The Senior Appointments Committee was scheduled to consider recruitment processes for senior roles within the council. The meeting was also scheduled to address matters that would likely require the exclusion of the press and public.

Exclusion of Press and Public

The committee was scheduled to consider moving to exclude the press and public from the remainder of the meeting. This was proposed on the grounds that exempt information, as defined by Section 100(1) of the Local Government Act 1972, was likely to be disclosed. The specific paragraph of Schedule 12A of the Act under which this exemption would apply was Paragraph 1.

Under this exemption, the committee was scheduled to consider two items:

• Executive Director Resources - Shortlisting: This item was scheduled to involve the consideration of shortlisted candidates for the role of Executive Director Resources.
• Executive Director Housing and Community – Discussion regarding recruitment: This item was scheduled to involve a discussion concerning the recruitment process for the Executive Director Housing and Community position.

The report pack provided to attendees did not contain further details on the specific candidates or recruitment discussions. The Local Government Act 1972 governs the conduct of local authorities in England and Wales, including provisions for the exclusion of the public from meetings in certain circumstances to protect sensitive information. ¹