The Chief Officer Appointments Committee met to discuss the establishment of sub-committees to appoint a Director of Property and a Director of Early Help and Safeguarding. The meeting was scheduled to take place at Newham Dockside.

Director of Property Appointment Sub-Committee

The committee was scheduled to discuss the establishment of a sub-committee responsible for appointing a Director of Property. According to the Public Reports Pack, the post of Director of Property became vacant in April 2025, and the management responsibilities had been temporarily covered by the Director of Inclusive Economy & Housing and an interim appointment.

The Director of Property is responsible for:

• To be responsible for the development of the Council's property and asset strategy, and to oversee its delivery through professional client supervision of the OneSource Asset Management and Property functions.
• To lead for the Council on the property related aspects of its Regeneration programme.
• To lead on the most politically sensitive and commercially complex property issues.
• To ensure an oversight for the property aspects on Affordable Homes for Newham and other major property initiatives as and where required.
• As a member of the Directorate Management Team (DMT), to work collaboratively with other management team colleagues and external stakeholders.

The report pack noted that the role is politically restricted.

The council received four tenders for external recruitment consultants and selected Penna, who demonstrated a good knowledge of Newham Council, an understanding of our challenges and represent Best Value .

The report pack included a proposed timeline for the appointment process, with the application closing date in June 2025 and the appointment sub-committee interview in September 2025.

The report pack also stated that the size and membership of the sub-committee should be appropriate to the appointment being made, reflective of the council's guidance on diverse recruitment panels (as detailed in Appendix B Supplementary Guidance - Diverse Recruitment Panels), and subject to the rules on political proportionality.

Director of Early Help and Safeguarding Appointment Sub-Committee

The committee was also scheduled to discuss the establishment of a sub-committee responsible for appointing a Director of Early Help and Safeguarding. According to the Public Reports Pack, the post has been vacant since April 2024, and the role has been covered on a temporary 'acting up' basis.

The Director of Early Help and Safeguarding is responsible for:

• To lead the delivery of statutory Social Care, Family Help (Children in Need and Early Help services), targeted prevention services and the Youth Justice Service.
• Ensure related functions are focused on the needs and aspirations of children, young people and their families.
• Promote and safeguard the welfare of vulnerable people, ensuring this is embedded throughout all Council services, including stakeholders and partners, in compliance with national and local procedures and protocols.
• Ensure there is a Council wide focus on Family Help (neighbourhood delivery of prevention, early assessment and intervention services) to achieve positive outcomes for children and young people, preparing the service to implement reforms resultant from National Reviews

The report pack noted that the role is politically restricted.

The report pack included a proposed timeline for the appointment process, with the application closing date in July 2025 and the appointment sub-committee interview in September 2025.

The report pack also stated that the size and membership of the sub-committee should be appropriate to the appointment being made, reflective of the council's guidance on diverse recruitment panels (as detailed in Appendix B Supplementary Guidance - Diverse Recruitment Panels), and subject to the rules on political proportionality. The Director of Early Help and Safeguarding Committee Report noted that over 72% of Newham residents are from ethnically diverse communities, with almost a quarter of residents aged under 18, and more than 100 languages spoken.

Exclusion of Press and Public

The agenda included a section on the exclusion of press and public, citing the Local Government Act 1972¹, as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985. A supplementary agenda item also concerned the exclusion of press and public, with pages of the supplementary agenda being restricted by virtue of paragraph 1 of Part 4.2, Paragraph 11 of the Constitution.

Declarations of Interest

The agenda included an item for members to declare any interests they may have in any matter being considered at the meeting, in accordance with the Members' Code of Conduct. The Public Reports Pack included guidance on declaring Disclosable Pecuniary Interests, Non-Disclosable Pecuniary Interests, and Non-Pecuniary Interests.