The Chief Officer Appointments Sub-Committee of Newham Council was scheduled to consider the appointment of a new Director of Community Safety and Integrated Enforcement. The meeting's agenda focused on the interview process and the recommendation for this key senior role.

Appointment of Director of Community Safety and Integrated Enforcement

The primary item scheduled for discussion was the appointment of a Director of Community Safety and Integrated Enforcement. The Chief Officer Appointment Sub-Committee was tasked with interviewing candidates for this position. Following the interviews, the sub-committee was scheduled to recommend a successful applicant for appointment, subject to consultation with Cabinet members.

The recruitment process for this role began with an advertisement placed on 22 January 2026. A total of forty applications were received, with six candidates being longlisted. These longlisted candidates underwent further assessment between 2nd and 3rd March 2026, involving technical interviews, one-to-one meetings, and participation in stakeholder and young people's panels. The stakeholder panel included representatives from the Metropolitan Police, Our Watch, and various council departments including Environment and Sustainable Transport, Housing and Inclusive Economy, and Children and Young People.

Details of the candidates who progressed to the selection assessment centre, along with their supporting documentation, were to be found in exempt enclosures within the report pack. The report indicated that the recommendation made by the sub-committee would be subject to a two-working-day consultation period with all Cabinet members, who would have the opportunity to raise any objections based on reasonable, well-founded, and material facts.

The report also outlined the legal and financial implications of the appointment. The role is a budgeted post, and salary costs would align with the Council's Pay Policy for 2026/2027. The appointment process itself was stated to be in line with the Officer Employment Procedure Rules in Part 4.8 of the Council's Constitution and would need to comply with general employment legislation and the Council's recruitment policy.

The report pack also included guidance on declarations of interest for members, detailing the procedures for disclosing Disclosable Pecuniary Interests (DPIs) and Non-Disclosable Pecuniary Interests or Non-Pecuniary Interests. It also noted general dispensations granted to all Members until the Annual Council meeting in 2026, which would allow them to participate in discussions and votes on certain matters, such as those affecting the majority of inhabitants in their ward or interests that are so remote as not to prejudice their judgement of the public interest.

The meeting was scheduled to take place at Newham Dockside, 1000 Dockside Road, E16 2QU. The attendees included Councillor Amar Virdee (Chair), Councillor John Morris, Councillor Sarah Jane Ruiz, and Councillor Sabia Kamali, forming the Chief Officer Appointment Sub-Committee. Rebecca Johnson, Corporate Director of Environment & Sustainable Transport, and Gordon McFarlane, Director of Human Resources & Organisational Development, were among the officers in attendance.