Curriculum Vitae

Matthew China, BSc (Hons), CEnvH, MCIEH
mobile: 07768 846412 |email: matthew@matthewchina.com

Profile

A modern thinking leader with 15 years’ experience managing multiple teams across three local authorities in public health, environmental management and housing fields. Self-motivated with an ability to assess complex situations and issues to achieve desired outcomes. Thrives in changing environments and adapts to new challenges.

Key Skills

  • Leadership. Substantial leadership experience. In most recent role provides leadership to a team of 25 individuals many of whom have professional qualifications.
  • Interpersonal. A collaborative team worker who gets on well with colleagues. Good at getting members of the teams to collaborate and work as a unit. Effective at communicating technical issues.
  • Problem Solving. Significant experience in problem solving, both in ensuring compliance with legislation and in seeking new ways of delivering efficient services.
  • Communication. Excellent at persuading colleagues and customers to see things differently. Experience of communicating both verbally and through written medium to various levels of people from public to business owners to Councillors and Members of Parliament.

Work Experience

Hastings Borough Council.
July 2014 to present

Housing Renewal Manager.
October 2015 to present

Leadership of the Housing Renewal Team within wider Housing and Planning Department. 25 full time equivalents with a revenue budget of £ 1.1 million and capital budget of £ 3.6 million.

  • Introduced a scheme of selective licensing of private rented accommodation across 7 wards in Hastings. This included the induction and training of an entire new team to administer the scheme.
  • Undertook review of all residential property licensing to ensure schemes remain cost neutral to the authority; this included increasing fees as well as restructuring the team the ensure the scheme remained cost neutral.
  • Lead officer for the Coastal Space neighbourhood regeneration project. This includes the purchase of long term empty properties and conversion to multiple units of accommodation.
  • Developed and administered the Hastings and Rother Clinical Commissioning Group Health Inequalities Housing and Health fund and Co-investment fund.
  • Successful in applying for DCLG Rogue Landlord funds to develop new services to tackle rogue landlords operating in Hastings.
  • Project lead for two EU Interreg funded projects to reduce carbon emissions from the residential housing sector.
  • Managed the transition of the Councils Building Control Service into the East Sussex Building Control Partnership

Team Leader – Enforcement and Housing Assistance.
July 2014 to October 2015

Responsible for the day to day management of the Enforcement and Housing Assistance Team (5 full time equivalents). The team undertakes housing standards enforcement under the Housing Act 2004 and administers the Disabled Facilities Grant budget on behalf of the Council.

Gatwick Cars Ltd.
June 2014 to October 2015

Freelance Management Consultant

Provision of management capacity for the company. Staff and driver disciplinary matters. Project management of introduction of new booking and driver dispatch IT system. Liaison with Gatwick Airport Ltd on concession contract arrangements. Staffing and management review.

Chichester District Council.
January 2005 to March 2014

Assistant Director (Health Protection and Environmental Management).
May 2012 to March 2014

Departments managed: Health Protection (food safety, health and safety, infectious disease control, pest control), Environmental Management (public health nuisance, pollution control, air quality management, contaminated land, clean neighbourhoods, dog control, environmental permitting, biodiversity, climate change, farmers market, coastal protection, land drainage), Licensing (alcohol, public entertainment, gambling, taxis, caravan sites), Emergency Planning. 38.5 full time equivalents with a revenue budget of £ 2.59 million.

  • Contributed to developing and delivering the senior management teams vision for a new Council to adapt to funding reductions in the local government sector.
  • Led the corporate project team in the development of the delivery strategy for the corporate ‘New Ways of Working’ project. This included setting up and facilitating a staff focus group to communicate and indeed develop parts of the project.
  • Engaged with the development of the Local Development Plan for the Chichester district as the environment lead. Facilitated the Environmental Management Team in the carrying out of the sustainability assessment of all the policies within the plan
  • Along with senior colleagues from other Sussex authorities commissioned and contributed to ‘Spanning the Gap’ a research document looking at the Environmental Health contribution to wider public health. Subsequently organised a day conference on the same subject.

Assistant Director (Environmental Health).
April 2008 to May 2012

Departments managed: Commercial Safety (food safety, health and safety, infectious disease control, licensing), Environmental Protection (public health nuisance, pollution control, air quality management, contaminated land, clean neighbourhoods, dog control, environmental permitting, pest control), Emergency Planning. 35 full time equivalents.

  • In light of public sector spending cuts undertook a service review of all environmental health services which resulted in a saving of £ 84,500
  • Facilitated the Environmental Management Team in the adoption of Dog Control Orders as a solution to Natural England’s objections to development in Chichester (and the harm this would cause to wildlife at Chichester Harbour).
  • Drafted and enabled adoption by Council of a Business Continuity Management Strategy for CDC
  • Volunteered and led the service through the Local Better Regulation Office (LBRO) peer challenge process as a pilot environmental health service.
  • Led the review of the planning permission granted to Goodwood motor circuit in order to enable the operation of the circuit to be more flexible whilst also protecting the wider community.

Environmental Health Manager (Environmental Protection).
October 2007 to April 2008

  • Set up a cross departmental and elected Member working party to ensure the Councils delivery of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act.
  • Led in the development of a WSCC / CDC Officer and elected Member working group to scrutinise delivery of the Air Quality Action Plan for Chichester.
  • Reallocated roles and responsibilities within the team to ensure service delivery with reduced resource following retirement of previous team manager.
  • Introduced a scheme of charging for pest control services (in 2011/12 this income had risen to over £ 90,000 pa).

Environmental Health Manager (Housing).
January 2005 to October 2007

  • Drafted, consulted, and implemented new private sector housing renewal strategy.
  • Led a consortium of Hampshire local authorities in the development of a partnership with a not for profit finance company (Portsmouth Area Regeneration Trust later to become South Coast Moneyline) for the delivery of loans for housing renewal
  • Introduced a partnership with Chichester University for a scheme of landlord accreditation (presently over 200 properties accredited).
  • Facilitated the development of a loans scheme for domestic renewable energy installations such as solar water heating.

Rother District Council.
November 2002 to January 2005

Private Sector Housing Manager

  • Led a sub-group of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health Housing Group on the development of a fee structure for Houses in Multiple Occupation licensing to ensure consistency across Sussex.
  • Through negotiation with East Sussex County Council (ESCC) Occupational Therapy (OT) Team facilitated an ESCC OT to be co-located with the Private Sector Housing Team.
  • The Moat Care and Repair small works scheme, funded by RDC won Foundations award ‘Best Approach to Multi Agency & Partnership Working’ annual award.

Wealden District Council.
August 1997 to November 2002

Senior Environmental Health Officer

Private Housing Renewal (Administer Housing Renewal Grants and Disabled Facilities Grants, investigate landlord and tenant complaints, act as HCS surveyor for the Wealden House Condition Survey, undertake HMO inspections).
Safety, Food and Health (undertake food hygiene and Health and Safety at Work inspections, investigate infectious disease outbreaks, investigate health and safety at work accidents).

Education

  • AXELOS – PRINCE2 Foundation Certificate in Project Management
    December 2017
  • Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE) – Leaders in Partnership
    September 2009
  • Institute of Leadership and Management – Certificate in Management Studies
    June 2002
  • Kings College London – BSc (Hons) Environmental Health (2:1)
    June 1997

Additional Information

Memberships and Professional Affiliations

  • Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health

Hobbies and Interests

  • Member of Eastbourne Sovereign Sailing Club

 

A downloadable version of this CV is available here.