The Chief Officer Appointments Sub-Committee of Newham Council was scheduled to meet on Monday 23 June 2025 to discuss the appointment of a Director of Housing Needs. The meeting's agenda also included procedural items related to the exclusion of the press and public for discussions concerning exempt information about candidates.

Appointment of Director of Housing Needs

The primary focus of the meeting was the appointment of a Director of Housing Needs. The report pack indicated that the Chief Officer Appointment Committee had been convened for the purpose of interviewing candidates for this role. The report outlined that any recommendation made by the Committee would be subject to consultation with Cabinet members for a period of two working days.

The recruitment process for the Director of Housing Needs role involved the engagement of an executive search firm, GatenbySanderson. The Council received twenty-five applications, with seven candidates being longlisted. Technical interviews for these longlisted candidates were scheduled to take place between 5 and 6 June 2025. Following these, candidates were to participate in an Assessment Centre between 16 and 18 June 2025, which included a Youth Panel, a Stakeholder Partner panel, and one-to-one meetings with the Corporate Director of Housing and Inclusive Economy. The report noted that at the time of publication, the final shortlist was yet to be determined, and shortlisted candidates would be notified whether they would proceed to the Member interview.

Details of all longlisted candidates, along with supporting documentation, were to be found in exempt enclosures to the report, which included the diversity profile of all applicants. The report also stated that the position of Director of Housing Needs is a budgeted post, with salary costs falling within the range set out in the Council's Pay Policy for 2025/2026. The report's recommendations were stated to be in line with the Council's Constitution and the Officer Employment Procedure Rules.

The meeting was scheduled to take place at Newham Dockside, 1000 Dockside Road, E16 2QU. The membership of the Chief Officer Appointment Committee included Rokhsana Fiaz OBE, Mayor of Newham, who was scheduled to chair the meeting, alongside Councillors Caroline Adaja, John Gray, Lester Hudson, Mehmood Mirza, Sarah Jane Ruiz, and Amar Virdee. Gordon McFarlane, Director of Human Resources & Organisational Development, was also listed as an officer in attendance.