Council to begin search for new chief executive

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Thursday, 22 October 2020 16:25

By Carmelo Garcia - Local Democracy Reporter

Employment bosses at Herefordshire Council will agree how they will search for a new chief executive next week.

Last month, Alistair Neill announced his planned retirement in early 2021 from the top county council role after eight years.

Now councillors will decide what the next steps will be to find a replacement.

The council is expected to pay £25,000 to a specialist recruitment agency to start the hiring process in November.

Candidates will be shortlisted in December and the council’s employment panel are expected to select their preferred candidate to be approved buy full council in January.

The salary for the post is currently set at £155,022 but councillors could decide a new rate for the next chief executive.

However, West Midland Employers conducted a salary benchmarking to advise the employment panel and found the current salary is appropriate.

They looked at 15 equivalent county councils and found that the mean average of salaries for chief executives within the group is £167,451 and the median is £180,000.

While the current salary for Herefordshire Council’s chief executive is in the lower quartile they felt it was proportionate and appropriate due to the county’s headcount and budget also being in the lower quartile.

Councillors will agree the timeline at the employment panel meeting at 2.30pm on October 27.