Carole Taylor appointed Executive Director of LARAC

The Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee (LARAC) has announced Carole Taylor as its new Executive Director, following the departure of the organisation's Head of External Affairs, John Coates.

Taylor, who has served as the Internal Affairs Manager since May 2022, will take on additional responsibilities previously held by Coates. In order to maintain the delivery of key member services, a new role, Policy and Communications Lead, has been created. Applications for the position are being accepted until noon on Monday, January 16.

Taylor, who has also previously served as LARAC Chair when working at Pendle Borough Council, said: “I’m pleased to be taking on a new role within LARAC and looking forward to leading the new structure as we enter 2023. The Consistency response from DEFRA will be available soon and this is very important for our members to be able to plan and develop services effectively. The new role of Policy and Communications Lead (PCL) will be there to continue to keep our members up to date on the latest policy developments, including regular updates, briefings, webinars and workshops”.

Commenting on the appointment, Andrew Bird, Chair of LARAC’s Appointments and Remuneration Committee, said “We recently carried out a survey of our members and it is clear that the policy work LARAC does is highly valued. As a membership organisation we are keen to give our members more of what they want, and I think the new structure will do exactly that. The new role of Policy and Communications Lead is a great opportunity for someone keen to represent local authorities at a UK level.”

In addition to Taylor, LARAC currently has a support officer, Mariana MCmanus, who handles membership queries, updates and develops the website, creates and distributes the LARAC Online newsletter and Policy Briefing, and offers support to the Executive and Board of Directors.