Agenda item

12.1

The Lord Mayor (Councillor Sioned-Mair Richards) stated that Council Procedure Rule 26 states that “An item of business may be considered at a meeting of the Council as a matter of urgency, where it has not been possible to give five clear working days’ notice, on the recommendation of the Chair, but the reason for such urgency must be recorded in the minutes”.  The Lord Mayor stated that the approval of the Council was required for the Interim Director of Finance and Commercial Services to be designated as the statutory Chief Finance Officer in accordance with Section 151 of the Local Government Act 1972.  The current Chief Finance Officer leaves the employment of the Council with effect from 31^st December 2022, and therefore this designation needs to be approved at this meeting, as the next Council meeting on 1^st February is too late.

12.2

The Lord Mayor added that a report on this matter had been produced and was circulated to all Members of the Council on 13th December 2022 and had been published on the Council’s website. Copies of the Motion were available at the meeting.

12.3

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: On the motion formally moved by Councillor Dianne Hurst and formally seconded by Councillor Sue Alston, that this Council, in accordance with the details set out in the joint report of the Council’s Monitoring Officer and Director of Human Resources and Customer Services:-

(a)      notes the appointment of Tony Kirkham as Interim Director of Finance and Commercial Services with responsibility for management of the Finance and Commercial Services Directorate and line management of the other Directors in the Resources portfolio as a member of the Council’s Senior Leadership Team;

(b)      agrees the designation of Tony Kirkham as Chief Finance Officer (Section 151 Officer) in accordance with Section 151 of the Local Government Act 1972 with effect from 1st January 2023;

(c)      notes that any specific references to the “Director of Finance and Commercial Services” throughout the Constitution include an interim appointment to that role;

(d)      agrees that the references to “Executive Director, Resources” as a Proper Officer at Part 7A and in the Management Structure at Part 7B of the Constitution be read as “Interim Director of Finance and Commercial Services”; and

(e)      agrees that generic references to Executive Directors throughout the Constitution be deemed to include the Interim Director of Finance and Commercial Services.