The Chief Officer Advisory Appointments Committee of Newham Council met on Wednesday 2 September 2026. The primary focus of the meeting was the appointment of a new Director of Public Health for the borough. The committee was scheduled to interview shortlisted candidates for this statutory chief officer role.

Appointment of Director of Public Health

The committee was convened to consider the appointment of a new Director of Public Health for the borough. This role is a statutory chief officer position within the council, responsible for providing strategic leadership on all health matters to elected members and officers. The Director of Public Health advises the Newham Health and Wellbeing Board and the Chief Executive, and is accountable to the Secretary of State for Health through the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities.

The report pack indicated that a previous recruitment process had been halted due to a formal objection raised in accordance with the Council's Constitution. Following this, the Chief Officer Appointment Committee had previously agreed that the four shortlisted candidates would be re-interviewed to maintain the integrity and fairness of the process. An extensive recruitment campaign had been undertaken with the support of Penna recruitment agency, initially resulting in eight applications, four of which were longlisted. These candidates were assessed by Eleanor Roaf, Faculty of Public Health Assessor, and a representative from Penna. Shortlisting took place, and four candidates were invited to a selection assessment centre. Candidates also had a one-to-one meeting with Fiona Connolly, Corporate Director of Adults and Health. Eleanor Roaf confirmed that all shortlisted candidates met the required qualifications. The final shortlist was approved by Professor Kevin Fenton, Regional Director for Public Health England.

However, since the initial interviews on 1 May 2026, one candidate had withdrawn, leaving three candidates to be interviewed. Details of these candidates were to be found in an exempt appendix to the report pack.

The report pack stated that the committee was asked to recommend a successful applicant to the Council for appointment, subject to ratification by the Council and the Secretary of State. The recommendation of the committee would be subject to consultation with every member of the Cabinet for a period of two working days, during which they could raise any objections. Additionally, as the post is a joint appointment with the Secretary of State, Julie Billett, Deputy Regional Director for the DHSC, would confirm the Secretary of State's approval.

The report also noted that the appointment process and recommendation were in accordance with the Council's Constitution and Officer Employment Procedure Rules, and that all appointments must comply with general employment legislation and the Council's recruitment policy. The financial implications were that the position is an established and budgeted post, with salary and associated on-costs to be met from existing resources within the Public Health budget, meaning no additional budget pressure for the Council. Recruitment costs had also been met from existing approved budgets.

The committee membership for this appointment included Mayor Forhad Hussain (Chair), Councillor Susan Masters, Julie Billett (Deputy Regional Director of Public Health, Office for Health Improvement and Disparities - London Region, DHSC), Eleanor Roaf (Faculty of Public Health Assessor), Dame Marie Gabriel (Chair of the North-East London Integrated Care Board), and Fiona Connolly (Corporate Director of Adults and Health). Caroline Bloch, Strategic HR Business Partner, was also listed as an officer usually in attendance.