The Chief Officer Appointments Sub-Committee convened to interview candidates for the position of Corporate Director of Adults and Health. The recommendation of the committee was scheduled to be subject to consultation with Cabinet members. The meeting was also scheduled to discuss declarations of interest from members.

Appointment of Corporate Director of Adults and Health

The Chief Officer Appointment Committee had previously met on 21 October 2025 and agreed to convene a sub-committee to undertake interviews for the role of Corporate Director of Adults and Health.

The council engaged Gatenby Sanderson, an executive search firm, to support the recruitment. According to the Chief Officer Appointment Sub-Committe 12th December 2025 Report, twenty-three applications were received, with eight candidates being longlisted. Technical interviews took place during November 2025 with Alan Adams, interim Corporate Director of Adults and Health for the London Borough of Newham, and a representative from Gatenby Sanderson.

Three candidates were shortlisted and invited to participate in an Assessment Centre, which was scheduled to take place prior to the sub-committee meeting on 12 December 2025. The Assessment Centre was due to include:

• A Resident panel
• A Stakeholder Partner panel
• 1:1 meetings with Paul Martin, interim Chief Executive, and Rokhsana Fiaz OBE, Mayor of Newham.

The report stated that details of all the shortlisted candidates, together with supporting documentation, were set out in the exempt enclosures. Candidates were to be notified at the end of the Assessment Centre process whether they would go forward for interview with the Chief Officer Appointment Sub-Committee.

The report noted that the recommendation of the Committee would be subject to consultation with every member of Cabinet for a period of two working days, during which time Cabinet members would be able to consider the proposed appointment and raise any objections. It was noted that any objection must be reasonable, well-founded and based on material fact.

Declarations of Interest

At the start of the meeting, members were expected to declare any interests, as detailed in the DeclarationofInterestGuidance. The guidance distinguishes between Disclosable Pecuniary Interests (DPI) and Non-Disclosable Pecuniary Interests or Non-Pecuniary Interests.

According to the guidance, if a member has a DPI in any matter on the agenda, they must not participate in any discussion or vote on that matter, unless a dispensation has been granted. Members are also required to declare any Non-Disclosable Pecuniary Interests or Non-Pecuniary Interests where a decision might reasonably be regarded as affecting their well-being or financial standing, or that of a family member or close associate, to a greater extent than it would affect the majority of the Council taxpayers.