The Appointments Sub-Committee met to discuss the longlisting of applicants for the role of Director of HR and OD¹. The report pack included a recommendation to exclude the press and public from the meeting due to the confidential nature of the items on the agenda. The committee was scheduled to agree on a longlist of candidates to be invited for first-stage interviews.

Election of Chair

The first item on the agenda was the election of a chair for the Appointment Sub-Committee, who would oversee the recruitment process for the Director of HR and OD.

Declarations of Interest

Councillors were asked to declare any interests, including those that would restrict their voting rights under Section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992². A note from the Interim Monitoring Officer provided guidance on disclosable pecuniary interests (DPIs) and non-DPI interests.

Exclusion of Press and Public

The committee was scheduled to consider a motion to exclude the press and public from the meeting, citing Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972³, as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985. The reason given was that the remaining agenda items contained exempt information as defined in Part I of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

Longlisting for Director of HR and OD

The main item for discussion was the longlisting of candidates for the Director of HR and OD position. The committee was scheduled to review a report prepared by Penna, the recruitment consultants, which included recommendations on which candidates to advance to the next stage.

The report by Stephen Halsey, Chief Executive, provided background information on the recruitment process:

• The position was advertised in June 2025 and closed on 14 July 2025.
• Advertisements were placed on the council's website, Penna's website, the Municipal Journal, and social media.
• Penna also conducted a targeted executive search.

Appendix 1 of the report pack contained the reports for all candidates, including CVs and supporting statements. The Appointment Sub-Committee was asked to agree to the longlist of candidates recommended by Penna, to be invited for first-stage (technical) interviews.

The report outlined the reasons for the decisions, referencing the Appointments Sub Committee's terms of reference, which include making appointments to Chief Officer and Deputy Chief Officer posts in accordance with the council's Constitution and the agreed Recruitment and Selection procedure. It also noted that members can only sit on an ASC if they have received training, at this council, on recruitment and selection.

The report also noted that an alternative option would be not to recruit to the post and continue with the interim arrangement, which it said would not create the necessary stability that is required by filling a Director role on a permanent basis.

The report also highlighted equalities implications, stating:

The Council's commitment to equalities includes an undertaking to achieve a workforce that can best serve and reflect the community at all levels in the organisation and such considerations will be part of the recruitment process. All posts are recruited to on merit.

The report also included comments from the Chief Finance Officer, who confirmed that a budget would be available for the post, and from Legal Services, who outlined the legal framework for the appointment, including compliance with the Equality Act 2010⁴.