Perry Scott has been named as the new boss taking over from Ian Davis at Enfield Civic Centre next month

Enfield Civic Centre and (inset) Perry Scott

A new interim chief executive at Enfield Civic Centre has been named.

Perry Scott was appointed this week as Enfield Council’s top non-elected official following interviews held by a cross-party member panel.

It comes after the news last December that Ian Davis would be leaving the council after 17 years to take up his new post as chief executive of Lambeth Council. Davis is leaving at the end of March, when Scott will take over.

Scott has been working as the council’s executive director of environment and communities since January 2024, with a wide range of responsibilities including planning, highways, regulatory services, customer services, communications, libraries, parks, leisure, culture and waste.

Prior to working for Enfield Council, Scott worked at a number of other local authorities, including Harrow and Hillingdon where, during his eleven years he became corporate director of place. He is said to have a “strong professional background in procurement”.

Scott said: “I am very proud to have been chosen to take on this new role.

“Since arriving at Enfield, I have thoroughly enjoyed working with colleagues and teams across the council to deliver an incredible range of high-quality services for the Enfield’s residents.

“While local authorities nationally are facing a number of challenges, I relish this opportunity to work with councillors to find ways to overcome these challenges while continuing to provide residents with high quality public services.”

Ergin Erbil, leader of Enfield Council, said: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank Ian Davis for his many years of service to Enfield. I look forward to continuing to work with Perry in his new role as interim chief executive as we seek to build a cleaner, safer and fairer borough.”

The Dispatch has asked the council why Scott has been appointed on an interim rather than permanent basis but has yet to receive a response.

Update (21st February):

An Enfield Council spokesperson said: “The interim chief executive will manage the organisation from the point of Ian Davis’s departure until a permanent appointment is made. The recruitment process for the permanent appointment is now live with candidates able to apply for the role up until 20th March 2025. It is anticipated that the permanent appointment will be made in early May 2025.”

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