Agenda and minutes

Venue: Committee Room 5, Harrow Civic Centre, Station Road, Harrow, HA1 2XY. View directions

Contact: Alison Atherton, Senior Professional - Democratic Services  Tel: 020 8424 1266 E-mail:  alison.atherton@harrow.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

29.

Membership

To note under the provisions of the formula membership the attendance of the following nominees:

 

Original Member

Nominee Member Attending

Councillor Sue Anderson

Councillor Christine Robson

 

 

 

FOR INFORMATION

Minutes:

RESOLVED:  To note the attendance at this meeting of the following duly appointed nominee Member:-

 

Original Member

 

Nominee Member

 

Councillor Sue Anderson

Councillor Christine Robson

 

30.

Declarations of Interest

To receive declarations of disclosable pecuniary or non pecuniary interests, arising from business to be transacted at this meeting, from:

 

(a)               all Members of the Panel;

(b)               all other Members present.

Minutes:

RESOLVED:  To note that there were no declarations of interests made by Members.

RESOLVED ITEMS

31.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 110 KB

That the minutes of the meeting of the Chief Officers’ Employment Panel held on 31 January 2019 be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

Minutes:

RESOLVED:  That the minutes of the meeting held on 31 January 2019 be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

32.

Recruitment to Senior Management roles pdf icon PDF 501 KB

Report of the Chief Executive

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Members received a report of the Chief Executive which reviewed the senior management structure of the Council and proposed recruitment to vacant posts and the creation of new posts.  The report also recognised additional responsibilities of officers and sought approval to remuneration packages. Members agreed to consider appendix 4, the proposed role profile for the post of Commercial Development Director, as an urgent item for the reasons set out on the supplemental agenda.

 

The Chief Executive outlined the content of the report and emphasised that he wished to clarify structures, roles at the senior management level and also provide increased capacity as quickly as possible.  He stated that, in broad terms, the management structure of the Council was both sound and fairly typical of a local authority.  There were a number of matters outstanding in terms of the senior management structure and his report proposed a way forward and sought to formalise arrangements.

 

The Chief Executive reported that the Leaders of both Groups and relevant Portfolio Holder had been briefed on the proposed way forward in advance of the Panel meeting as there was a need to move forward quickly in terms of the recruitment to the two Corporate Director roles, People and Resources.   Having consulted Members, expressions of interest had been invited internally for the former and both internally and externally for the latter.  Members would also be provided with the opportunity to have an informal discussion with any prospective candidate(s).

 

Members expressed concern and had a lengthy discussion in relation to the proposed payment of a one-off honorarium of £7,000 to the Corporate Director, Community for undertaking duties in relation to Planning and Regeneration.  Whilst Members expressed support for the officer concerned, they challenged the way in which the process for agreeing the payment had been handled stating that the Panel should have been consulted either at a formal meeting or via the urgent non-executive action procedure.

 

In response to Members concerns, the Chair explained that he had discussed the payment of an honoraria to the Corporate Director, Community with the former interim Chief Executive and that he had not wanted convene a Panel meeting for a single issue such as this.  The Chief Executive added that, whilst he understood Members concerns, this matter required resolution and that in terms of HR practices and procedures, it was legitimate to make a one-off payment in terms of additional responsibilities at a time of change.  He reassured Members that a situation such as this would not arise again.  On the basis of this undertaking and this being formally recorded as an action within the minutes, the proposal was agreed by the Panel.

 

RESOLVED:  That

 

(1)          the role profiles, salary packages, job tenures and recruitment processes for the posts of Corporate Director, People Services and Corporate Director, Resources be approved;

(2)          the revised role profile for the post of Corporate Director, Community and the payment of a one-off honorarium of £7,000 be approved;

 

(3)          any future honoraria such as the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 32.