St Helens Town Deal Board

Neil Butler - Chair of the St Helens Town Deal Board 

Neil recently retired but prior to that he enjoyed a nearly 40 year career in the glass industry, ending it as global innovation lead at Glass Futures, the world-leading innovation centre in St Helens town centre. He has a wealth of experience in the glass industry as well as a keen interest in the arts sector in the borough having tread the board at places like The Citadel and St Helens Theatre Royal. Neil has also been active in the education sector both as a school governor and having run a chain of children's day nurseries with his wife.

Neil is delighted to have joined the board in order to give back to the community that has not only given him a fulfilling career in glass but also an enjoyable and happy family life. There are so many exciting projects that he hopes will produce inward investment and a long-lasting legacy for the people of St Helens.

Councillor Anthony Burns - Leader of St Helens Borough Council & Deputy Chair of St Helens Town Deal Board 

Anthony has been the Leader of St Helens Borough Council since May 2024, after previously serving as Cabinet member for Wellbeing Culture and Heritage for the previous six years which included Public Health and leading on the response to Covid, and the cost-of-living crisis. Among other appointments, Anthony is the Chair of the cross-party Northwest Regional Leaders Board, he is also leads on Net Zero for the Liverpool City Region and is an LGA peer member.

As Leader he continues to drive the development of the council's #StHelensTogether approach, a collaborative ethos which aims to enable and support residents, businesses, and community groups to work together and deliver for the good of the whole borough. Anthony is passionate about raising aspiration and being positive about what our borough has to offer. He believes that through the great partnership work we have that we can deliver the very best for our borough and make a real difference.

Anthony is proud of the borough's unique and special history and heritage which has more than played its part in shaping the country through its development during the industrial revolution. He is also optimistic for a future of growth in which there are a host of regeneration and once in a lifetime place changing projects to reshape and future proof our borough for the benefit of generations to come.

Marie Rimmer - Member of Parliament for St Helens South and Whiston

Marie has been the Member of Parliament for St Helens South and Whiston since 2015. In her time in Parliament, Marie has served as a Shadow Disabilities Minister and as a whip on the Labour frontbench. St Helens has been Marie's home all her life. Prior to becoming MP for St Helens South and Whiston, Marie was Leader of St Helens Borough Council twice, serving as a local councillor for over 30 years. In her career before Parliament, Marie worked at Pilkington. In 2005, Marie was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to local government.

David Baines - Member of Parliament for St Helens North
 

David grew up in Haydock and attended St Edmund Arrowsmith RC High school, Liverpool John Moores and the University of Manchester, he was a volunteer youth worker in Moss Bank before becoming a primary school teacher and then worked for Liz McInnes MP.

David was elected to St Helens MBC representing the Windle ward in 2013 and was Leader from 2019-24. He has also held the role of Deputy Mayor of Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, in 2023 and held Liverpool City Region portfolio for net zero and air quality. As Leader he oversaw significant improvements in children's services. Before being elected as the Labour MP for St Helens North in July 2024.

Councillor Richard McCauley - Cabinet Member for Inclusive Growth and Regeneration, St Helens Borough Council  

Cllr Richard McCauley is a dedicated public servant and experienced professional with a diverse background in both the public sector and industry. As the ward councillor for Thatto Heath, he has been serving the St Helens Borough Council since his election in 2002. His current role as the portfolio holder for Planning and Regeneration showcases his extensive experience across various council departments.

In addition to his council duties, Cllr McCauley is deeply committed to his full-time role as an environment health & safety advisor within the engineering manufacturing industry. With over three decades of experience, he has honed his expertise as an EHS professional, contributing significantly to the engineering construction and aerospace sectors. His leadership skills are further evidenced by his position as Chairman of Unite the Union St Helens Central branch, where he advocates for workers' rights and welfare. He also holds the role of Chairman and Trustee of the Workers Memorial Charity, demonstrating his commitment to supporting workers and their families.

Cllr McCauley's community involvement extends to sports, where he is a trustee and committee member of Thatto Heath Crusaders Rugby Club, fostering local talent and promoting the sport. Despite his busy schedule, he finds time to indulge in his passion for sports, cheering on the Saints, Thatto Heath teams, and Liverpool FC. His dedication to his community roles and his professional field, coupled with his love for sports, make him a well-rounded and respected figure in St Helens.

