Issue - meetings

4.25

Report by the Director of Law and Governance

This report seeks Audit & Governance’s support for a proposed amendment to the Constitution relating to senior management appointments to ensure that those appointments within Oxfordshire County Council are made efficiently whilst ensuring accountability. This would also avoid confusion that has arisen as to the definition of Chief Officers and Deputy Chief Officers. These terms have a statutory definition that impacts on the appointment process.

Currently, the terms or reference of the Remuneration Committee are that it has a role in appointing Directors with no distinction made between ‘Strategic Directors’ and any other ‘Directors’. This report proposes a distribution of responsibility that provides greater clarity. The choice of which posts should be appointed by the Remuneration Committee lies with the County Council itself and is not determined by regulations.

This matter is entirely separate from the arrangements being finalised by the Committee for handling any joint management appointments arising from the Oxfordshire-Cherwell Partnership. The scenarios in this report are solely those that the Council is required to have in place for its own appointments outside of that context.

The Committee is RECOMMENDED to

(a)                endorse the proposed changes to appointments in paragraphs 10 and 11;

(b)                ask Full Council to approve these changes accordingly including the necessary changes to the Pay Policy Statement; and

(c)                agree that the Monitoring Officer make the necessary textual amendments to the Constitution to give effect to Full Council’s decision.

Recommendations agreed.

Nick Graham introduced the report which outlined proposals to clarify which senior officers are appointed by the Remuneration Committee following the introduction of Strategic Directors.

Responding to Members’ questions, Nick Graham stated that new vacancies will continue to be advertised widely although interim appointments are often made to bridge the gap.  Strategic Directors are non-statutory positions but will still be appointed by the Remunerations Committee.

RESOLVED to

(a)             endorse the proposed changes to appointments in paragraphs 10 and 11;

(b)             ask Full Council to approve these changes accordingly including the necessary changes to the Pay Policy Statement; and

(c)             agree that the Monitoring Officer make the necessary textual amendments to the Constitution to give effect to Full Council’s decision.