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1.      INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

1.      

1.1     The Maidstone Borough Council Constitution sets out that the Chief Officers Appointment Panel carries out the following function:

To review annually the performance of the Chief Executive and Directors, to agree targets for the coming financial year, and agree any corrective action which may be required relating to the previous financial year.

1.2     This is to be discharged through a panel of five members of the Employment Committee.

1.3     The panel will carry out appraisals for the following roles:

Chief Executive

Director of Finance, Resources and Business Improvement

Director of Regeneration and Place

Director of Strategy, Insight and Governance

1.4     The appraisals will take place during the day and will be Part II meetings.

1.5     For political balance to be achieved, the panel would consist of three Conservative Group Members, one Liberal Democrat Member, and one Independent Group Member.

3.   AVAILABLE OPTIONS

3.1     Option 1: Appoint a politically balanced panel to carry out the annual appraisals for the Chief Executive and Directors. This is the preferred option as it would align with the Constitutional requirement for annual appraisals to be carried out, while maintaining good practice of being politically balanced.

3.2     Option 2: Appoint a panel which is not politically balanced but represents all groups to carry out the annual appraisals for the Chief Executive and Directors. The Committee could agree that a Sub-Committee that isn’t politically balanced is preferable. However, one Member voting against that proposal would see it fall, in line with Section 17 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.

3.3     Option 3: Do not appoint a panel. This would result in the Committee not fulfilling its responsibility set out in the Constitution, and appraisals not being carried out.

4.        PREFERRED OPTION AND REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS

4.1     Option 1 is the preferred option as it fulfils the requirement of the constitution and follows the standard practice of achieving political balance.

5.       RISK

6.       CONSULTATION RESULTS AND PREVIOUS COMMITTEE FEEDBACK

6.1     Group Leaders will be consulted ahead of the Committee meeting, and will be asked to agree the seat allocations set out in 1.5 of the report.

6.2     The list of Committee Members nominated by their Group Leaders to sit on the panel will be circulated at the Committee.

7.       NEXT STEPS: COMMUNICATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DECISION

7.1     The next step will be to agree the dates and times for the Sub-Committee to meet.

8.        REPORT APPENDICES

None

9.        BACKGROUND PAPERS

None