Employment Committee minutes

Decided · A decision has been taken.

The Employment Committee resolved that the interim Chief Legal Officer and Monitoring Officer arrangements have operated effectively. p4p5

It recommended to Full Council that Kate Slattery be appointed as Chief Legal Officer and Coral Harding be appointed as Monitoring Officer, both on a permanent basis from 15 July 2026. p5

The committee also resolved that the interim Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service arrangements have operated successfully. p6

It recommended to Full Council that Rob Cottrill be appointed permanently as Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service from 15 July 2026, continuing as a post shared with Eastbourne Borough Council and Lewes District Council. p6p7

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• p44. Permanent Chief Legal Officer and Monitoring Officer Arrangements Victoria Conheady, Deputy Chief Executive introduced the item and outlined its purpose, which was to review the interim Chief Legal Officer and Monitoring Officer arrangements and to recommend that they are made permanent from 15 July 2026. The interim arrangements have now been reviewed and are considered to have operated effectively. They have provided stability during a period of organisational change, maintained access to senior legal advice, and ensured that the statutory Monitoring Officer function has continued to be properly discharged. The separation of the Chief Legal Officer and Monitoring Officer roles has also provided clearer accountability between legal service leadership and independent statutory governance responsibilities. No operational, legal or governance concerns have been identified, and it is considered that the current arrangements remain appropriate and provide the Council with the necessary legal and governance capacity. The proposed permanent arrangements will ensure continued legal leadership, statutory compliance, governance oversight and organisational stability. The committee discussed how effective the interim arrangements have been from their perspective. There was agreement that the interim Monitoring Officer has been undertaking the role exceptionally well and has remained responsive to Councillors' needs despite the additional responsibilities and challenges arising from the interim appointment. Concerns, however, were expressed about the existing workload within the Democratic Services team and the continuing need to support the various strands of work, including the Overview and Scrutiny work programme. Although team members have performed well and meetings would have not been managed properly without their support, there is still a need to increase staffing levels, and team members should be upskilled in readiness for Local Government Reorganisation.
• p5The committee was assured that senior officers are working together to ensure issues are addressed and a recent full-time appointment to the team has been confirmed which has helped immensely. With regards to staffing levels in the Legal team, the committee was assured that it is intended to recruit more staff and the business case for this is currently being considered. RESOLVED (unanimously)- 1. That Employment Committeenotes thatthe interimChief LegalOfficer andMonitoring Officer arrangements have operated effectively since their introduction. 2. That Employment Committee recommends to Full Council on 15 July 2026 that Kate Slatterybe appointedas theCouncil’s ChiefLegal Officeron apermanent basiswith effect from 15 July 2026 (shared with Eastbourne and Lewes Councils). 3. That Employment Committee recommends to Full Council on 15 July 2026 that Coral Hardingbe appointedas theCouncil’s MonitoringOfficer ona permanentbasis witheffect from 15 July 2026. 4. That any necessaryamendments tothe Council’sConstitution areprogressed through theappropriate governanceprocess toreflect thepermanent arrangementsand clearly set out the distinct roles and responsibilities of the Chief Legal Officer and Monitoring Officer. Reasons for Recommendations 1. The arrangementshave workedwell sincetheir introductionand haveprovided continuityof senior legal leadership and the Council’s statutory Monitoring Officer function. 2. The separationof theChief LegalOfficer andMonitoring Officerresponsibilities hasprovided clarity around the respective roles and has supported effective legal and governance arrangements. 3. Making thearrangements permanentwill providecontinued stabilityand ensurethat theCouncil retains access to the necessary senior legal advice, leadership and statutory governance support. 4. No operationalor governanceconcerns havebeen identifiedthat wouldindicate aneed to change the current arrangements.
• p65. