The meeting approved the appointments of a new Chief Executive and an interim Monitoring Officer for Surrey County Council. Councillors also received apologies from absent Councillors.

Appointment of new Chief Executive

The Council approved the appointment of Terrence Herbert as its new Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service¹. Mr Herbert was previously the Chief Executive of Wiltshire Council. The Leader of the Council, who had chaired the interview panel, noted that Mr Herbert had a long background in mental health and social work and that he had been the Director of Children's Services at Wiltshire Council when its rating moved from Requires Improvement to Outstanding . The Council also approved the appointment of the preferred candidate for Chief Executive as Returning Officer². Leigh Whitehouse, the incumbent interim Chief Executive, will remain in post until Mr Herbert's arrival, or until he leaves to take up his new role at West Sussex County Council. Anna D’Alessandro will also continue as the interim statutory Section 151 officer³.

Appointment of Interim Monitoring Officer

The Council also approved the appointment of Asmat Hussain as interim Monitoring Officer for Surrey County Council from 22 April 2024. Mr Hussain replaces Paul Evans who is retiring from his post as Director of Law and Governance and Monitoring Officer. The Leader of the Council thanked Mr Evans for his service, noting that:

his calm and reflective approach has been tremendous. We have been through some difficult times through COVID and some challenging legal areas, but he's always been absolutely clear on his advice and has delivered that in a very calm and helpful way.

The meeting concluded with the Chair thanking Mr Evans for his service and inviting members to join him for refreshments.