently director of legal and governance at Hounslow, is immediate past president of membership body Lawyers in Local Government.
Newham mayor Rokhsana Fiaz OBE said: ‘With the increasing complex landscape facing local government, I am delighted that we have Rachel, a formidable legal heavyweight, joining Newham’s top officer team. As the council continues to drive my administration’s ambitious Building a Fairer Newham plans for local people and our communities, I’m looking forward to Rachel playing a major role.
‘Building on the good governance agenda I started back in 2018, I know that Rachel will be a stickler for the robust and ethical standards that I expect here at the council on behalf of Newham residents, as we serve the public good and in the public interest at all times. All elected members and officers at the council will undoubtedly benefit from her wise counsel.’
The council’s chief executive, Abi Gbago, was ‘delighted’ that a legal professional ‘with such a strong and credible reputation, and significant experience’ was joining Newham.
McKoy, interviewed in-depth by the Gazette in 2023, has long championed the importance of good governance and decision-making within local authorities, and the crucial role played by monitoring officers.
She said: ‘Ensuring good governance and decision making, on behalf of our communities, is something I am very passionate about. It has been key to every role I have held, and will remain pivotal to the discharge of my responsibilities when I arrive.’
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