Pat Graham

Well North Lead for Whitehaven

A Chartered Town Planner for over 20 years, my career has taken me to a number of local authorities across the North of England. I have worked at District, County and Unitary Authorities in a range of roles. In this time I developed particular specialisms in retail planning – focussing heavily on the redevelopment of the MetroCentre and in housing and strategic waste planning. I came to Copeland (my birth place) and back to Cumbria in 2008.

As Managing Director of Copeland Borough Council, it’s my responsibility to ensure that we deliver a wide range of public services to the best of our ability whilst driving the economy of the area. A number of these activities are interdependent, around skills, health, mobility, small and medium sized enterprise (SME) development and entrepreneurial ambition. I am the Council’s lead with the nuclear sector and led the development of the Centre of Nuclear Excellence. I work across a range of public, private and third sector organisations.

My role in Well Whitehaven is largely around bringing the right people together and developing the working relationships and interventions that will support our ambitions. I currently Chair the project on behalf of a range of public and private sector partners. The challenge and opportunity of this project and role is to do something different, to introduce new players and ideas through facilitation and collaboration. Part of my role therefore is to be clear when not to get involved and let the sparks and ideas fly!

I’m driven by both my passion for the Borough as a place, but even more so by the people who both offer and have the potential to achieve so much. Outside of work I am a country girl at heart, happiest in my wellies, with my family, my friends and our menagerie!