The Appointments Sub Committee met to discuss the longlisting of candidates for the role of Strategic Director of Change and Improvement. The meeting was also scheduled to elect a chair for the sub-committee and to exclude the press and public due to the confidential nature of the agenda items.

Strategic Director of Change and Improvement

The main item on the agenda was the longlisting of candidates for the post of Strategic Director of Change and Improvement. According to the combined agenda pack, the sub-committee was asked to agree on a longlist of candidates, based on recommendations from Penna, a recruitment consultancy, to be invited for first-stage technical interviews.

The report stated that recruiting for this position permanently was a requirement of the Ministerial Directions¹.

The role of Strategic Director of Change and Improvement is described as:

a unique and critical role driving delivery against the requirements in the Ministerial Directions and continuing to develop an effective corporate engine to support wider change and improvement work.

The report also notes that:

Ministers have been clear that they don’t believe we have the capability and capacity in place to drive Continuous Improvement and fulfil our Best Value Duty.

The responsibilities of the role include:

• Leading the improvement agenda for the council.
• Providing strategic, tactical, and operational leadership to drive corporate strategy and change.
• Overseeing and shaping the Continuous Improvement Plan.
• Implementing a new model at the corporate centre to enable services to deliver for communities.
• Ensuring the council’s values and community outcomes are at the heart of proposals and solutions for improvement.

The position was advertised in February and March 2025 on the council’s website, Penna Exec Search, the MJ² and social media, including LinkedIn.

Other Business

The agenda included the election of a chair for the duration of the appointment process.

There was also a scheduled item to note any declarations of interest from members, with reference to Section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, which pertains to council tax arrears.