Issue - meetings

The report provides an update on the recruitment process undertaken and the recommendations of the Member Panel will be to follow and either published as a supplement or tabled at the meeting.

Members were provided with an update on the recruitment process undertaken in respect of the newly established Head of Finance and Section 151 Officer.

At the meeting of Council on 13 May 2025, the formation of a Member Panel had been agreed to oversee and be involved in the recruitment process.

Due to the specialist skillset and seniority of the post, a rigorous selection and assessment process had been undertaken before Member Panel interviews had been undertaken on 4 July 2025.

Consideration was given to the recommendations of the Member Panel detailed in the supplementary report of the Chief Executive and the Leader of the Borough Council proposed that Mr Paul Worden be appointed as the Head of Finance and Section 151 Officer.   This was seconded by Cllr Coffin and supported by the Council who welcomed the appointment and noted that the successful candidate had the requisite skills, knowledge and experience necessary to ensure the Borough Council’s good financial position continued.

RESOLVED:  That  Paul Worden be appointed as permanent Head of Finance and Section 151 Officer with effect from 28 July 2025.

Subject to a decision by an extraordinary General Purposes Committee on 12 May 2025, the report considers arrangements for the permanent appointment of a newly created Head of Finance and Section 151 Officer post.

The report of the Chief Executive presented arrangements  for the permanent appointment of a newly created Head of Finance and Section 151 Officer post following the retirement of the long-serving Director of Finance and Transformation.

As the post was a Statutory Chief Officer due to the requirement for the postholder to discharge the statutory function of being the Borough Council’s Section 151 Officer and in accordance with the Officer Employment Procedure Rules, set out in Part 4 of the Constitution, it was necessary to establish a Member Panel to oversee the recruitment process.

It was also recommended that due to the specialist skillset and seniority of the post that a recruitment agency be engaged at a one-off cost of £25,000 to be funded through a supplementary estimate from the General Revenue Reserve.

Cllr Boughton proposed that the Member Panel be formed by the Leader, Deputy Leader (Cllr Coffin) and the Leader of the Opposition (Cllr Oakley).  This was seconded by Cllr Coffin and supported by the Council.

It was proposed by Cllr Boughton, seconded by Cllr Oakley and

RESOLVED:   That

(1)         the formation of a Member Panel  (comprising the Leader, Deputy Leader and the Leader of the Opposition) to make the permanent appointment to the post of Head of Finance and Section 151 Officer be agreed;

(2)         the appointment of a special recruitment search and selection partner to lead on the recruitment and selection of the Head of Finance and Section 151 Officer post be agreed; and

(3)         a one-off budget of £25,000 to be funded through a supplementary estimate from the General Revenue Reserve be approved for the costs of recruitment.