Agenda item

The current Head of Paid Service and Chief Executive Officer, James Hassett,  has resigned from his position at Arun District Council and his last working day will be 31 May 2023.   The legal requirement for the Council is that we have a Head of Paid Service in post at all times.  The post of Chief Executive is designated as Head of Paid Service under Arun District Council’s Constitution.  For the purposes of this report this role is referred to as CEO.   The report makes recommendations on interim arrangements pending the permanent appointment to the post of Head of Paid Service and Chief Executive Officer.

(Prior to the commencement of this item, both the Director of Environment and Communities and the Director of Growth left the meeting for the consideration of this item).

            Prior to inviting the Leader of the Council to present this report the Chair referred Members to an additional appendix that had been provided to Members via the supplement pack published earlier in the day and emailed to all Councillors. This appendix contained additional and revised recommendations for Members to consider.

            The Leader of the Council outlined that the report and appendix were in relation to the upcoming vacancy for the post of Head of Paid Services, and as this was the last day in post for the current Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service, James Hassett. The report explained that the Council was legally required to always have a Head of Paid Service in post.   Due to the  urgency of the situation, it was recommended that the Council’s two Directors, Philippa Dart, Director of Environment and Communities and Karl Roberts, Director of Growth, be jointly appointed as Interim Head of Paid Service and Chief Executive.

Under the proposed arrangements both Directors would continue to have operational and line management responsibility for half of the organisation, in addition to full accountability for their decisions as Head of Paid Service and Chief Executive.  It was not deemed to be practical to backfill any of their roles due to the timescales involved as Director posts would also require Member involvement. Essentially, the three most senior roles in the organisation would be carried out by two individuals until the start date of a new Chief Executive. It was for this reason that the remuneration arrangements had been confirmed in Appendix 1.

The report also clarified that the role of Returning Officer and Electoral Registration Officer would be undertaken jointly, and the recommendations were asking Members to confirm this. 

Councillor Stanley emphasised that the decisions today were solely  interim arrangements, with a permanent solution to follow with a formal process involving the Chief Executive’s Recruitment and Selection Panel and The Chief Executive’s Remuneration Committee, with both the Panel and the Committee having been appointed earlier in the meeting, and then ultimately Full Council.  

            Councillor Stanley then formally proposed the revise recommendations as set out in Appendix 1 to the report and these were seconded by Councillor Gunner.

       The Council

                        RESOLVED – That

(1)  Philippa Dart, Director of Environment and Communities and Karl Roberts, Director of Growth, are jointly appointed as Interim Head of Paid Service and Chief Executive Officer until such time as the Council agrees alternative interim arrangements and/or a permanent replacement is in post.  Should either of the individuals resign from the interim post the other one will continue until an alternative is agreed;

(2)  The remuneration for the interim post for each director will be the same as the current Chief Executive’s salary, that is £126,925;

(3)  The Chief Executive’s Recruitment and Selection Panel and the Chief Executive’s Remuneration Committee are convened once their membership has been confirmed at the Annual Council Meeting on 31 May 2023, with their terms of reference set out in the Constitution; and

(4)  Philippa Dart, Director of Environment and Communities and Karl Roberts, Director of Growth, are jointly appointed as Returning Officer and Electoral Registration Officer until such time as the Council agrees alternative interim arrangements and/or a permanent replacement is in post.  Should either of the individuals resign from the interim post the other will continue until an alternative is agreed.