The Lancashire County Council Employment Committee met on Tuesday 4 November 2025 to discuss the recruitment of a Director of Finance, coroner salaries and fees, and the employment of the Executive Director of Adult Services. The committee approved recommendations for all agenda items, including amending the terms of appointment for the Director of Finance role and implementing a pay award for the Senior, Area, and Assistant Coroners. The committee also agreed to exclude the press and public from part of the meeting to discuss exempt information.

Recruitment of the Director of Finance (S151 Officer)

The committee approved recommendations to continue the recruitment of a Director of Finance (S151 Officer) with Penna PLC, amending the terms of the appointment to include the option of a two-year fixed-term contract and offering the post at Executive Director grade with an appropriate salary and market supplement.

Sophie Fowler, Head of Service Strategic Resourcing and Workforce Planning, presented a report to update the committee on the recruitment process. She noted the competitive market for senior finance roles and the challenges in attracting suitable candidates, despite a £30,000 market supplement. The report outlined three options:

1. Extending the advertisement period under the existing terms with Penna PLC.
2. Engaging an additional executive search partner to run a parallel search alongside Penna.
3. Continuing with Penna PLC and amending the terms of appointment.

Ms Fowler recommended option three, stating that it introduces greater flexibility in the appointment and is expected to increase the role's market appeal, thereby attracting a broader and more suitable pool of candidates.

Several councillors raised questions and concerns. One councillor questioned why the council was recruiting a director when an interim director had been appointed full-time, while another asked if the interim director had been approached about taking the permanent position. Another councillor suggested there were more than three options to explore.

CC Aidy Riggott supported the recommendation, saying that we need a high performer for this role.

The committee agreed to continue the recruitment with Penna PLC, amending the terms of appointment to include:

• The option of a 2-year fixed-term contract.
• The post being offered at Executive Director grade with a salary proposition and market supplement designed to attract the right candidate.

The committee also agreed that a further discussion, including an additional action, would be discussed in Part II of the agenda, following the meeting.

Review of Coroner Salaries and Fees 2025/26

The committee approved the recommendations set out in the report regarding the 2025/26 pay award for the Senior, Area, and Assistant Coroners' salaries and fees. Ann Edwards, Coroners Service Manager, presented the report, which had been deferred from the previous meeting to allow for additional benchmarking data to be provided. The report contained exempt information as defined in the Local Government Act 1972¹.

Employment of the Executive Director of Adult Services and Statutory Director of Adult Social Services

The committee approved the recommendations in the report to secure the services of the current postholder for the Executive Director of Adult Services and Statutory Director of Adult Social Services (DASS) under a fixed-term contract until March 2028. Sophie Fowler, Head of Service Strategic Resourcing and Workforce Planning, presented the report, which contained exempt information as defined in the Local Government Act 1972.

Exclusion of Press and Public

The committee approved a resolution to exclude the press and public from the meeting during consideration of the items regarding coroner salaries and fees, and the employment of the Executive Director of Adult Services and Statutory Director of Adult Social Services. This was due to the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in the Local Government Act 1972.

Other Business

The committee also approved the minutes of the meeting held on 30 September 2025. It was noted that the extraordinary meeting scheduled for Wednesday 12 November 2025 was no longer required, and the next meeting would be held on Tuesday 13 January 2026. There were no disclosures of pecuniary or non-pecuniary interests and no items of urgent business.