Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillor S Murray.

(Chief Executive) To declare interests in any item on the agenda.

There were no declarations of interest made for this meeting.

(Assistant to the Chief Executive)  To report the appointment of any substitute members for the meeting.

The Committee noted that no substitute members had been notified for this meeting.

To note the following terms of reference for this Committee as agreed by the Council at its meeting on 30.7.10 (Minute 61):

“(a) to consider, in consultation with the Council’s Recruitment Consultants, the person specification, job description and associated matters relating to the recruitment and appointment of the Council’s Chief Executive (Head of Paid Service);

(b) to consider arrangements of advertising the vacancy;

(c) to consider the arrangements for interviewing, assessment and appointment to the Chief Executive position;

(d) to report back to full Council on progress on 28 September 2010;

(e) to report back subsequently to full Council with a recommendation on the person to be appointed to the position of Chief Executive;

(f) to consider alternative means by which the duties of the Chief Executive may be conducted; and

(g) to consider the remuneration appropriate to the role recommended by the Appointment Committee.”

The Committee noted the terms of reference for this Committee as set out on the agenda which reflected decisions made by the Council at its January 2012 meeting.

To confirm the minutes of the last meeting of the Committee (attached).

            RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 6 March 2012 be taken as read and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

Recruitment programme attached.

In order to formulate a recommendation on the final candidate to be recommended for appointment by the Council on 18 June 2012., it is recommended that a formal meeting of the Committee be convened on 8 June 2012 at a time to be agreed after the selection process has been completed..

The Committee noted the forward recruitment programme as previously agreed and that the assessment and selection process would be conducted on 7 and 8 June 2012.

            RESOLVED:

            That a further meeting of this Committee be convened on 8 June 2012 at 2 pm or at such time as the assessment and recruitment process concludes in order to ratify the name of the preferred candidate for onward recommendation to the extraordinary Council meeting to be held on 18 June 2012.

Exclusion: To consider whether, under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public and press should be excluded from the meeting for the items of business set out below on grounds that they will involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in the following paragraph(s) of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act (as amended) or are confidential under Section 100(A)(2):

The Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006, which came into effect on 1 March 2006, requires the Council to consider whether maintaining the exemption listed above outweighs the potential public interest in disclosing the information. Any member who considers that this test should be applied to any currently exempted matter on this agenda should contact the proper officer at least 24 hours prior to the meeting.

Confidential Items Commencement: Paragraph 9 of the Council Procedure Rules contained in the Constitution require:

(1)        All business of the Council requiring to be transacted in the presence of the press and public to be completed by 10.00 p.m. at the latest.

(2)        At the time appointed under (1) above, the Chairman shall permit the completion of debate on any item still under consideration, and at his or her discretion, any other remaining business whereupon the Council shall proceed to exclude the public and press.

(3)        Any public business remaining to be dealt with shall be deferred until after the completion of the private part of the meeting, including items submitted for report rather than decision.

Background Papers:  Paragraph 8 of the Access to Information Procedure Rules of the Constitution define background papers as being documents relating to the subject matter of the report which in the Proper Officer's opinion:

(a)        disclose any facts or matters on which the report or an important part of the report is based;  and

(b)        have been relied on to a material extent in preparing the report and does not include published works or those which disclose exempt or confidential information (as defined in Rule 10) and in respect of executive reports, the advice of any political advisor.

Inspection of background papers may be arranged by contacting the officer responsible for the item.

RESOLVED:

That the public and press be excluded from the meeting for the items of business set out below on the grounds that they would involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in the paragraphs of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972:

Agenda                                                                                   Exempt Information

Item No           Subject                                                           Paragraph Number

8                      Appointment of a Chief Executive -                            1 and 2

                        Short listing of Applicants

To consider a report on the short listing of applicants for final selection (to be tabled).

The Committee considered a report (tabled) of GatenbySanderson regarding the technical interviews held with the long listed applicants on 8 and 9 May 2012 and a recommended short list of applicants to proceed to the final selection and assessment stage.

Presenting this report, GatenbySanderson made clear that the way in which the long listed applicants were rated was based on the performance at the technical interviews and should be interpreted as the relative, rather than absolute, merits of each candidate in what was regarded to be overall a strong field.  The Committee noted that the questioning at the technical interviews reflected the key criteria agreed by the Committee at the last meeting under Minute 24 (6.3.12) Each applicant had been interviewed for approximately one hour and each candidate was given the opportunity to outline their past experience and its relevance to the current application.

The Committee noted that one candidate had, for various personal reasons, decided to withdraw from the process prior to the technical interviews being held.

After opportunities for Committee members to raise questions on the technical assessments, GatenbySanderson gave a presentation on each of the four applicants recommended to proceed to the final stage and the three which were regarded as marginal.  Members of the Committee asked questions on each of these applications and the findings from the technical assessors.  The Committee agreed to restrict their detailed consideration to the four recommended candidates and the three marginal cases and agreed with the recommendations of GatenbySanderson regarding those who should not proceed to the next stage after a further opportunity for members to ask questions about those applicants.

            RESOLVED:

            (1)        That the following applicants be admitted to the final assessment and selection process on 7 and 8 June 2012, namely Candidates 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7; and

            (2)        That GatenbySanderson take steps to immediately advise all candidates of the outcome of this meeting.

To discuss arrangements for the selection phase.

GatenbySanderson gave an outline of the two days on which the Assessment Centre would be operating.The following key features of those two sessions were proposed:

(a)        psychometric testing – two modules designed to provide impartial data on preferred ways of working for each candidate and on leadership styles;

(b)        critical thinking exercises; and

(c)        observed and participatory exercises designed to test candidates behaviour in a variety of situations.

GatenbySanderson also proposed that Leader interviews should be regarded as an important part of the assessment process, whether with the Leader alone or accompanied by other members of the Committee.  The Committee also felt that a maximum amount of contact time with all applicants on the short list should be arranged as part of the Assessment Centre and with this in mind joint luncheon sessions would be arranged. 

It was accepted that the Assessment Centre should be based on maximising contact between members of the Committee and applicants. It was also agreed that details of the proposed exercises and interview questions could be delegated to GatenbySanderson in consultation with the Assistant Head (Human Resources) of this Council.

            RESOLVED:

            (1)        That the Assessment Centre proposals be agreed;

            (2)        That GatenbySanderson be authorised, in consultation with the Assistant Head (Human Resources), to produce:

            (a)        exercises for the Assessment Centre designed to allow the Committee to form impressions of the candidates in a variety of situations;

            (b)        questions for formal interviews;

            (c)        assessment sheets for each stage of the process.