Apologies were received from Councillor GA Vaughan-Powell and Councillor R Preece.

To receive details of any Member nominated to attend the meeting in place of a Member of the Panel.

There were no substitutions.

There were no declarations of interest.

To approve and sign the Minutes of the meeting held on 14 January 2015.

RESOLVED:

that the minutes of the meeting held on 14 January 2015 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

To approve the arrangements for recruitment and selection for the posts of director of resources and director of adults and wellbeing.

The meeting was attended by the Head of Human Resources and Organisational Development and a representative from West Midlands Employers (WME), the organisation appointed to manage the recruitment process for the Director of Resources and the Director of Adults and Wellbeing.

A Member asked about value for money and cost effectiveness. It was explained that the recruitment strategy represents value for money in a number of ways. For the Director and Assistant Director of Adults and Wellbeing posts, the package includes executive search in recognition that these posts are known to be hard to recruit to. Recruitment for these posts includes a high profile advertisement and editorial feature in the Municipal Journal and the Guardian. The advertisement for the Director of Resources post has been published and is less high-profile, given that there is a wider pool of potential applicants for this post. 

The overall approach is considered to be robust and WME’s role is to support the process through to the final Employment Panel stages.

It was noted that the recruitment to the Director of Resources post will coincide with the election in May 2015. As the future membership of the Employment Panel will still be to be identified at that stage, the report recommends that the shortlisting for the Director of Resources be delegated to the Director for Economy, Communities and Corporate.

Detailed costings within the recruitment exercise include search costs of £6000 for the Director of Adults and Wellbeing which is a reduced rate for Herefordshire. In addition to the extensive advertising for this post a microsite and video has been produced. This features the Chief Executive and the current Interim Director, promoting Herefordshire and describing how the successful candidate can make a difference to peoples’ lives. The overall advertising cost is £9000. The remaining cost covers support for the assessment and selection centre by the WME team and psychometric testing of candidates.

Responding to a question regarding the ease of attracting the right people to come and work in Herefordshire, WME explained that the measure of success would be in the appointees making a difference once in post. There is also a combination of factors that typically attract candidates, including job design, salary and other benefits, and a positive message that the role offers an exciting opportunity. The microsite will be a vehicle for the latter and its message is clear in changing the common perceptions of the county, with a message of growth including the university developments, and a positive, vibrant economy which makes a difference to people.

Successful appointment to the Assistant Director role will present more of a challenge due to the diversity of the role and the salary being comparatively less competitive.

A Member asked about tenure and it was confirmed that all three posts are permanent roles. It was recognised that permanency is key in ensuring that people are retained and can make a difference.

The matter of probationary periods was raised. Although it is common practice for local authorities to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 16.