The Chief Officer Appointments Sub-Committee met on Tuesday 22 July 2025 to interview candidates for the position of Director of Housing Services. The committee recommended Michael Kelleher for the role, subject to consultation with Cabinet members.

Appointment of Director of Housing Services

The Sub-Committee interviewed two candidates for the position of Director of Housing Services. Following the interviews, the committee agreed to recommend Michael Kelleher for the role. Mr. Kelleher is currently the Head of Planning and Housing at Durham County Council. This recommendation is provisional and subject to a two-working-day consultation period with all members of the Cabinet. If no objections are raised by Cabinet members during this period, the appointment will be confirmed.

Councillor Blossom Young declared an interest in this item as the appointment related to her portfolio. The meeting was initially adjourned at 1:33 p.m. due to a candidate's withdrawal and the unavailability of remaining candidates, reconvening at 2:30 p.m. Subsequently, the press and public were excluded from the remainder of the meeting under the Local Government Act 1972, as amended, due to the confidential nature of the information being discussed, which related to individuals and was deemed to outweigh the public interest in disclosure.

The recruitment process for the Director of Housing Services role was supported by the executive search firm GatenbySanderson. Twenty-seven applications were received, with seven candidates longlisted. Technical interviews took place from 9 July 2025, with David Padfield, interim Director of Housing for the London Borough of Newham, and a representative from GatenbySanderson. The process also included an Assessment Centre with a Resident Panel, a Stakeholder Partner panel, and one-to-one meetings with the Corporate Director of Housing and Inclusive Economy. The final shortlist was scheduled to be determined after these assessments. The report pack for the meeting included exempt information regarding the candidates, as detailed in Appendix A of the Chief Officer Sub- Committee report Director of Housing Services. The position is a budgeted post, with salary costs falling within the Council's Pay Policy for 2025/2026.