Members are asked to consider whether they have any disclosable pecuniary and / or any other relevant interest, in connection with any item(s) on this agenda and, if so, to declare them and state the nature of the interest.

Members of the Panel were requested to declare whether they had any disclosable pecuniary interests and/or any other relevant interest in the item on this agenda and, if so, to declare it and state the nature of such interest.

No such declarations were made.

The public may 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.

RECOMMENDATION – That in accordance with 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 by paragraph 1 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A (as amended) to that Act. The public interest test has been applied and favours exclusion.

On a motion by the Chair, seconded by Councillor A McLachlan it was -

Resolved - That, under section 100 (A) (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 by paragraph 1 of Part I of Schedule 12A (as amended) to that Act.

To consider the applications for this post.

The Chair welcomed Johnathan Swain, from the recruitment consultants, Penna, who informed the Panel of the process Penna had taken in actively seeking potential candidates for the post of Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service.

The Panel then considered, in turn, which of the 16 candidates should be long listed for the next stage of the selection process for the post of Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service.

Councillor Green expressed concerns at those candidates who had taken or who may have taken EVR or a voluntary severance payment going forward to the next stage of the process and Councillor Gilchrist concurred with these comments.

Councillor Jones and the Chair commented that they understood the concerns being raised but that it was for the Panel to ensure the best candidates went forward.

The Head of Human Resources and Organisational Development outlined the next stage of the recruitment process which would be technical assessments by Penna. A timetable of the whole recruitment process was then circulated to the Panel.

On a motion by the Chair, seconded by Councillor A McLachlan, it was –

Resolved (unanimously) – That the following 11 candidates be long listed for the next stage of the process – candidate numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12 and 15.