Agenda and minutes

Venue: Committee Room 2 - Wallasey Town Hall. View directions

Contact: Andrew Mossop  Principal Committee Officer

Items
No. Item

1.

Chair's Opening Remarks

Minutes:

The Chair welcomed everybody to the meeting and informed the Committee that he would be adding an urgent item of business to the agenda to address the need to recruit a new Director of Resources following the recent resignation of the current postholder.

2.

Members' Code of Conduct - Declarations of Interest

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

Minutes:

Members of the Committee 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.

3.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 54 KB

To receive the minutes of the meetings held on 19 June, 9, 18, 24 and 25 July, and 1 and 2 August, 2013.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee were requested to approve the accuracy of the minutes of the meetings of 19 June, 9, 18, 24 and 25 July and 1 and 2 August 2013.

 

Resolved – That the minutes of the meetings of 19 June, 9, 18, 24 and 25 July and 1 and 2 August 2013, be approved.

4.

Appointment of Chief Executive, Head of Paid Service (including Returning Officer and Electoral Registration Officer) pdf icon PDF 82 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Head of Human Resources and Organisational Development presented a report on the options for recruiting a new Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service. The role also required the post holder to be appointed as the Council’s Returning Officer and Electoral Registration Officer.

 

The report gave details of issues for consideration and decision, including:

 

·  Delegation to an Appointments Panel

·  Potential use of recruitment consultants

·  Potential use of professional advisors to the panel

·  Appropriate salary for the role

·  Requirements of the role as defined in the Job Description and Person Specification

·  Proposed selection process and timetable

·  Interim arrangements

 

Councillor Green queried what other options had been considered, such as did the Council need to appoint another Chief Executive with three Strategic Directors in post or was there any potential for sharing a Chief Executive? He also asked whether the salary referred to included fees paid in respect of the Returning Officer role. He suggested that these roles should be listed within the terms of the job description.

 

Councillor Phil Davies responded that he believed Wirral Council as the ninth largest Metropolitan Authority in England and the second largest in the Liverpool City Region, the Council did need its own Chief Executive. He was not aware of any other Local Authority in the North West without a Chief Executive. He was aware of three London boroughs which shared a Chief Executive but he would be concerned how much time, energy and commitment a shared Chief Executive would have to focus on Wirral.

 

Councillor Gilchrist stated that the size of the organisation and its workforce was not the size it was three years ago and various regrading exercises had taken place. He suggested that the terms of reference of the proposed Panel could be amended to reflect this.

 

At the invitation of the Chair, the current Chief Executive gave his views, although he stated that it was normal for a retiring Chief Executive not to be involved in the actual recruitment process for his successor. He stated that the role would be a very significant task for a shared Chief Executive and that the Council should proceed with the recruitment of a full time Chief Executive. He felt that the current salary was too low to attract candidates across the North West.

 

It was moved by Councillor Jeff Green and seconded by Councillor Lesley Rennie, that –

 

“An addition to the recommendation be that the Panel receive a report from the current Chief Executive and Head of Human Resources and Organisational Development on whether there is an opportunity to share a Chief Executive.”

 

The motion was put and lost (3:4).

 

On a motion by Councillor Gilchrist, seconded by Councillor Green, it was

 

Resolved (unanimously) - That the term of reference (1) for the Chief Executive be amended to read:

 

“To review the current salary based on the changing market, the reduced size and the scope of the Authority and its workforce and the revised roles and grades of staff. To recommend any  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

5.

Head of Specialist Services Appointment pdf icon PDF 76 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Head of Human Resources and Organisational Development presented a report on the process for recruiting a Head of Specialist Services within Children’s Services. The report gave details of issues for consideration and decision, including:

 

·  The setting up of an Appointments Panel.

·  Potential use of recruitment consultants to support the process.

·  The Job Description and Person Specification.

·  The recruitment timetable.

 

On a motion by Councillor Phil Davies, seconded by Councillor McLachlan, it was –

 

Resolved – That this Committee agrees:

 

(1)  The establishment of a politically balanced Appointments Panel, in the ratio 4:2:1, for the recruitment and appointment of a Head of Specialist Services.

 

(2)  The Terms of Reference of the Appointments Panel as set out in Appendix Four to the report.

 

(3)  To appoint Penna Plc as the recruitment consultants to support the recruitment process in line with the current contracting arrangements.

 

(4)  To review and agree the requirements for the role as defined in the job description and person specification.

 

(5)  The proposed process and timescales for appointment of a new Head of Specialist Services.