The Employment Committee of Lancashire County Council met on Wednesday, 15 April 2026, to approve the extension of the Chief Executive's secondment to the Lancashire Combined County Authority and to confirm previous meeting minutes. The committee also resolved to exclude the press and public for discussions regarding remuneration policies.

Extension of Chief Executive's Secondment Approved

The committee approved the extension of the partial secondment of the county council's Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service, Mark Winn, to the Lancashire Combined County Authority (LCCA) for a further 12-month period, from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027. In this role, Mr Winn will continue to serve as the LCCA's Chief Finance Officer (Section 73 Officer). This arrangement is in place to support the governance, financial planning, and development of the LCCA during its early operational years, as it relies on senior officers from constituent councils to undertake statutory duties.

Councillor Ged Mirfin, Local Councillor Decision - Ribble Valley North East, expressed concern about the potential impact of this extended secondment on the Chief Executive's workload and health, particularly in light of the rapidly changing agenda surrounding Local Government Reorganisation (LGR). He stated, My only concern was the amount of time that Mark might have to dedicate to this and the fact that we are dealing with an agenda which is rapidly changing in light of LGR. I've not been particularly happy with some of the appointments on the combined authority recently and I just wonder whether Mark is going to end up having to do an awful lot of work in order to address some of the upcoming issues and I'm concerned about his workload and the potential impact it could have on his health looking at my own situation.

Councillor Azhar Ali OBE, Leader of the Opposition, Local Councillor Decision - Nelson East, acknowledged Councillor Mirfin's concerns but highlighted the necessity for partners to collaborate during the infancy of new structures like the combined authority. He added, I understand where Ged Mirfin coming from and concern over how much workload there is. But whether it's the combined authority or other new structures that happen in the infancy, you know, all the different partners have to pull together to get them across the line to a certain point and we can review that. Councillor Ali also noted the strength of the council's senior management team, suggesting they would manage the workload effectively and that the arrangement could be reviewed in three to six months.

The report indicated that there are no direct financial implications for the county council from this secondment, as it is an 'in kind' arrangement. The extension is considered essential to maintain stability and continuity while the LCCA establishes its powers, funding, and operating model, before recruiting permanent statutory officers.

Confirmation of Previous Minutes

The minutes of the previous meetings held on 27 January 2026, 10 February 2026, and 16 February 2026 were confirmed and signed by the Chair.

Exclusion of Press and Public

The committee resolved to exclude the press and public from discussions relating to LPP Remuneration Policies. This decision was made under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act, 1972, on the grounds that the discussions would likely involve the disclosure of exempt information relating to individuals and financial or business affairs. The committee considered that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosing the information.