The Appointment Committee is scheduled to meet to interview candidates for the position of Operational Manager Legal Services (Property, Planning and Procurement) and Deputy Monitoring Officer, and potentially conclude the appointment process. The meeting will also address apologies for absence, declarations of interest, and approval of the minutes from a previous meeting. Some information related to the appointment is expected to be discussed in a session excluded from the public.

Appointment of Operational Manager

The main item on the agenda is the appointment of the Operational Manager Legal Services (Property, Planning and Procurement) and Deputy Monitoring Officer. The committee is scheduled to interview candidates and potentially finalise the appointment to this post.

The job description and person specification outlines the responsibilities of the role, stating that the post holder will be responsible for:

complex legal work associated with High Value Property related legal work and undertaking the day-to-day supervision, management and monitoring of solicitors of the Property and Planning Team, the Local Land Charges Team and the management of the Principal Procurment Solicitor and in the absence of their manager the Procurment Team; advice to the Council, Cabinet, Committees, and Directorates on related legal matters; representation of the Council in Court and at Tribunals, hearings, and inquiries.

The post holder will also support the Monitoring Officer¹ as one of their deputies, and may be required to stand in for the Director of Governance & Legal Services & Monitoring Officer, D Marles.

The person specification states that the appointed person must be a qualified solicitor or barrister with a current practising certificate, or be willing to undertake training to gain one. The Behavioural Competency Framework Cardiff Council lists the skills, abilities and personal attributes required for the role, including:

• Putting Our Customers First
• Getting Things Done
• Taking Personal Responsibility
• Seeking to understand others, and treating them with respect

Exclusion of the Public

The agenda includes a section for the exclusion of the public, citing paragraphs 12 and 13 of Part 4, Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972. These paragraphs relate to information regarding applicants for employment and information that could reveal the identity of an individual.

Approval of Minutes

The committee is scheduled to approve the minutes from the meeting held on 9 December 2025, as a correct record. According to the minutes, at the previous meeting the committee reconvened to consider findings from an assessment centre, and decided to invite candidate 81718 for an interview.