Agenda item

The Chairman to move that the attached report be considered on grounds of urgency to enable the appointment process for this crucial post to proceed without delay.

The Committee agreed that this item should be considered as a matter of urgency to enable the recruitment process for this crucial post to proceed without delay.

The Ofsted inspection of Children’s Services had criticised the lack of leadership capacity in the organisation.  It highlighted the importance of recruiting into the vacant Executive Director of Education, Care & Health Services post to provide the strategic lead and connectivity between services and partner agencies for the good of Bromley’s children and young people.

The report sought Member approval to carry out a fast track/streamlined recruitment and selection process without undermining the quality of the post or the pool of potential candidates for this vital leadership position in the organisation. The proposed recruitment and selection process was set out - this would include a Peer Selection Panel to be chaired by the Chief Executive, which would involve representatives from the Police, Health and Schools, and a separate interview with the Children’s Services Commissioner.  However, the final interview and the decision on who to appoint was a matter for the Chief Officer Appointment Panel of the Council.

The Committee sought clarification on the funding of this post – whether, as an existing post, it was funded through existing budgets or from the additional £950k released from Central Contingency by the Executive on 20^th July. The Leader assured the Committee that if additional funding was required this would be reported to Members for approval.

Members questioned whether the Council might be limiting the field of potential applicants with advertising focussed on The Guardian online – the use of head-hunters and encouraging private sector managers were suggested. It was accepted that the person appointed needed to have a strong professional background as well as excellent management skills to be credible with Ofsted and the Department for Education. The Guardian Online was the main way to reach the limited pool of suitable candidates – officers reported that head-hunters had been used in the past but it was not expected that they could add much to the process. It was confirmed that the post was needed even if a decision was made to move services into a Trust.  

The Appointment Panel, as established at the Annual Council, consisted of eight Members, (seven Conservative and one Labour) and reflected the overall political balance of the Council. Within this there was flexibility for the majority party to nominate suitable Members to reflect the nature of the post, and it was not considered necessary to extend the membership further.   

RESOLVED that

(1) The Membership of the Appointment Panel agreed at the last annual meeting of full Council should not be increased given the tight selection timeline on this occasion.

(2) A suitable person be appointed by the Appointment Panel at circa £160k per annum but the Chief Executive be authorised to increase the total salary package by no more than £5k (including the lease car option).

(3) It is noted and agreed that the Chief Officer Appointment Panel will sit immediately after the advert closing, but no later than Friday 19 August 2016, to interview the shortlisted candidates, subject to the Chief Executive being authorised to alter the dates and, should no suitable candidate be appointed, re-start the process as necessary.

(4) The proposal to set up a Peer Selection Panel comprising the Chief Executive and up to two representatives of the Directors’ Group/the Corporate Leadership Team and a representative or two from partner agencies, to assist in the selection process be noted and agreed; however, the final decision on who to appoint is the sole responsibility of the Chief Officer Appointment Panel as set out in paragraph 2.1.3 of the report and the Council’s Constitution.

(5) It is noted and agreed that the Chief Executive with advice from the Director of Human Resources and/or specialist technical advice from a social care professional will assess the quality of applications received and present a shortlist to the Chief Officer Appointment Panel for the final interview.