Agenda item

The Council to consider the recommendations of the Employment Committee.

Copies of the report setting out the recommendations of the Employment Committee on interim arrangements for the role of Chief Executive and the Head of Paid Service were circulated.

The meeting adjourned between 13:33 and 13:44 to give Members an opportunity to read the report. During the adjournment Paul Thomas left the meeting as the matter about to be discussed concerned his proposed appointment as Interim Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service.

The Chairman set out that the agenda item was only to consider the recommendations of the Employment Committee on interim arrangements for the Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service and not the departure of the previous Chief Executive. She stated that the Council had made an official statement and that there was nothing further that would be added to that.

In presenting the report, the Leader of the Council informed Members that prior to the Council meeting, the Employment Committee had met to consider interim arrangements for the Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service. The recommendation made by the Employment Committee was to appoint Paul Thomas, the Strategic Director, Growth, as the Interim Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service. This was seconded and the proposal to appoint Mr. Thomas was endorsed.

Several Members spoke in support of the proposal to appoint Mr. Thomas as Interim Chief Executive and their experiences of how he had fulfilled his current role. Another Member highlighted what he considered to be the benefits of making an internal appointment.

One of the Members who spoke expressed their gratitude to Mr. Rave for the support he had given them.

A number of the Members expressed concerns that they would not be able to debate the departure of the previous Chief Executive. Members referred to the questions that had been raised by the public through the local media and stated that they believed a full explanation was owed about Mr. Rave’s departure, including its financial implications. Reference was also made to the wider review of the Council’s senior management team and how the resignation of the former Chief Executive affected directorships of the Council’s Companies. A Member suggested that questions ought to be permitted so that the Council could understand why it was in the position where interim arrangements needed to be made. A Councillor questioned what assessment had been made of the likely impact of the former Chief Executive’s departure, referring specifically to staff morale and their impressions around job security. One Member also asked about what lessons had been learned to help improve staff retention, with concerns being expressed about the risk of appointing a new Chief Executive and them leaving shortly afterwards.

During debate one Member expressed their concerns about whether the Council had discharged its duties as an employer, including whether it had followed all relevant processes and met contractual obligations, both from a moral and legal standpoint, with regard to trust and confidence and the welfare of the individual.

One Member referred to a question he had raised at the meeting on 23 May, which the Chief Executive had been asked to address. The matter had not yet been resolved and the Councillor asked what would happen with that issue following Mr. Rave’s departure.

The Leader was given the opportunity to sum up and referred to the supportive comments that had been made across the chamber in respect of the appointment of Paul Thomas as Interim Chief Executive. From his experience of working with Mr. Thomas he was convinced that he would do a good job. Reference was made to a letter that had been sent from Mr. Thomas to elected Members, which set out how he intended to work. In summing up, the Leader responded to questions and comments that had been raised during debate. He stated that he was aware of the obligations placed on the Council as an employer and provided reassurance and the Council always followed due process in HR matters. If Members felt that this was not the case, he suggested that they had the opportunity to change the Council’s HR policies, highlighting work that was already ongoing at meetings of the Employment Committee. He felt the making of an interim appointment provided the Council with an opportunity to think about how it would undertake the process of recruiting a new Chief Executive, the average time for which was 9 months, whilst giving the authority stability. He added that the matter that had been handed to Mr. Rave to deal with on 23 May 2019 would be forwarded to Mr. Thomas should the Council agree his appointment.

On being put to the vote, it was unanimously AGREED:

That Council appoints Paul Thomas to the position of Interim Chief Executive, with effect from 1 August 2019 until such time as a permanent Chief Executive is appointed. The appointment is to include the duties of Head of Paid Service (pursuant to s.4 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989), the Electoral Registration Officer (in fulfilment of the requirement of s.8 of the Representation of People Act 1983), the Returning Officer (under the requirements of s.35(1) of the Representation of the People Act 1983) and the full range of duties set down in the Chief Executive’s Job Description set out in Appendix A of the report of the Chairman of the Employment Committee.

14:03 – Paul Thomas returned to the meeting

Following agreement of the minutes at the Council meeting held on 26 September 2019, it was agreed that a comment should be inserted to state that Councillor Dilks’ microphone had been turned off when he was asking what assessment the Council had made of the departure of the Chief Executive on the Council’s companies.