Issue - meetings

Appointment of Section 151 Officer

Meeting: 29/11/2018 - Council (Item 9)

9 Appointment of Chief Finance Officer (Section 151) (Employment & Staffing Committee - 7 November 2018) pdf icon PDF 207 KB

 

The Employment and Staffing Committee

 

RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL

 

The appointment of Mr Robert Palmer as Interim S151 Officer with effect from 1 January 2019.

Decision:

Council AGREED to appoint Mr Robert Palmer as Interim S151 Officer with effect from 1 January 2019.

Minutes:

Councillor Henry Batchelor, the Chairman of the Employment and Staffing Committee, proposed the recommendation of the Committee following its meeting on 7 November 2018, with regard to the appointment of an Interim Section 151 Officer in the light of the forthcoming retirement of the incumbent.  He reminded the Council that it was obliged to appoint a suitably qualified officer as Section 151 Officer to be responsible for the proper administration of its financial affairs.  Councillor Henry Batchelor noted that the candidate proposed for appointment was suitably qualified.

 

Councillor John Williams seconded the motion.

 

Councillor Grenville Chamberlain was concerned at the cost of the appointment, suggesting that the fee paid to the interim might exceed the salary paid to the Prime Minister.  He noted that the cost would be met by salary savings from vacant posts but was mindful that the costs would be borne by Council tax payers.

 

Councillors Nick Wright and Peter Topping questioned why the Council had not entered into an arrangement to share a Section 151 Officer with another authority.

 

Councillor Mark Howell re-iterated earlier concerns about the cost of the interim appointment.

 

Councillor John Williams indicated that it was not intended that the interim appointment would exceed 6 months.  He additionally spoke about the challenges experienced in obtaining the services of a suitably qualified individual and that the Council would be negligent if it failed to ensure that an appropriately qualified and experienced officer was in place who was able to fulfil the statutory responsibilities involved.  Councillor John Williams further confirmed that the option of a sharing arrangement with neighbouring authorities had been explored, but had not proved fruitful.

 

The Chairman noted that voting upon appointments was not subject to a recorded vote.

 

Upon being put to the vote, with 28 votes in favour, 11 against and no abstentions, Council

 

RESOLVED

 

To appoint Mr Robert Palmer as Interim Section 151 Officer with effect from 1 January 2019.

 

The Chairman, on behalf of the Council, welcomed Mr Palmer to South Cambridgeshire District Council.


Meeting: 07/11/2018 - Employment and Staffing Committee (Item 4)

4 Appointment of Section 151 Officer

Additional documents:

Decision:

The Employment and Staffing Committee

 

RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL     the appointment of Mr Robert Palmer as Interim S151 Officer with effect from 1 January 2019.

 

 

Minutes:

The Press and Public were excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following item in accordance with the provisions of Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 (exempt information as defined in paragraph 1 of Schedule 12A (as amended) of the Act).

 

The Head of People and Organisational Development presented the report on the need to appoint a Section 151 Officer. It was noted that the current postholder was leaving at the end of the year and under the terms of the Local Government Act 1972 the Council was required to have a Section 151 Officer, as it was a statutory role.

 

Consideration of a shared post

In response to questioning, the Head of People and Organisational Development explained that the Council had considered creating a shared post with another authority, but this had been rejected, as it was considered necessary to appoint a full-time officer to this position due to the amount of work involved. This included the signing off of the accounts, the preparation of the budget, the overseeing of the Medium Term Financial Strategy and the implementing of the new financial management system.

 

Consideration of appointing a new permanent officer

In response to questioning, the Chief Executive explained that the Council needed a new Section 151 Officer in post by the beginning of next year, which meant that there was insufficient time to recruit a permanent member of staff, who would probably have to give up to three months notice. It was noted that the proposed length of appointment was for 6-12 months to take account of the outcome of an organisational review and that the Council planned to start the recruitment process for a permanent officer as soon as possible during this period.

 

Consideration of the applicant

The Committee noted that Mr Robert Palmer was suitably qualified and had previously held the position of Section 151 Officer at Epping Forest District Council. He came recommended by the East of England Local Government Agency and had excellent references. It was noted that the offer of appointment would include a suitable notice period.

 

The Employment and Staffing Committee

 

NOTED

 

A)        That the individual who currently holds the role of S151 Officer has resigned.

 

B)        That the Council needs to act swiftly to put into effect interim arrangements and resource so that a handover and smooth transfer of knowledge is achieved before the current postholder leaves the Council.

 

The Employment and Staffing Committee unanimously

 

RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL     the appointment of Mr Robert Palmer as Interim S151 Officer with effect from 1 January 2019.