Changes to Blaenau Gwent Council’s Chief Executive Appointment Process to be Discussed by Councillors

CHANGES to the way Blaenau Gwent Council appoints its chief executive are set to be discussed by councillors.
In recent weeks Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council has been advertising for a new person to take the top job at the authority – with the deadline for applications at Thursday, November 23.
Former social services director Damian McCann has been the council’s interim chief executive since April 2022 after former managing director Michelle Morris left Blaenau Gwent to take up the role of Public Services Ombudsman for Wales.
Mr McCann is understood to be retiring soon.
The deadline for the application coincides with a full council meeting on Thursday, November 23.
At the meeting councillors are expected to debate tweaks to the council’s constitution which will allow all of them to have their say on who takes the top job, which comes with a salary of just under £113,000.
The report is set to be presented by council leader, Labour’s Cllr Steve Thomas.
Cllr Thomas said: “Members of the council will be aware that recruitment to the post of chief executive will commence shortly.
“It is therefore timely to review the appointment procedure in council’s constitution.”
The current rules state that councillors at a full council meeting are only allowed to rubber stamp the appointment of a new chief executives with the actual decision being taken by a “committee or sub-committee.”
This committee which makes the recommendation “must” include at least one member of the council’s cabinet.
Cabinet members can effectively veto any decision by the committee they disagree with.
This is because the current rules state that full council can only agree the appointment if “no well-founded objection has been made by any member of the cabinet”.
Cllr Thomas wants to replace this section of the constitution with: “The full council will interview and appoint the chief executive.
“A shortlisting exercise will first be undertaken by a committee or sub-committee of the council and must include at least one member of the cabinet.
“There will then be a suitable candidate assessment process to determine candidates to be interviewed by full council.”
The advert for the role which has been on the council’s website states thye council “are seeking an exceptional chief executive to lead and shape effective service delivery to our communities.
“In meeting the challenges facing Blaenau Gwent and local government you will be ambitious for the future, influencing locally, regionally and nationally.”
It continues the ideal candidate should be able to demonstrate: ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Credibility complemented by a proven track record of leadership at a corporate level in the public sector;
Strong motivation, decision making and ambition to develop, change, innovate and optimise the performance and contribution of the council;
Excellent interpersonal, influencing and leadership skills and the capacity to work effectively with a broad range of stakeholders. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Interviews for the role are expected to take place on December 11. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​