Issue - meetings

To consider the following recommendation from the Cabinet meeting held on 21 May 2013:

‘To approve and recommend to Council that the statutory Head of Paid Service role now becomes the responsibility of the Corporate Directors, on a rotational basis, and that the Monitoring Officer is instructed to make any consequential amendments to the constitution’.

The report considered by Cabinet is attached as background information.

With the Chairman’s permission, the Leader presented the recommendation of Cabinet dated 21 May 2013 as follows:

‘To approve and recommend to Council that the statutory Head of Paid Service role now becomes the responsibility of the Corporate Directors, on a rotational basis and that the Monitoring Officer is instructed to make any consequential amendments to the constitution’.

The report previously considered by Cabinet was presented as background information to Council. It was noted that it was proposed that the Head of Paid Service would rotate between the three Corporate Directors every four months.

It was explained that the designation of the statutory role of head of paid service to the Service Director HR & OD had operated well. However recent advice on safeguarding included a recommendation for the Chair of Local Safeguarding Children’s Board (LSCB) to report to the Head of Paid Service. In addition a review of the current corporate leadership team had led to a proposal to change the membership of the team to further strengthen the organisational leadership role of the corporate directors.

There was discussion on how the role of overseeing the work of the chair of the LSCB could effectively be discharged under the proposed arrangements, given advice that this could not be undertaken by the statutory Director of Children’s Services.  It was agreed that this would be looked into further with a view to bringing back a protocol on how the role of Head of Paid Service would be discharged having regard to recent guidance on the Council’s safeguarding responsibilities.

Resolved:

(a)   That a Protocol on the future role of the Head of Paid Service be drawn up and presented to the next ordinary meeting of Council on 12 November 2013.

(b)    That in the meantime, Corporate Director, Maggie Rae be appointed Head of Paid Service.

Report by Corporate Directors Dr Carlton Brand, Carolyn Godfrey and Maggie Rae

Cllr Stuart Wheeler, Cabinet member for Hubs, HR, Legal, Democratic Services, Governance, Heritage and Arts presented a report which asked Cabinet to approve and recommend to Council that the statutory Head of Paid Service role now becomes the responsibility of the Corporate Directors, on a rotational basis, and that the Monitoring Officer be instructed to make any consequential amendments to the constitution.

The designation of the statutory role of head of paid service to the service director HR & OD has operated well. However recent advice on safeguarding included a clear recommendation for the Chair of Local Safeguarding Children’s Board to report to the head of paid service.

Recommendation to Council:

To approve and recommend to Council that the statutory Head of Paid Service role now becomes the responsibility of the Corporate Directors, on a rotational basis, and that the Monitoring Officer is instructed to make any consequential amendments to the constitution.