Agenda and minutes

To elect a chairman of the committee for the 2017/18 municipal year.

Anthony Nash was elected chairman of the committee for the 2017/18 municipal year.

To elect a vice-chairman of the committee for the 2017/18 municipal year.

Debby Hallett was elected vice-chairman of the committee for the 2017/18 municipal year.

An apology for absence was submitted on behalf of Roger Cox with Robert Sharp attending as his substitute.

None.

To adopt and sign as a correct record the minutes of the committee’s meeting held on 12 July 2016 (attached).

RESOLVED: to approve the public and confidential minutes of the meeting held on 12 July 2016 as a correct record and agree that the chairman signs them.

Purpose: to consider whether to exclude members of the press and public from the meeting for the following items of business under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 and as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006 on the grounds that:

(i) it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 1 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act, and

(ii) the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

RESOLVED: to exclude members of the press and public from the meeting for the following item of business under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 and as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006 on the grounds that:

i.      it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 1 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act, and

ii.     the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

To consider the report(s) of the head of HR, IT and technical services and the head of legal and democratic services and monitoring officer (to follow).

The committee considered the report of the head of legal and democratic services and monitoring officer and the head of HR, IT and technical services on the appointment of an acting chief executive and head of paid service.

Councillors had before them the Council report for the relevant special Council meeting on 29 June 2017 which explained the background to the need to appoint an acting chief executive and a head of paid service with effect from 1 July 2017.

The committee was advised that in light of the urgency, there had not been time to advertise the role of acting chief executive externally before making an appointment but it was proposed that this would be done before any permanent appointment is made. The interim chief operating officer and all heads of service have been informed of the proposal to appoint an acting chief executive to allow time for the recruitment of a permanent chief executive to take place.

The committee received a presentation and conducted a formal interview with Mark Stone, Interim Chief Operating Officer, for the position of acting chief executive.

The committee agreed that Mark Stone should be appointed.

RESOLVED TO RECOMMEND:

1.            That South Oxfordshire District Council appoints Mark Stone as acting chief executive and head of paid service of South Oxfordshire District Council with effect from 1 July 2017, with the job description circulated at the meeting, on a salary of £140,000 per annum pro rata for a term expiring on 31 March 2018, with a notice period of three months from the employee and one month from the employer and with a six month probationary period;

2.            That each Council agrees that South Oxfordshire District Council be the employer and that the acting chief executive be placed at the disposal of and appointed as acting chief executive and head of paid service of Vale of White Horse District Council and the employee costs be shared between the councils in accordance with the existing agreement between the two councils under section 113 of the Local Government Act 1972.