Susan Halliwell leaves at the end of 2026 to run the new West Surrey Council. The Bracknell post pays up to £207,812; a successor will be recruited this autumn.
Bracknell Forest Council’s chief executive, Susan Halliwell, is leaving at the end of the year. She is to become the first chief executive of West Surrey Council, one of two new councils replacing Surrey’s existing twelve.
The council announced her resignation on Thursday 10 September. It says staff and councillors have been told the timetable for her departure. A full recruitment process to find a successor will take place this autumn. (Bracknell Forest Council, chief executive to leave at end of 2026)
She has led the council since September 2022. The chief executive is its most senior employee, and leads and takes responsibility for the work of the council. (Bracknell Forest Council, Pay Policy Statement 2026/27)
How West Surrey chose her
West Surrey’s shadow authority picked her after a national recruitment campaign and an assessment process. Her appointment went to an extraordinary meeting of the shadow authority on 10 September. She was also recommended as the new council’s returning officer. (Surrey LGR Hub, West Surrey Council set to confirm new chief executive)
The hub confirmed the appointment the same day. It says she hopes to start the role “in the coming months”. (Surrey LGR Hub, Susan Halliwell appointed)
Before Bracknell Forest she was executive director of place at West Berkshire Council, after senior roles at Oxfordshire County Council. She is also the lead chief executive of South East Strategic Leaders, a group of councils across the region.
Where West Surrey is
West Surrey Council takes over on 1 April 2027 from six boroughs and districts:
- Guildford
- Runnymede
- Spelthorne
- Surrey Heath
- Waverley
- Woking
It also takes on the services Surrey County Council runs in those areas. (Surrey LGR Hub, West Surrey Council) The nearest of the six to us is Surrey Heath, whose main town, Camberley, sits next to Sandhurst across the county boundary.
Surrey’s changes are going ahead. On 7 September the government paused or withdrew reorganisation plans in several other counties. Its letter to council leaders says East and West Surrey are outside that review “because they are already established in law”. (GOV.UK, letter to council leaders, 7 September 2026)
What the two councils said
Cllr Helen Purnell, leader of Bracknell Forest Council, said:
Susan has been an inspiring and ambitious chief executive who has helped us tackle many challenges and capitalise on many opportunities since she joined in September 2022.
She said the appointment “shows that Bracknell Forest is a great place to develop ambitious, senior leaders”. She added: “We are now starting a full and thorough recruitment process to find a new chief executive for Bracknell Forest Council.”
In the Surrey LGR Hub’s announcement, Ms Halliwell said: “It is a privilege to be appointed Chief Executive of West Surrey Council at such a significant moment.”
What the job pays and how her successor is chosen
The council’s pay policy for 2026/27 grades the chief executive’s post at £190,780 to £207,812, as at 1 November 2025. The council pays no bonuses.
A new senior appointee normally starts at the bottom of the grade. Starting anyone higher up the range is a decision for the council’s Appointments Committee.
The appointment itself is made by councillors. A committee or sub-committee that includes at least one member of the Executive recommends a candidate, and full Council approves it. (Bracknell Forest Council, Pay Policy Statement 2026/27)
The council has not said when the post will be advertised, or who will act as head of paid service if nobody is in post when she leaves.
What it means for you
- Services do not change. Councillors set the budget and policy; the chief executive runs the organisation that delivers them. She remains in post until the end of the year.
- Her successor needs a full Council vote, so the choice will come before councillors in the months ahead.
- The in-tray is a hard one. Whoever takes over inherits the budget pressures in the council’s first-quarter monitoring, which we covered in our report on the forecast overspend, and a council whose political balance shifted this summer.
- Council tax, bins and planning run as before. Our guides to council tax bands and bin collection days are unaffected.
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