Agenda and minutes

To Approve and Sign as a Correct Record the Minutes of the Meeting of the Chief Officer Employment Committee held on 6 March 2025.

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the Meeting of the Chief Officer Employment Committee held on 6 March 2025 be confirmed and signed as a correct record.

Members may make any declarations of interest at this point but may also make them at any time during the course of the meeting.

There were no declarations of interest made at this point in the meeting.

To resolve that under Section 100 (A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public and press be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraphs 1 and 2 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

RESOLVED that under Section 100 (A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public and press be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraphs 1 and 2 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

Members received feedback from the People Services Manager as to the process the candidate had been through to-date, and the purpose of the exercises. This had included written information, technical interviews, and a formal interview with Management Team colleagues.

The outcome of psychological testing exercises for the candidate was shared with the Committee, and those areas where further probing had been undertaken were highlighted.

Members heard from the Chief Executive who provided feedback from the Management Team interview, including areas of discussion and how the candidate had interacted with them.

With no questions or comments, Members indicated their acceptance of the information provided.

Members were provided with a copy of the candidate’s supporting statement and CV, together with the previously agreed Job Description and Person Specification, to assist them in their deliberations.

A set of draft questions had been compiled and shared with the Committee. The questions had been designed to address and assess key areas of the Job Description and Person Specification. Guidance was given as to what “good” answers would demonstrate. Confirmation was provided that supplementary questioning would be permitted, if considered relevant.

Having been given the opportunity to peruse the draft questions and other supporting information, the questions were APPROVED.

It was explained that the interview would be conducted by a panel of Committee Members rather than all Members being present. Clarification was sought as to why that would be the case, and how membership of the Panel had been decided upon. Following further discussion, it was suggested that all Committee Members receive the presentation from the candidate, with the Panel conducting the question element of the interview. Panel Members were subsequently provided with appropriate scoring sheets and reminded of the need to make appropriate notes to support any decision they made.

Members received a brief refresher summary in respect of recruitment, from the People Services Manager. The main points highlighted were:

·         The Committee’s responsibilities, including those in respect of the Equality Act 2010

·         Questions to follow the agreed template with any prompts to be noted

·         How to record information received during the interview

·         The scoring sheets, scoring criteria, significant importance of note keeping to justify the decision made, and the retention status of score sheets

At the conclusion of the presentation, the Monitoring Officer also advised that the Committee’s decision, in respect of the Section 151 element of the post, would, constitutionally, require ratification from Full Council.

The Committee welcomed the candidate to the meeting and, having given a short presentation, Panel Members posed the agreed interview questions to the candidate and responses were duly received. 

Supplementary questioning followed.

The candidate was thanked for their attendance and left the meeting.

Note:              The Monitoring Officer and Senior Democratic and Civic Officer were not present for the duration of the interview.

Prior to discussing the outcome of the interview, Members of the Committee who had not been on the interviewing panel sought assurance that, in the event of future scenarios arising, there would be full involvement from all Members of the Committee, as there had been in the past. This was confirmed to be the case.

Having received that assurance, Members shared their views in light of the information the candidate had provided during the presentation and interview. Question scoring was shared and discussed.

Having considered all of the information, it was

RESOLVED that

a)    the candidate (Mr Peter Davy) be appointed to the post of Director of Finance and Assets and Section 151 Officer; and

b)    the appointment of Section 151 Officer be RECOMMENDED to Full Council for approval; and

c)    the candidate be appointed within the Director salary range of £76,912.19 to £93,569.18 and authority be delegated to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Chairman and the Vice-Chairman of the Committee to determine the commencement salary and commencement date.

Members heard from the Monitoring Officer regarding an update on initial discussions and enquiries made regarding sharing the statutory role of Head of Paid Service (including Returning Officer and Electoral Registration Officer), as requested by the Committee on 6 March 2025, and the Committee heard from the Chief Executive regarding further detail on the role itself. The Committee was asked to note the contents of the report and provide direction for next steps.

Members voiced their satisfaction with the direction of conversations and felt there was merit to pursuing this option over and above seeking alternative interim arrangements. In relation to one particular person who had expressed an interest, it was requested that Officers progress with arranging for this individual to meet the Committee in person at the earliest opportunity, to meet with Group Leaders, and to meet with Management Team, with a view to being able to finalise the interim provision at Full Council in May 2025 to ensure arrangements were in place for 1 July 2025. It was recognised that, in the absence of being able to arrange a shared service solution, further direction would need to be sought from the Committee.

With all in agreement, it was

RESOLVED that

a)    the update provided in the report, relating to shared service enquiries, be noted; and

b)    direction be provided for the Monitoring Officer, that being: to continue and further the conversation regarding shared arrangement, with it being the preferred option of the Committee; and for this to progress at the earliest opportunity.