The Employment Committee of Lancashire County Council met on Tuesday 18 August 2026. The meeting's agenda included a review of the committee's constitution, membership, and terms of reference for the upcoming municipal year. Additionally, a significant portion of the meeting was scheduled to be held in private to discuss changes to senior leadership responsibilities.

Constitution, Membership, and Terms of Reference

The committee was scheduled to consider its constitution, membership, and terms of reference for the 2026/27 municipal year. A report presented to the committee outlined the proposed appointments for the committee's Chair and Deputy Chair, with County Councillor Stephen Atkinson recommended as Chair and County Councillor Simon Evans as Deputy Chair. The report also detailed the committee's membership, which was agreed at the county council's Annual Meeting on 21 May 2026, comprising eight county councillors from various political groups. The terms of reference for the Employment Committee, as set out in Appendix 'A' of the report, were also to be reviewed. These terms of reference define the committee's responsibilities, which include overseeing arrangements for the appointment and dismissal of senior officers, such as the Chief Executive, Executive Directors, the Monitoring Officer, and the Chief Financial Officer. The committee's remit also extends to determining policies related to the release of pension benefits and monitoring the Statement of Ethical Standards for employees.

Changes to Senior Leadership Responsibilities

A significant item on the agenda, scheduled for discussion in Part II of the meeting (not open to the press and public), concerned Changes to Senior Leadership Responsibilities. This item was classified as exempt information under the Local Government Act 1972, citing reasons related to the disclosure of information about individuals and the financial or business affairs of particular persons. The report accompanying this item was prepared by H MacAndrew, Director of Law and Governance, and was considered to contain information where the public interest in maintaining exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosure.