South London council's new top boss set to get £230k - £40k more than drink-driving predecessor
Lambeth Council's new top boss is set to be paid £230,000 per year — over £40,000 more than his drink-driving predecessor. Ian Davis's six-digit salary is expected to be rubberstamped by councillors at a meeting next Wednesday (January 22).
Mr Davis was announced as the Labour-run council's new Chief Executive in December, replacing Bayo Dosunmu who resigned after getting caught drink-driving by police in June 2024.
Dosunmu was paid just under £190,000 per year before his resignation from the council in July 2024. Mr Davis was on just over £220,000 in his previous job as Chief Executive of Enfield Council in North London, to which he was appointed in 2017.
Lambeth received 14 applications for the Chief Executive position following a recruitment campaign it launched in September 2024. Eight candidates were then longlisted for consideration by an appointments committee, which included Labour Leader of the council, Claire Holland, as well as three other Labour councillors and one Liberal Democrat.
Four candidates were then put forward for a final interview by the committee, after which Mr Davis was recommended for appointment. He will replace Acting Chief Executive Fiona Connolly, who stepped up to the top job following Dosunmu's departure in July last year.
Dosunmu pleaded guilty to drink-driving, failing to stop after a crash, and driving without insurance at a hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court in August 2024. He was disqualified from driving for two years and ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work at a sentencing hearing at the same court a month later in September 2024. Dosunmu is due to be tried for possession of cocaine, which he denies, at Isleworth Crown Court later in 2025.
Ian Davis said it was an 'honour' to have been selected as the council's new Chief Executive following his appointment in December. He said: "Lambeth is an iconic borough with huge potential and the borough's Lambeth 2030 vision sets out a clear and compelling vision for the future that I look forward to working with you all to deliver."
Cllr Claire Holland, Leader of the council, said she was 'delighted' to name Mr Davis as Lambeth's new Chief Executive. Speaking in December 2024, she said: "Ian is a local government leader with significant experience of driving service improvement and delivering better outcomes for residents.
"His wealth of experience, knowledge and commitment will be crucial to supporting the council to deliver our Lambeth 2030 ambitions especially in the challenging financial times that local government faces."
Got a story? Email robert.firth@reachplc.com.
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