The Appointments Committee of Caerphilly County Borough Council met to shortlist candidates for the role of Chief Executive, and to agree how the identities of the shortlisted candidates would be kept confidential in the interests of the process.

Shortlisting Candidates for Chief Executive

The Committee was scheduled to consider a report on shortlisting candidates for the role of Chief Executive. The report - which was not made public - recommended that the Committee approve a shortlist of candidates to go through to the next stage of the recruitment process.

Public Interest Test

A report prepared for the meeting set out the legal arguments for and against allowing the press and public to know the identities of the shortlisted candidates for the position of Chief Executive.

The report explained that:

Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 states that information relating to any individual who holds or has applied for a position to which they were or are to be appointed by an authority.

The report concluded that there was a public interest in maintaining the confidentiality of the candidates, and recommended that the committee agree to hold the next stage of the process in private.