Ruth is an expert in cross service and multi agency working and engaging with community stakeholders to achieve better results whether it is a local authority housing estate or a world city night-time economy.
 
Ruth has worked in a range of local government community safety, regulation and enforcement roles across different housing tenures: tackling youth crime and anti-social behaviour on local authority housing estates, illegal short term-lets in mansion blocks, extending anti-social behaviour best practice to social housing providers, and tackling problem illegal drug use in privately owned and/or rented accommodation.
 
Ruth worked as an interim project manager on a range of projects.  This included a review of how London Borough of Southwark dealt with unauthorised occupation of council houses, the development of Southwark’s CCTV Strategy (covering Council Housing estates and commercial/retail areas) and ‘Better Town Centres at Night’ for Westminster City Council.  (A night-time economy initiative in the West End involving night-time audits with community representatives. Also known as Purple Flag)
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Ruth worked in three senior management roles for Westminster City Council from 1999-2005. Westminster has some of the most and least deprived areas in London as well as world class entertainment and shopping streets. As Head of Crime & Disorder Reduction and CCTV she improved joint working to tackle anti-social behaviour in social housing areas and extended best practice from Westminster City Council’s housing services to other housing providers on the borough. Responsible for the biggest Licensing service in the country, Ruth planned the transfer of more than 2000 alcohol licences to the Council under the 2003 Licensing Act. As Enforcement Co-ordinator Ruth coordinated enforcement service across the Council to improve quality of life in Westminster.  This included Housing, Environmental Health, Trading Standards, Planning Enforcement, Commercial Waste, Parking Enforcement, Premises & Street Licensing and Police.  Ruth established joint information sharing and resource tasking arrangements and created a multi-disciplinary team that reduced night-time street antisocial behaviour and nuisances in London’s West End.
 
Ruth worked for Westminster City Council from 1995-1999 in policy and project roles, developing and implementing projects to reduce crime and fear of crime including implementation of Crime & Disorder Act 1998 and establishment of Westminster’s Community Safety Partnership structures and staffing.  Before that Ruth worked in community development for Reading Borough Council focusing on the establishment and development of local crime reduction groups involving police, council, and local organisations to tackle crime and fear of crime in residential neighbourhoods.
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Ruth has taken two career breaks, most recently with preschool children, and 2005-8 living in The Netherlands for her partner’s job.