Tony McArdle has stepped in to take over as lead commissioner from Max Caller at Birmingham City Council
Tony McArdle, new lead commissioner at Birmingham City Council
The new lead commissioner at Birmingham City Council replacing Max Caller will also retain his troubleshooting role leading the recovery at ailing Nottingham City Council as well.
Tony McArdle, who was in the city today for his first day on the job, is to continue in his current role as lead commissioner in Nottingham while also taking on the mammoth task of seeing Birmingham out of special measures.
We understand the announcement of his new role in Birmingham had not been pre-warned in Nottingham.
READ MORE: Barbs for Birmingham’s troubleshooting commissioner Max Caller as he abruptly leaves
Mr McArdle has however ended his role at Croydon Council, where he had led an improvement and recovery panel.
Both council lead commissioner roles are deemed to be ‘part time’, with the time commitment to each of the jobs capped at 150 days a year.
If he were to max out both roles, he would have to give up many weekends.
But sources say he is expected to scale back his commitment to Nottingham, which is nearing the end of its improvement journey and is in a far less precarious position than Birmingham.
His appointment runs from today to 31 October 2028 ‘or such time as the Secretary of State determines’.
Tony McArdle, new lead commissioner at Birmingham City Council
Mr McArdle is deemed to be the right person to take over from Mr Caller, who ruffled feathers in his endeavours to force the council to face up to its historic failings and poor governance and improve services for the city’s 1.1 million residents.
Said to be more collegiate in his approach, Mr McArdle’s role will be to work alongside Birmingham’s managing director Joanne Roney, her new-look senior executive team and the political leadership to build on the fragile improvements already in place.
In a message to staff about Mr McArdle’s appointment, Ms Roney and council leader Coun John Cotton thanked Mr Caller for his work, and said: “We are very keen to continue this rate of progress, and that is why work on producing next year’s budget continues at pace.
“Although the council’s position remains challenging, real improvements have been made and the direction and advice Max and his team have provided has been integral to this.
“We will continue to work closely and constructively with government and we promise there will be no let-up in the hard work that is being done across the council.”
They also told staff: “We have a strong top team in place and we are all determined to continue to work hard to ensure residents have the services they need and deserve.
“We look forward to working with Tony McArdle, who has significant Commissioner experience, and we will update you regarding any further announcements when we are in a position to do so. Thank you all for your continued hard work.”
Announcing Caller’s departure, the minister for Local Government and English Devolution, Jim McMahon, said: “Max Caller has made a significant contribution to local government throughout his career, including leading efforts to put Birmingham City Council on a sustainable footing.
“While the city’s recovery remains fragile, marked progress was made under his leadership, including developing a stable medium-term financial plan, making progress towards resolving the outstanding equal pay situation, and re-implementing the Oracle IT programme. The government’s priority is to ensure this work continues.
“I am confident that will be the case under the new lead commissioner, Tony McArdle OBE, who brings a huge range of experience to the role, having been a well-respected council chief executive and leading interventions at other local authorities.”
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Asked about the announcement, Nottingham City Council said today: “Yesterday, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government announced that they had appointed Tony McArdle OBE as Lead Commissioner at Birmingham City Council…
“Tony was appointed Lead Commissioner with Nottingham City Council in 2024, having extensive experience in local government and in interventions and best value roles.
“The Secretary of State has indicated that they will work with us over the next few weeks to understand what this now means for Nottingham, but we know that Tony will be continuing in his role as a Commissioner with us, alongside Commissioner for Finance, Margaret Lee, and Commissioner for Transformation, Sharon Kemp.”
Biography of Tony McArdle
He has extensive experience in local government and is the former Chief Executive of Lincolnshire County Council, and Wellingborough Council.
An army reservist for 22 years, McArdle spent a year as national director for NHS Test and Trace during Covid, attending weekly meetings with Matt Hancock.
He was the lead commissioner sent into Northamptonshire council in 2018 when it became the first to go bankrupt for two decades.
He has since been chosen by government ministers to chair Croydon Council’s Improvement and Assurance Panel, and was Best Value Inspector at Thurrock Council.
He was an independent advisor to the Government’s SEND Review and has played a role at multiple councils helping them to deal with major deficits in spending on special educational needs and disabilities.
He remains the lead commissioner at Nottingham City Council, where he was appointed in 2024 for two years. He was awarded an OBE in 2021 for his services to local government.
