Redbridge brings in Bakalovic as part of major re-structure of council

The award winning parking manager Mirsad Bakalovic has been appointed to the newly created position of head of Civic Pride at the London Borough of Redbridge. He was previously head of parking, mobility and transport services at Tower Hamlets council.

Bakalovic’s new role at Redbridge is part of a wholesale restructuring of the council, led by new chief executive Andy Donald.

The council has built a new framework, with four new directorates - People, Place, Resources and Strategy - which are due to be fully operational by the end of this year. The Place department comprises Civic Pride, Regeneration & Property and Housing. 

Bakalovic will be responsible for parking, highways, passenger services, waste management, tackling anti-social behaviour, fly-tipping and littering and cycling projects.

The post’s broad remit includes transport planning, road safety, school crossing patrols, car clubs, adult social care support by phone, arranging transport to school and activities by bus or taxi for vulnerable children and even catering services. Bakalovic also manages a fleet of four double deck buses, which can be hired out to other councils and organisations.

Bakalovic heads a team of 11 officers who are each responsible for overseeing different aspects of the department’s scope. Parking is run in partnership with contractor APCOA UK & Ireland. The council is planning to roll out more controlled parking zones, said Bakalovic.

He told Parking Review: “I look back with pride at what I achieved at Tower Hamlets”. The parking operation is “now financially sound and is now in a better position than it has ever been.” 

Bakalovic said one of chief aims at Redbridge will be to give those in the borough “greater ownership of pride in the place in which they live, and enabling them to do so through a number of methods. It is about encouraging behaviour change”. 

A priority for the council will be to achieve greater efficiencies through the smarter deployment of resources, said Bakalovic. This will include a crackdown on fly-tipping across the borough.

Bakalovic moved to Tower Hamlets in February 2013 after an eventful five-year stint at Croydon council where he spearheaded a business-driven approach to parking services, which garnered several awards.

He was named Croydon council’s manager of the year in 2011 and bagged four trophies at Parking Review’s British Parking Awards, including the overall winner prize in 2011. 

Bakalovic is one of a host of top-level appointments to be made at Redbridge over the past few months. 

Others include Simon Parker who was previously director of local government think tank NLGN. He has been appointed corporate director of Strategy at Redbridge. Also, Caroline Bruce, most recently interim strategic director at Rotherham Council, has joined Redbridge as new corporate director of Place.

Andy Donald, Redbridge council’s chief executive, said: “I am delighted to be welcoming so many fantastic professionals to join our team. It’s an exciting time to be in the borough and I am very pleased to have been able to attract candidates of this calibre to come and join us on our journey to place Redbridge firmly on the map.”