Councillor John Hodkinson - St Helens Borough Council

An active individual with a passion for local issues, John has spent a large proportion of his life in the manufacturing industry. Starting work as an indentured apprentice mechanical engineer at 15, John's career progressed through numerous roles at home and abroad, culminating in over 30 years in senior management positions. John is a focused, accomplished professional and takes an inclusive approach to optimising team performance.

His ability to employ change management techniques resulted in tangible positive improvements in companies he has worked for. With wide experience of operations management, health & safety, ISO accreditations, facilities management and engineering, John is an avid proponent of collaborative working. At the close of John's industrial career he was employed as operations and production manager for an international organisation for eight years. Following this, he spent 10 years running his own supply business. Always willing to learn, John spent many years in further education, culminating in an MBA from Liverpool University. He currently sits as a trustee on two registered charities, is a director of a Community Interest Company, and is an elected local councillor. He is also the Chair of the Planning Committee and is a school governor.

Mark Palethorpe - Chief Executive, St Helens Borough Council

Mark was appointed as Chief Executive of St Helens Borough Council in April 2025. Prior to this he held a joint role in St Helens as the Executive Director of People, which had responsibility for Children and Young People, Adults Social Care and Public Health and the NHS Place Director for NHS Cheshire and Merseyside. Before coming to St Helens, Mark worked at Cheshire East Council in the role of Executive Director for People's Services with responsibility for Adults Social Care, Children and Young People, Public Health and Communities. Mark was also the NHS and Council Place lead for Cheshire East and led on Public Sector Transformation across the sub region of Cheshire and Warrington.

Mark has previously worked as Strategic Director for Cheshire West and Chester Council responsible for Adults Social Care, Children and Young People commissioning and Public Health where he was the lead director for the 'All Together Better' programme - forging relationships with a range of partners and stakeholders locally and nationally.

Mark has a wealth of experience in collaborative working and integration and is a passionate advocate for inclusive growth and commissioning services that genuinely improve local people's lives and tackle inequalities.

Mark has built up his skills, knowledge and experience throughout his career working across a range of local authority, voluntary and private sector roles including time spent in Wiltshire, Hampshire, Stoke on Trent, Cheshire West and Chester and Cheshire East.

Steve Coffey - Chief Executive, Torus

Steve is Chief Executive Officer of Torus, a dynamic growth and regeneration group with deep roots in the Liverpool City Region and Cheshire. With a portfolio of some 40,000 homes, Torus is the north west's largest stock-holding affordable homes provider and also has a large development pipeline.

A passionate advocate for high-quality and affordable housing, Steve is responsible for Torus' overall strategic direction, performance and development. Prior to joining Torus, he led Liverpool Mutual Homes for 10 years as Chief Executive and spearheaded the creation of a strong, diversified and award-winning housing group with a distinct social purpose.

Gill Smith - Regional Director, AtkinsRéalis

Gill leads the project management service for AtkinsRéalis in the north west and is delighted to bring her knowledge and experience of robust project delivery to the Town Deal Board. She has a personal passion for regeneration and in delivering positive community impact through improvements to the built environment.

John F Tabern MSc - Project Director, Cannington Shaw Preservation Trust CIC

Local businessman and former volunteer Chair of the Town Deal Board. John was successful in leading the bid for £25 million of funding from the government's Towns Fund initiative and oversaw the compiling of the business cases which saw eight projects in the town centre area share the award.  John is a founder - along with friend Andy Reid MBE - of the Standing Tall Foundation charity, which supports mental health in the local community and offers addiction support. John also has a consultancy business called JT Project Management Ltd. A diehard fan of St Helens Rugby League Club, a walker, a reader, historian, and something of a glass expert, but mainly a scholar of life with all of its wonderful intricacies and contradictions.

Cath Fogarty - Executive Director of Corporate Services, St Helens Borough Council

Cath has held her current position of Executive Director of Corporate Services at St Helens Council since 2018 and has extensive experience from working in Local Government for over 30 years.

Cath started her career in Local Government as a trainee accountant at Salford City Council and has worked at several North West local authorities including Wigan and Halton Borough Councils prior to joining St Helens in 2002.  During her career Cath has undertaken roles including Strategic Director, S151 Officer, Finance Director, and Head of Audit & Risk.

Cath is a Chartered Accountant by profession and actively supports her professional body (CIPFA) and also been the Regional (North West) Chair of the CIPFA Audit, Risk & Governance Group.  Cath is passionate about local government reform and service transformation.