The Lewisham Council Appointments Committee met on 18 September 2025, holding two sessions to address essential governance matters. Councillor Mark Jackson was elected as chair, and the committee then approved the minutes from their previous meeting. The committee also agreed to exclude the press and public to discuss the appointment of the Director of Finance.

Appointment of Director of Finance

The committee agreed to exclude the press and public from the meeting to discuss the appointment of the Director of Finance. This decision was made under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972¹, as the discussion was expected to involve the disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraphs 1 of Part 1 of Schedule 12(A) of the Act. The committee agreed that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosing the information.

Election of Chair

Councillor Mark Jackson was elected as Chair of the Committee. The agenda noted that the committee was to consider the election of a chair for the municipal year 2025/26, or for the purposes of the meeting only.

Approval of Minutes

The minutes of the previous meeting of the Appointments Committee, held on 24 April 2025, were confirmed and signed. These minutes recorded the appointment of Leemya McKeown as Director of Family Help and Care.

Declarations of Interest

The committee considered declarations of interest. Members are required to declare any personal interest they have in any item on the agenda, including: disclosable pecuniary interests, other registerable interests, and non-registerable interests. The report outlined the different types of personal interests as defined in the Council's Member Code of Conduct.