Senior officers: Gavin Jones | Essex County Council

Gavin Jones

Chief Executive

Salary: £198,875

Gavin has served as CEO of Essex County Council since 2016, having previously spent 10 years as CEO of Swindon Borough. He joined Local Government after having worked in the commercial sector for much of his career, including time in the airline, travel and technology sectors.

Gavin was listed as one of the top 50 New Radicals in the Sunday Observer’s national campaign for Britain’s most innovative leaders and voted one of the most influential leaders in Local Government.

Gavin has been Chair of SOLACE for 6 years, helping it to grow and support Leadership across the Local Government Sector.

Gavin was appointed as Lead Commissioner of Slough Borough Council in May 2023.

Gavin is the Head of Paid Service, this is a statutory appointment under Section 4 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.

It is important that members and officers work together to promote the corporate health of the council.

The Head of Paid Service plays a key role in this and it's vital that members and officers work with the Head of Paid Service (and their staff) to enable them to discharge their statutory responsibilities and other duties.

The current responsibilities of the Head of Paid Service rest with the Chief Executive. The functions are set out within the Constitution.