The Appointments Committee of Lewisham Council was scheduled to convene on Thursday 22 January 2026 to discuss the appointment of a new Director of Housing Resident Engagement and Services. The meeting agenda also included the election of a Chair and Vice Chair, and the confirmation of previous minutes.

Election of Chair and Vice Chair

The committee was scheduled to elect a Chair and Vice Chair for the municipal year 2025/26, or for the purposes of this specific meeting. This process is a standard procedure for committees to ensure leadership and facilitate the meeting's proceedings.

Confirmation of Minutes

The minutes from the previous meeting of the Appointments Committee, held on 19 December 2025, were scheduled for review and confirmation. This is a routine item to ensure the accuracy of the record of past discussions and decisions. The minutes from the 19 December meeting indicated that Councillor Amanda De Ryk was appointed Chair for that meeting, and that apologies were received from Councillors Mark Jackson and Liam Shrivastava. During that previous meeting, a resolution was passed to appoint Sara Rahman as Executive Director of Children and Young People.

Declarations of Interest

Members of the committee were asked to declare any personal interests they might have in any of the agenda items. The report pack provided detailed information on the types of interests that need to be declared, including disclosable pecuniary interests, other registerable interests, and non-registerable interests. The report outlined the consequences of failing to declare a disclosable pecuniary interest, which could lead to prosecution and a fine of up to £5,000. It also explained the procedures for members who have registerable interests that are not disclosable pecuniary interests, and when they might need to withdraw from discussions.

Appointment of Director of Housing Resident Engagement and Services

The primary item on the agenda was the appointment of a Director of Housing Resident Engagement and Services. The report pack indicated that this item would involve the exclusion of the press and public from the meeting. This is because the discussion was expected to involve the likely disclosure of exempt information, and the public interest in maintaining the exemption was considered to outweigh the public interest in disclosing the information. The specific details of the appointment, including the recommended candidate or candidates, were not publicly available in the provided documents.