Thomas Kay CMgr MCMI

Role and Business Priorities

Thomas works within the Planning and Building Control Service for Vale Royal Borough Council. He is part of the Council’s operational management delivering a statutory service and is responsible for a team of Building Control surveyors. The Building Control Service administers The Building Regulations in Vale Royal an area of approximately 120,000 population. This service controls the way in which building work is constructed to comply with National Standards of Health and Safety. He has worked for the authority for 18 years, 10 within the management team and the last 6 as overall Service Manager.

Business Impact Delivered

One of Thomas’ responsibilities is to ensure that the Building Control Service competes effectively on the open market and remains within its budgetary constraints. To achieve this, he completed a number of objectives including accreditation with a recognised ISO Quality Management System for the Building Control Service; introduced an electronic plans submission system; and established a specific marketing and promotion strategy based on customer requirements. By continually monitoring customer feedback through Client Meetings, Customer Forums, and Customer Surveys the Vale Royal Building Control team maintains a high market share and continues to improve service delivery.

The Appeal of Chartered Manager

Having already achieved ISO accreditation for the Building Control Service, Thomas wanted a benchmark standard for his own management development: “Being able to register and embark on the process of accreditation as a Chartered Manager enabled me to gain a personal quality management standard of my own ability." He felt that this was particularly important as manager of a team of professional Building Surveyors. The organisation has a strong team culture and as well as ensuring that he manages the team to the best of his ability, Thomas wanted to make certain that the team was perceived in a positive light at all levels. Thomas believes that becoming a Chartered Manager demonstrates a clear commitment to the organisation and towards supporting high standards of management.

Ongoing Benefits 

Thomas has found that the Chartered Manager award has helped to emphasise his commitment to continual professional development. As a result of the award, he now takes the time to stop and analyse his actions with the aim of self-improvement. He also believes that it makes him more employable and supports his career progression by reinforcing his desire to work to high standard, which in turn has had a positive impact within the organisation.