There were no apologies.

To receive details of any member nominated to attend the meeting in place of a member of the panel.

There were no named substitutes.

To receive declarations of interests in respect of Schedule 1, Schedule 2 or Other Interests from members of the committee in respect of items on the agenda.

There were no declarations of interest.

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 9 September 2020.

It was resolved that:

The minutes of the meeting held on 9 September 2020 be approved.

To receive any written questions from members of the public.

Details of the scheme and related guidance are available here:

https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/info/200148/your_council/61/get_involved

Please submit questions to councillorservices@herefordshire.gov.uk

The deadline for the receipt of questions is Wednesday 21 October at 5.00 pm.

Accepted questions will be published as a supplement prior to the meeting.

There were no questions from members of the public.

To receive any written questions from councillors.

Please submit questions to councillorservices@herefordshire.gov.uk

The deadline for the receipt of questions is Wednesday 21 October at 5.00 pm.

Accepted questions will be published as a supplement prior to the meeting.

There were no questions from councillors.

To approve the role profile and recruitment plan for the post of chief executive. To discuss the remuneration for the post and if any changes to the current salary package are recommended to make those recommendations to full council.

The assistant director for people introduced the report and highlighted that:

·        The current chief executive was retiring in the New Year;

·        It was recommended that the post be replaced on a like for like basis, although there were alternative models that the panel could consider;

·        The proposed timetable depended on a number of factors including whether the recruitment agency could meet the deadlines;

·        A benchmarking exercise had been carried out on the proposed salary and this showed that the salary was in the lower quartile compared with other councils and the relative size of Herefordshire council in terms of headcount and budget was also in the lower quartile;

·        The role profile was bespoke for Herefordshire Council but would not include the detailed plans of any administration, these would be set in the objectives for the chief executive and agreed in consultation with group leaders.

The panel discussed the potential alternative models of leadership and noted that:

·        There were benefits to having one person with strategic oversight of the council and this offered continuity in management style;

·        The council needed to be mindful of the challenging current circumstances and financial constraints;

·        No successful alternative models had been found, confidential feedback from councils who had explored alternative models highlighted difficulties when relationships broke down and advised that these models generally only worked on a temporary basis;

·        Changing to alternative models of leadership would carry risk;

·        The council should be open to job share arrangements, although there could be some difficulties in managing this.

The panel then discussed the proposed timetable and general arrangements for the recruitment process. It was noted that:

·        Recruitment agencies may resist holding the selection process so early in the New Year but the assistant director was confident this was achievable;

·        A recruitment agency would be able to target individuals based on what the council was looking for and encourage applications from those not actively looking for a change at the current time;

·        The cost of using an agency represented a small proportion of the salary that would be paid over the next several years and was a worthwhile investment to get the right person;

·        The leader of the council would consult on what the council should be looking for and then he and the assistant director would brief the recruitment agency;

·        There would be opportunities to involve stakeholders and wider input from councillors at the interview stage.

The panel reviewed the proposed role profile. The following points were noted:

·        The proposed profile was similar to that of the previous chief executive and in the same format used for all senior roles at the council;

·        It was suggested that the items in the profile be numbered or marked in some other way to allow ease of reference;

·        The mechanisms by which elements would be assessed would be set out as part of the candidate packs;

·        The functions could be grouped into themed areas to give a more logical structure and to emphasise key points;

·        Candidates did not necessarily need  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.