The Chief Officer Appointments Committee of Durham County Council met on Wednesday 1 October 2025 to discuss the recruitment process for two vacant Corporate Director positions. These included the Corporate Director of Adult and Health Services, and the Corporate Director of Children and Young People's Services. The committee was also scheduled to review the minutes from previous meetings.

Corporate Director of Adult and Health Services

The committee was scheduled to discuss the recruitment to the permanent post of Corporate Director of Adult and Health Services. The previous post holder, Jane Robinson, retired in November 2024, and Michael Laing was appointed to the role on an interim basis in July 2024. The report pack noted that changes were expected across the Integrated Care System (ICS) ¹, which would reduce the size and scope of the ICS and Integrated Care Board arrangements. It was suggested that appointing someone to the role permanently would ensure that Durham County Council could fully contribute to the development of local health systems.

John Hewitt, Chief Executive, presented three options for the committee to consider:

1. External Recruitment: This would involve advertising the role externally, which could take at least three months. The report noted that the council has previously engaged a specialist executive search agency for posts at this level. The estimated cost of this option was around £27,000, plus advertising costs.
2. Internal Recruitment: This would involve advertising the role internally. The report noted that this may result in the appointment of the existing interim Corporate Director of Adult and Health Services, subject to the committee being satisfied with their performance, experience and skills.
3. Continue with Interim Arrangements: This would involve continuing with the current interim arrangements until September 2026, and reviewing the permanent appointment next year. However, John Hewitt, Chief Executive, stated his preference to stabilise the permanency of this post at corporate leadership level sooner, particularly given the importance of this post to leadership across the local health system.

The report included a job description and person specification for the role, outlining the responsibilities and qualifications required. The salary for the post was listed as £171,760.

Corporate Director of Children and Young People's Services

The committee was also scheduled to discuss the recruitment to the post of Corporate Director of Children and Young People's Services (CYPS). John Pearce, the current post holder, had indicated his intention to resign at the end of 2025.

The report recommended commencing an external recruitment exercise with the support of PENNA, an executive search and recruitment specialist. The proposed timetable included:

• Closing date for applications: Sunday 3 November
• Long-Listing (with COAC): Week beginning 17 November
• Technical Interviews: Week beginning 24 November
• Short Listing (with COAC): Week beginning 8 December
• Final Assessment/ stakeholder day: Week beginning 5 January
• Final Interviews with COAC: Week beginning 5 January

The report also noted that interim arrangements would need to be considered to cover the period between the current post holder leaving and a new Corporate Director being in place. Options included realigning the management of the service area to another Corporate Director, seeking an external short-term interim, or seeking expressions of interest internally. It was recommended that the committee delegate the agreement of interim arrangements to John Hewitt, Chief Executive.

The job description and person specification for the role were included in the report, and the salary was listed as £171,760. The financial implications of engaging PENNA were estimated to be around £25,000, including advertising costs.

Minutes

The committee was also scheduled to confirm the minutes of the meetings held on 8 April 2025 and 15 April 2025.

The 8 April 2025 meeting minutes record that the committee resolved to offer Tony Hanson the post of Corporate Director of Regeneration, Economy and Growth.

The 15 April 2025 meeting minutes record that the committee resolved to offer Mark Jackson the post of Corporate Director of Neighbourhoods and Climate Change.