Agenda item

Report of the Leader of the Council.

Council considered a report in relation to provision for the appointment of a new Returning Officer for the Council and for interim arrangements for the Monitoring Officer.

As Members were aware, the Council was recruiting a new Assistant Director of Governance and Monitoring Officer.  This post holder was currently also the Council’s Returning Officer. 

It was necessary for the Council to have a Returning Officer to handle all elections (both planned and unplanned) and an Electoral Registration Officer to deal with electoral registration and the annual publication of Electoral Registers together with the rolling register.  These posts were usually held by the same officer.

The Council already had in place an Elections Team led by an Electoral Services Manager.  The Electoral Services Manager would still report to and be managed by the Assistant Director Governance and Monitoring Officer (when appointed).  However, it was proposed that the role of Returning Officer and Electoral Registration Officer be held by the Executive Director of Strategy and Development - this officer had the seniority and experience to carry out the role.

If approved, the change would come into force on the 5^th February 2022. 

The appointment would be referred to the next Standards Committee as a change to the Delegation Scheme in the Council’s Constitution.  This would enable all the relevant changes to be made in the Delegation Scheme.  However, this would not affect the change occurring on the 5^th February 2022.

With regard to the Monitoring Officer role, the current post holder was due to leave the Authority on 5^th February 2022.  The Post Holder’s management responsibilities could be picked up on a temporary basis by the Executive Director of Strategy and Development.  However, the Monitoring Officer was a statutory role and there must be no gap in the appointment.  It was therefore necessary to appoint a temporary Monitoring Officer until the new Post Holder was in place.

It was proposed that this statutory role be given to the Team Leader, Non contentious, Jim Fieldsend, from 5^th February 2022, until Council appointed a new Monitoring Officer.

Moved by Councillor Steve Fritchley and seconded by Councillor Duncan McGregor

RESOLVED that the Executive Director of Strategy and Development be appointed as Returning Officer and Electoral Services Manager for the Council, and that the changes to the Delegation Scheme be recommended to Standards Committee for inclusion in the Council’s Constitution,

(2) Jim Fieldsend be appointed as Interim Monitoring Officer from 5^th February 2022 until the Council appoints a permanent Monitoring Officer.

The Leader congratulated Sarah Sternberg and wished her well in her new role.  He added that Sarah had been the Solicitor to the Council for many years and he thanked her for all her hard work.

Councillor Ross Walker stated that he wished to personally thank Sarah for all the help she had given to him. 

The Chair also thanked Sarah for all her hard work and dedication to the Authority.

Council was advised that the following item, Councillor Dispensation, had been withdrawn from the agenda so it would not be necessary to move in to exempt business.