Agenda item

Following a rigorous two-day process which included an external stakeholder panel and, with the advice and support of South East Employers, this report recommends the appointment of Tom Horwood as the Joint Chief Executive of Guildford and Waverley Borough Councils.

Recommendation

1.    The Joint Appointments Committee recommends to Council thatTom Horwood be appointed to the post of Joint Chief Executive of Guildford and Waverley Borough Councils, and to the statutory roles of Head of Paid Service, Returning Officer and Electoral Registration Officer for both Councils.

2.    That the above appointment be confirmed once contract negotiations have finalised.

58.1     The Leader presented the report which set out the recommendation of the Guildford and Waverley Joint Appointments Committee to appoint Tom Horwood as Joint Chief Executive of Guildford and Waverley Borough Councils.  The Joint Appointments Committee had been established by both Councils to carry out the recruitment process and he thanked the Members of that Committee for their constructive input into the process, officers from Waverley and Guildford and South East Employers for their help and support.  The process had been robust and rigorous and was confident that the candidate brought the right level of expertise to the collaboration and commended the recommendations to the Council, which were duly seconded by Councillor Clark.

58.2     Councillor Mulliner spoke on the recommendations, wishing Mr Horwood well for the future on behalf of the Conservative Group, but advising that he would not be voting for the recommendations due to concerns over the underlying issues with the collaboration.  Any modest savings made would be as a result of making a number of senior officers redundant, which would not be risk free.  If contract and agency staff had to be used to maintain services due to an increased workload, this would negate the effect of any savings made. He felt that the project had been rushed, resulting in a lack of proper scrutiny of the risks involved.  He felt that the decision should have waited until the end of the Council year, to properly understand the impact of the recovery from the pandemic on the Council.

58.3     Councillor Seaborne spoke on the recommendations, echoing the points made by Councillor Mulliner and expressing concern over the lack of the assessment of risk of the collaboration.  The presentation of a list of risks was not the same as a proper risk analysis or risk management.  He wished Mr Horwood well in the event that the Council approved the recommendation, however would not be voting for the appointment on the basis of his concerns over the collaboration. 

58.4     Councillor Hyman sought clarification on the wording of the recommendation regarding finalising of the negotiations, and whether it was possible for the Council to agree to the appointment if the terms and conditions had not yet been agreed.

58.5     Councillor Wilson asked Members to remember why the Council was in the financial position it found itself in and why they it was having to take these decisions.

58.6     Councillor Merryweather spoke in support of the recommendations as the first step in the collaboration with Guildford Borough Council, and on the rationale for the collaboration, giving an overview of the financial situation of the Council.  The Council’s costs would increase due to the increased rate of inflation and there was uncertainty over the retention of business rates. 

58.7     Councillor Liz Townsend spoke in support of the appointment, which she felt was reasonable and timely.  The £1.5m savings which Waverley was required to make were considerable and the current financial climate meant that the Council must respond accordingly.

58.8     Councillor Peter Martin expressed some concern over the process for recruitment, as he was of the view that there should have been an external recruitment process carried out to enable the Council to choose from more than one candidate.  The Leader raised a point of order that Members should keep to the item in question and not stray into other matters.

58.9     Councillor Palmer reminded Members that the Council had previously discussed and agreed the merging of the senior level of officers.  Services would need to be cut if the savings could not be made.  The recommendation was to appoint a Joint Chief Executive and he supported the recommendation of Mr Horwood as suitable candidate.

58.10   Councillor Baker reminded Members that there was no need to go out to an external recruitment process as Mr Horwood had the qualities required for the role.

58.11   Councillor Clark referred to the earlier proposal to wait until the Council term and stressed that the Council could not afford to wait that long.  As a point of explanation, Councillor Mulliner clarified that he had been referring to the end of the Council year.

58.12   At the request of the Mayor, the HR Manager addressed the point made by Councillor Hyman and advised that the terms and conditions could not be accepted by Mr Horwood until a contract of employment had been placed before him.  There was also a requirement for some of the terms and conditions to be compatible with Guildford’s and this work had been carried out.

58.13   The Leader concluded by addressing the comments made by the Council regarding the collaboration.  Much of the process was defined by law and the appointment in question would save the Council money.  The recommendations were clear, which he commended to the Council.

58.14   The Mayor moved to a vote on the recommendations, which were carried: votes in favour 28, votes again 2; and 14 abstentions and it was

RESOLVED that

1.    Tom Horwood be appointed to the post of Joint Chief Executive of Guildford and Waverley Borough Councils, and to the statutory roles of Head of Paid Service, Returning Officer and Electoral Registration Officer for both Councils.

2.   That the above appointment be confirmed once contract negotiations have finalised.