The Senior Appointments Committee of West Northamptonshire Council met on Thursday 16 July 2026. The primary item scheduled for discussion was the appointment of a new Chief Executive (Head of Paid Service). The meeting was also scheduled to address procedural matters, including apologies for absence, declarations of interest, and the potential exclusion of the press and public for part of the proceedings.

Appointment of Chief Executive (Head of Paid Service)

The committee was scheduled to consider the appointment to the statutory officer role of Chief Executive, who also serves as the Head of Paid Service. This process is governed by section 3 of the Council's Constitution, specifically the Staff Employment Rules. These rules outline the responsibilities of the Senior Appointments Committee in filling such a vacancy.

The committee's duties, as detailed in the report pack, include:

• Drawing up a statement outlining the duties, salary, and desired qualifications for the Head of Paid Service.
• Arranging for the post to be advertised effectively to attract suitable candidates.
• Providing the statement of duties and qualifications to interested individuals upon request.
• Shortlisting qualified candidates from applications and conducting interviews.
• Determining the most suitable candidate for the position.
• Advising the Corporate Director Workforce, Technology and Change of the chosen candidate's name and any other relevant particulars.

Following this, the Corporate Director Workforce, Technology and Change would notify the Cabinet of the proposed appointment. The Leader of the Council would then have a period to raise any objections on behalf of the Cabinet. An offer of appointment would only be made if there were no objections, or if any objections raised were not considered well-founded, potentially with advice sought from the Corporate Director Law and Governance and Monitoring Officer. Ultimately, the committee would recommend a candidate for appointment at the next Full Council meeting or a specially convened meeting. If no suitable candidate was identified, the post would be re-advertised.

The report pack indicated that the committee was recommended to consider the appointment of the Chief Executive. It also stated that if the committee deemed no candidate suitable, the post would need to be re-advertised.

Procedural Matters

The agenda also included standard procedural items. Members were asked to provide apologies for absence and notify of any substitute members. They were also required to declare any interests they might have in the items under consideration. The Chair was scheduled to provide announcements and advise on any urgent business that had been admitted to the agenda. A significant procedural item involved the potential exclusion of the press and public from the remainder of the meeting. This was to be considered on the grounds that exempt information, as defined by Section 100(1) of the Local Government Act 1972 and listed under Schedule 12A of that Act, was likely to be disclosed. The specific paragraph of Schedule 12A cited was Paragraph 1.