Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence.

To be apprised of any changes to the membership of the Committee in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 4.

There were no changes to the membership of the Committee.

Note: No other business is permitted unless, by reason of special circumstances, which shall be specified at the meeting, the Chairman is of the opinion that the item(s) should be considered as a matter of urgency.

There were no items of urgent business.

If a member requires advice on Declarations of interest, he/she is advised to contact the Borough Solicitor in advance of the meeting.  (For the assistance of members a checklist for use in considering their position on any particular item is included at the end of this agenda sheet.)

There were no declarations of interest.

To receive as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 14 August 2019.

RESOLVED      That the minutes of the meeting held on 14 August 2019 be received as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

It is recommended that members of the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following items of business in accordance with Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 (Financial/business affairs) of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act and as in all the circumstances of the case the public interest in maintaining the exemption under Schedule 12A outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.  

RESOLVED:    That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of that Act and as, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption under Schedule 12A outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

To consider the report of the Chief Executive.

The Committee considered the report of the Chief Executive, as contained on pages 155 to 160 of the Book of Reports, which sought approval of the final selection process for recruitment to the post of Chief Operating Officer and provided an update on progress since the last meet of the Committee.

Sharon Senior from North West Employers addressed the meeting and provided an update on the proposed process and timescales.  Copies of the sample methods for testing candidates, potential staff panel questions and the draft short listing matrix were circulated, as contained on pages 181 to 238 of the Book of Reports.

Members noted the slightly reduced costs from the initial quotation from North West employers and the closing date for applications as the 30 September 2019.

The Committee agreed that the Long Listing assessment would be undertaken by North West Employers, however the number should not be constrained by 6 candidates and copies of all the applications submitted by candidates should be included in the documents submitted to the Committee at the meeting being held on 31 October 2019, when it considered the short list.

The Committee considered the Staff Panel membership and requested that the officers listed in paragraph 4.4 be approached together with a non-management representative from their respective service areas.

Members advised that a written exercise would not be required and noted that this would then allow for an extension to the face to face interview with the Committee on 26 November 2019.

RESOLVED:    A.          That the updated process and timescale for the recruitment process, as proposed by North West Employers, be approved, as set out in Appendix A to the report, subject to the comments raised by the Committee above.

                                 B.           That the documentation and templates provided by North West Employers be agreed as the format for use.

C.         That delegated authority be given to the Human Resources and Organisational Development in consultation with North West Employers and the Chairman of the Committee, to make changes to, and manage the recruitment process, including designing the interview questions and content of the tests/exercises to be used in the course of the recruitment process for the post, along the lines agreed by the Committee.

Consideration was given to the report of the Director of Housing and Inclusion, as contained on pages 161 to 180 of the Book of Reports, which presented a proposal to appoint an Interim Corporate Director of Transformation and Resources, to progress the implementation and delivery of the SORP programme.

The Head of Human Resources and Organisational Development advised the Committee that the internal ring-fenced candidates would be selected from the Heads of Service appointed under the new structures agreed at Council on 10 July 2019.

The Committee noted the proposed Interview Questions and presentation topic.

RESOLVED:         A.   That pending the recruitment of the Chief Operating Officer, the Post of Corporate Director of Transformation and Resources be filled on an interim basis and that internal ring-fenced candidates, be invited to be apply for the role via the Chief Officers Committee.

B.     That  the  job  description,  person  specification  for  the  post  of  Interim Corporate Director  of Transformation and Resources at Appendix A be noted.

C.     That the process  and  timescale  for  recruitment  to  the  post of interim Corporate Director of Transformation and Resources as  set  out  in section 4.2 of the report, be  approved, subject  to  the  dates  of  future  meetings  and  any  minor  changes required to the suggested timetable, being agreed in consultation with the Chairman of the Committee.           

To note the dates of future meetings:

• Tuesday, 8 October 2019 at 10.00am
• Thursday, 31 October 2019 at 6pm
• Tuesday, 26 November 2019 at 9.30am

RESOLVED:   That future meetings be held on the following dates at the times indicated:

A.      Tuesday, 8 October 2019 at 10.00am

B.      Thursday, 31 October 2019 at 6pm

C.     Tuesday, 26 November 2019 at 9.30am