Agenda and minutes

Mrs E Eyre attended the meeting as a substitute for Mrs K May.

An apology for absence was received from Mrs K May.

Mr S Geraghty was appointed Chairman of the Panel.

Mr A I Hardman was appointed Vice-Chairman of the Panel.

To authorise the procedure for confirming and signing the Minutes of this meeting.  It is recommended that the Minutes be circulated to Members of the Panel and be signed by the Chairman in light of any comments on their accuracy received within 7 days of their circulation.

RESOLVED: that the minutes of this meeting be circulated to Members of the Panel and be signed by the Chairman in the light of any comments on their accuracy received within 7 days of their circulation.

The Panel will be asked to exclude the press and public from the meeting for the following item as it is likely that exempt information relating to any individual will be disclosed and the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosure.

RESOLVED: that the public and press be excluded from the meeting during the consideration of the following item of business on the grounds that if they were present during such consideration it would be likely that there would be disclosure to them of exempt information as defined in Section 100(I) and Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 relating to any individual and the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosure.

Summary of the proceedings during which press and public were excluded (this is a fair summary of the proceedings and there are no exempt minutes)

Appointment of Interim Chief Financial Officer

The Panel noted that Sean Pearce, the current Chief Financial Officer, had tendered his resignation and was due to end his employment with the Council during October 2017.  The role was a critical one for the Council, not only as part of the Senior Leadership Team but as the Officer Responsible for Financial Administration (section 151) under the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.  The role was also crucial to the delivery of the Council's Medium Term Financial Plan and in ensuring it reflected and shaped the priorities of the Council.

The Panel supported the proposal that an interim Chief Financial Officer was appointed as soon as reasonably practicable to provide stability for the service and continuity to the Council as it began the process of appointing a new Chief Executive.  An interim appointee would act as a nominated leader for Finance and would ensure a continued focus on the Medium Term Financial Plan in addition to maintaining the Council's statutory responsibilities.

The Panel considered options for the interim period: whether to seek an external or internal interim appointment.  It was likely that an external appointment would need to be start before the end of October to ensure an effective handover from the exiting Chief Financial Officer.  The new appointee would need to be brought up to speed in a very short time, which could lead to some temporary disruption and instability.  The market rate for such an appointment was also likely to be more expensive than an internal interim, even taking into account the potential cost of a necessary internal backfill arrangement. 

On balance, the Panel agreed that it preferred to seek an internal interim appointment.  The advantages were considered to be that an internal appointment would maintain continuity, direction of travel and stability of the finance function.  An internal candidate would have the advantage of understanding the current financial challenges faced by the Council and would be able to lead with immediate effect on the continued Medium Term Financial Plan.   The Panel noted that this would require additional backfill arrangements to create the capacity for the individual to act up.

In advance of the meeting the Chief Financial Officer had sought interest from among senior managers in taking up the interim role.  One manager had expressed interest and, having considered the application, the Panel agreed to interview the candidate, Sue Alexander.

Having interviewed Sue the Panel agreed to offer her the interim role.  This would be for up to 6 months to enable the recruitment of a permanent Chief Financial Officer.  The Panel agreed to authorise the Chief Executive to offer a remuneration package based on current arrangements.

Backfill arrangements

The appointment of Sue Alexander to the interim role meant that her substantive Head of Service role was vacant. 

The Panel agreed that in the role of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 1082.