Agenda item

The Council was informed that, following the appointment by both Guildford and Waverley Borough Councils in December 2023 of Pedro Wrobel as Joint Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service, it would be necessary to make an interim appointment for two months between 9 February (when Tom Horwood was due to leave) and 8 April 2024 (when Mr Wrobel was due to start).

The Council considered a report which had set out the approach that had been followed in respect of the appointment of an interim Joint Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service to cover this role between those dates.

The Leaders of Guildford and Waverley Borough Councils had invited expressions of interest from the current Joint Strategic Directors in respect of covering the interim role for both authorities. 

At its meeting held on 15 January 2024, the Joint Appointments Committee (JAC) had considered the expressions of interest put forward from two of the Joint Strategic Directors and conducted interviews with them.  The JAC had made the following recommendation to both councils:

“That, whilst both candidates were considered to be appointable to the role, confirmation of a formal offer of appointment to the role of Interim Joint Chief Executive, and designation as Head of Paid Service, for both Guildford and Waverley Borough Councils be made to Annie Righton, Joint Strategic Director: Community Wellbeing, subject to:

(a)  the salary for the interim role being set at a level equivalent to the current salary for the Joint Chief Executive/ Head of Paid Service post, pro-rata for two months; and

(b)  no material or well-founded objection being made by either of the two Council Leaders on behalf of their respective Executives, in accordance with the provisions of Paragraph 5 of Part II of Schedule 1 to the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) Regulations 2001”.

In accordance with the requirements of the 2001 Regulations referred to above, the Executive members of both councils had been asked to confirm, with their respective Leaders before the meeting, whether they had any well-founded objections to the appointment of Annie Righton as Interim Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service.  No such objections had been received.

Annie Righton left the meeting during the Council’s consideration of this matter.

Upon the motion of the Leader of the Council, Councillor Julia McShane, seconded by the Lead Councillor for Planning, Councillor Fiona White, the Council

RESOLVED: That, subject to the agreement of Waverley Borough Council at its extraordinary Council meeting on 24 January 2024, confirmation of a formal offer of appointment to the role of Interim Joint Chief Executive, and designation as Head of Paid Service, for both Guildford and Waverley Borough Councils be made to Annie Righton, Joint Strategic Director: Community Wellbeing, subject to the salary for the interim role being set at a level equivalent to the current salary for the Joint Chief Executive/ Head of Paid Service post, pro-rata for two months.

Reason:

To appoint an interim Joint Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service, as part of the agreed collaboration arrangements between Guildford and Waverley Borough Councils to ensure compliance with the requirements of Section 4 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.