Council considering reinstating chief executive post

The matter is set to be discussed at a meeting of the council’s cabinet on Monday, August 17, where council leaders are recommended to begin the process of appointing a new chief executive.

Currently the council has no chief executive but has two executive directors – Malcolm Johnston and Dr Tony Leonard – who share the role’s responsibilities. It is understood that the new role will be “ringfenced”, so that only Mr Johnston and Dr Leonard could apply.

In a report to be considered by cabinet members, a council spokesman said: “The current salary of an executive director is around £100,000… [and] with on-costs around £133,000.

“This is one spinal column point below the top of grade, a voluntary arrangement agreed by both executive directors at the time the former chief executive post was made redundant. 

“The salary of the new chief executive role is to be determined by full council on recommendation of the [licensing and general purposes committee].

“For the purposes of considering the financial implications of this report, an example salary of £115,000 is used and represents the average for districts in the area. With on-costs, the total cost is in the order of £155,000.

“The saving after costing the re-grade will be around £111,000 per annum, which initially will cover the cost of severance of the second postholder. After one year this becomes an ongoing revenue saving.”

If approved by cabinet, the next stage of the process, including the appropriate salary scale, will be considered in more detail by the council’s licensing and general purposes committee in September. 

At that meeting, the committee will consider representations from trade unions and the officers concerned as well as a report on the proposed redundancy terms for the executive director who does not remain.

According to meeting papers, the new chief executive would initially only be in place for a single year, with a members’ panel conducting regular performance reviews throughout this period.

The council has budgeted up to £10,000 to create a framework for these performance reviews.

At the end of one year there would be a full council vote on whether to retain the postholder or to open up competition to external candidates.

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