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Chief Executive Stirling Council Keith Yates

The Chief Executive is Head of Paid Service in the Council and is responsible for carrying out the agreed policies of the Council and the overall management of Council Services. The Chief Executive advises the Council, chairs the Corporate Management Team and is the first point of contact with the Scottish Government, regulatory bodies and partner public bodies such as health, police and the University. He also has responsibility for corporate complaints, emergency planning and for encouraging positive relationships with community groups and businesses within the Stirling area. He is Returning Officer for elections to the Council and the Stirling Parliamentary Constituency for the Scottish, Westminster and European Parliaments and the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park. He is also Clerk to the Lord Lieutenant of Stirling Council.

As well as these Council duties, Keith Yates leads a number of national and local initiatives on community planning, e-government, shared services and efficient government.

Keith Yates was appointed as Chief Executive in May 1995 and was responsible for creating the Council structures and the transfer of staff from the predecessor councils Stirling District Council and Central Regional Council.

Prior to Stirling Council, Keith spent 4 years as Assistant Chief Executive in Central Regional Council. He was responsible for performance management, the Corporate Plan, the Capital Programme, social and environmental strategies, local democracy and organisational change.

Before this he was a Senior Executive at Strathclyde Regional Council with responsibility at various stages for Urban Regeneration, Community Development, Education and Social Work Committees, Pre-School Policy, Economic Development and Environmental Policy. Between 1975 and 1980 he was the leader of the Regional Strategy Team in Strathclyde Regional Council which focussed investment on the regeneration of Glasgow, including the GEAR project. He was also responsible for population projections, housing strategies, and social need analysis. From 1973 to 1975 he worked for Colin Buchanan and Partners and the Scottish Office as a member of the West Central Scotland Plan Team. He graduated with a BSC (Hons) degree at Sheffield University and a Masters Degree in Civic Design at Liverpool University.

Keith is currently the Chair of the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE) in Scotland and the spokesperson on e-government. He also sits on various Scottish Government working groups and is a regular speaker at conferences as well as a columnist on local government matters.

He was awarded the OBE in 2001 for services to local government.

Keith lives in Aberfoyle and is married with 2 daughters and a son. Outside work he is interested in sport and continues to run regularly. He is a keen hill walker and enthusiast for all outdoor activities and is well on the way to completing the Munros for the 4th time. Reading, photography and travelling are his other interests.