Issue - meetings

Consideration was given to the report of the Chief Executive that proposed a fixed term secondment of an officer from the Local Government Association to the role of Assistant Chief Executive up until the end of the 2020 following the resignation, effective from May 2020 of the current post holder, Shokat Lal. It was noted that Mr Lal was leaving the authority in order to take up the post of Executive Director of Core Services at Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council. The report also detailed a proposed approach to the recruitment of a permanent Assistant Chief Executive later in the year.

It was noted that the post of Assistant Chief Executive was a key role in the Council’s strategic leadership team that provided strategic management of key corporate and support services that were integral in driving improvement across the authority. The role also provided strategic support to the Leader of the Council, Cabinet and to the Overview and Scrutiny function of the Council. It was noted that recruitment process to fill the position would take approximately six months and that given the important work due to be undertaken by the postholder in the period that followed the Borough elections in May 2020 it was proposed that a secondment from the Local Government Association be approved to fill the post at this important time with the recruitment process for a permanent appointment taking place later in the year.

The report noted that during the period of the Commissioner-led Government intervention the Council had received support from Judith Hurcombe, Programme Manager at the Local Government Association, and given Ms Hurcombe’s  extensive experience of working with the Council, along with her varied experience of corporate governance, policy, performance and improvement working with local authorities across the country it was proposed that Ms Hurcombe be seconded to the role of Assistant Chief Executive until the end of the calendar year. It was noted that the Leader of the Council and the Leader of the Opposition had been consulted and were fully supportive of the proposed secondment and the process for recruiting to the post permanently.

Resolved: -

(1)  That, in accordance with Officer Employment Procedure Rule 6.1, Judith Hurcombe be seconded from the Local Government Association to the role of Assistant Chief Executive for the period 20 April - 31 December 2020.

(2)  That authority be delegated to the Senior Officer Appointments Panel to undertake the recruitment and selection process for the permanent appointment of a new Assistant Chief Executive later in the year.

(3)  That the thanks of the Staffing Committee be conveyed to the outgoing Assistant Chief Executive, Shokat Lal, for his service to the Council and the borough of Rotherham since 2016.