Cheshire Probation Area

The Board is currently made up of eight members, one of whom is the Chief Executive.   A Judge, Judge Stephen Clarke, a former Board Member, is the Liaison Judge to the Board.  The Board comprises members selected to reflect the diversity and concerns of the community it serves.  The Board must appreciate the needs of the local community.  As will be seen from the biographies of the members of the Cheshire Probation Board, they represent a vast range of experience from the private and public sectors as well as the independent voluntary sector.  They reflect experience of the world of business, the criminal justice system and local communities.

Leslie Robinson – Board Chair

Leslie has served, successively, as Chair of the Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Cheshire Probation Boards since the inception of the National Probation Service in 2001.  He was formerly a Magistrate in the Macclesfield Division of the Cheshire Courts Service between 1990 and 2010.   He has been Chair of the Trafford Primary Care NHS Trust since 2004.

Leslie’s main career was with the BBC as a journalist, editor and senior executive.  In February 1998, he became Chief Executive of the Halle Orchestra and led the successful process of rescuing the orchestra from imminent insolvency.  Educated at Exeter University, with a degree in Economics, he also has an MBA and a degree in Law.

Angela Cossins – Chief Executive

Angela joined Cheshire Probation as Chief Executive on 1 January 2011.  She has nearly 20 years experience working for the Probation Service and Criminal Justice System, following a successful career in the recruitment industry.  Angela commenced her career with the Probation Service in 1991 as a Hostel Assistant, in the Northumbria Probation Service.  In 1994, she graduated from Durham University with a DiPSW and an MA in Applied Social Policy.  She continued with Northumbria Probation Service in a variety of roles until 2000, when she joined the Criminal Justice National Training Organisation.  In 2003, Angela returned to the Probation Service, initally as Director of the Wales Training Consortium and continued in this role until 2006 when she was appointed as the Director of Operations for the South Wales Probation Service, which later became the South Wales Probation Trust.  In 2009, Angela took on the role as the Interim Chief Executive of the South Wales Probation Trust, and was instrumental in the merger of the four former Probation Areas into a single Welsh Trust.  From April 2010 until her move to Cheshire, Angela was a member of the Executive Team of the Wales Probation Trust, latterley as the Interim Chief Executive.

Andrew Backhouse

Andrew was appointed to the Board in January 2006.  Prior to joining the Board, he spent many years working with young people and volunteers as a teacher and youth worker with the Quakers.  More recently, Andrew was the Manager of Quarry Bank Mill and Styal Estate for the National Trust.  Andrew, who has an MBA from Manchester Business School, is currently the Heritage Tourism Executive for the North West, based with Lancashire and Blackpool Tourist Board. 

Michael Darby, DL

Michael Darby is a Chartered Accountant by background with a broad range of experience at Board/Chair level with the Primary Care Trust (PCT), Police Authority, SureStart and the Criminal Justice Consultative Committee.  A former Magistrate, he was Chair of the Magistrates Courts’ Committee during a period of substantial change.  He has also been on the Board of Cheshire Health Authority before Chairing the PCT, is a Director/Trustee of Sport Cheshire and Chair of Governors of a community primary school.  He was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for Cheshire in September 2006.

John Eccles

John Eccles headed the Land Registry Operation on Merseyside before taking charge of the Telford Business for the final six years of his Land Registry career prior to retirement.  He is a non-executive Director and now appointed Deputy Chair of the Arena Housing Group (a social landlord) with particular strategic responsibilities for HR, business planning, performance management and customer-service delivery across six subsidiaries.  He also sits as a Board Member on the North West National Housing Federation Forum and is a Panel Member and Strategic Representative for “Investors in People" in the North West. 

Ronald Howarth

Ronald Howarth was a Director of Corporate Banking for Nat West/Royal Bank of Scotland until his retirement in 2003 after 38 years in the bank.  He is a non-executive Director of Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Trust (Chair of the Audit Committee) and was a non-executive Director and Chair for Wirral Partnership Homes Ltd between 2003 and 2008, a Registered Social Landlord set up in 2004 to acquire the housing stock of Wirral Borough Council.  He was formerly a Director of Liverpool and Manchester Design Initiative Ltd for 7 years, until stepping down in 2004.

Yvonne McLean

Yvonne McLean worked in a variety of development roles within the voluntary sector prior to joining the Board.  Latterly Assistant Director with The Children’s Society, she had national responsibility for volunteer recruitment and development within the organisation.  She has recently set up her own coaching and training business and is currently working at Manchester University.  In addition, she is involved in developing healthy eating initiatives at her children’s school.

Mary Roberts

Mary Roberts retired from Cheshire Police in 2005 after 31 years’ service.  Most of her service was in crime investigation at Crewe, Northwich and Halton where she was a Detective Chief Inspector Crime Manager although she also spent time in the Professional Standards Department, investigating complaints against Police Officers.  Following promotion to the rank of Superintendent in 2000, Mary was posted to Crewe and Nantwich as a Divisional Commander where she remained until her retirement.

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