New finance chief appointed by Peterborough council

Cecilie Booth will be appointed to the role subject to approval from members at a full council meeting taking place on Wednesday 26 January. She will take over from Pete Carpenter, following his resignation from the post last month.

The statutory role involves administering the council’s financial and property affairs, acting as lead financial advisor on all council projects, jointly chairing the authority’s Joint Commissioning and Procurement Board and representing the council on external financial organisations.

Ms Booth brings many years of experience to the role, having qualified with the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) in 1998. She began her career with the NHS as an internal auditor, before moving into local government positions. She also has experience of working in the private sector as a Financial Consultant and most recently served as Chief Operating and Chief Financial Officer for the City of London Police.

Ms Booth said: “I am delighted to be joining Peterborough City Council and excited to be working with the team to help the council strengthen its financial resilience. The role will bring many challenges, but there are also enormous opportunities to take the council forward to continue to grow and prosper.”

Councillor Andy Coles, Cabinet Member for Finance, said: “We are extremely pleased to announce that Cecilie will join the council. She brings many years of experience and expertise to the role and I look forward to working with her and leading our drive towards financial sustainability, which is our number one goal.”

Following a financial review carried out by the government’s Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities (DLUHC) last year, the council has also agreed to appoint three independent members to its Audit Committee, including a new Chair of the group.

The DLUHC recommended external appointments to help strengthen membership and expertise of the committee, helping it to achieve best practice guidance as set out by CIPFA.

Subject to approval from members at full council, Chris Brooks will take over as Chair of the Audit Committee for a term of four years ending in May 2026, with Mike Langhorn and Dr Stuart Green also joining the group for the same term.

The trio have extensive experience in accounting and financial roles and were selected after applying for the positions which were advertised locally and nationally.