Agenda and minutes

There were no declarations of interest.

The Panel resolved to exclude the public and press from the remainder of the meeting by reason of the nature of the business to be discussed which included information exempt from publication by virtue of paragraph 1, Part 1, Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended).

The Panel considered a report on proposed interim senior leadership arrangements in light of the current Chief Executive, Chris Naylor, leaving the Council on 15 December 2021.

By Minute 12 (7 April 2020), the Panel had agreed a range of interim senior leadership arrangements in advance of Mr Naylor going on secondment to Birmingham City Council between May 2020 and March 2021.  On Mr Naylor’s return as Chief Executive, the Panel had agreed a number of further, permanent changes to the senior leadership structure (Minute 14, 19 March 2021 refers).  Those changes included the creation of a new Managing Director post, to be responsible for the line management of the senior leadership team and day-to-day discharge of operational functions on behalf of the Chief Executive, as arrangements were in hand for the Chief Executive to provide consultancy support to the Thames Estuary Growth Board (TEGB) on a part-time basis on his return.

The report set out the rationale for the current Managing Director acting up into the role of Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service, with the Strategic Director, Law and Governance becoming the designated Deputy Chief Executive and statutory Returning Officer (for elections), similar to the arrangements that were in place while Mr Naylor was on secondment to Birmingham City Council.  The Panel were advised of the need to formally identify an officer as Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service and noted that the proposals, taking into account honoraria payments, represented a full-year saving of £110,000.

The report also sought approval for officers to make two interim appointments to fill senior management posts that were to become vacant in the coming months.  The Director of Workforce Change explained the significance of maintaining continuity in the strategically important roles of Operational Director, Adults’ Care and Support and Strategic Director, Community Solutions and, with that in mind, it was proposed to fill the two posts as soon as possible on an interim basis while arrangements are made to fill the posts on a permanent basis.

The Panel resolved to:

(i)  Note the resignation of Chris Naylor as Chief Executive (and Head of Paid Service), effective from 15 December 2021;

(ii)  Agree that Claire Symonds, Managing Director, be designated as the Interim Chief Executive and the statutory Head of Paid Service, effective from 15 December 2021, the postholder to be known as Interim Chief Executive and Managing Director, and that the postholder receive an increased honorarium payment equivalent to £20,000 in a full year;

(iii)  Agree that Fiona Taylor, Strategic Director, Law and Governance, be designated as the Interim Deputy Chief Executive and the statutory Returning Officer, effective from 15 December 2021, the postholder to be known as Interim Deputy Chief Executive and Strategic Director, Law and Governance, and that the postholder receive an honorarium payment equivalent to £13,000 in a full year;

(iv)  Delegate authority to the Strategic Director, Children and Adults to appoint an interim Operational Director, Adults’ Care and Support for a period  ...  view the full minutes text for item 16.