The Employment Committee of North Northamptonshire Council met on Thursday 18 June 2026 and established a sub-committee to recruit for the statutory role of Executive Director of Children's Services. The committee also noted apologies for absence from several councillors.

Appointment of Executive Director of Children's Services

The committee resolved to establish a politically balanced sub-committee of six elected members to undertake the shortlisting, interviewing, and appointment of the Executive Director of Children's Services. This sub-committee will be delegated the authority to appoint the most suitable candidate.

The role of Executive Director of Children's Services is a statutory position, as required by the Children Act 2004, with ultimate legal responsibility for the Council's education and children's social care functions, including safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Although children's social care is currently delivered by the Northamptonshire Children's Trust under a statutory direction, the Council retains ultimate accountability. The position has been vacant since the summer of 2025, with the duties temporarily fulfilled by the Director of Social Care at the Northamptonshire Children's Trust.

Adele Wylie, Chief Executive of North Northamptonshire Council, introduced the report, highlighting the need for permanent recruitment to ensure service stability and assurance for partners and government representatives. She explained that the sub-committee would consist of four members from the Reform group, one from the Conservative group, and one from the Green group, reflecting the council's political balance. The sub-committee will also include at least one member of the Executive, as stipulated by legislation.

Councillor Chris Munday asked if external recruiters would be used and how many people had applied for the role. Ms. Wylie confirmed that the recruitment would be handled in-house and that, at that point, only one person had applied.

The decision to establish the sub-committee and delegate authority was made to ensure a comprehensive, inclusive, and thorough recruitment and selection process, in accordance with the council's constitution. The advert for the role closed on 21 June 2026, with shortlisting and interviews scheduled for the following weeks. The full job description and person specification for the Executive Director of Children's Services can be found in Appendix A of the agenda papers. ¹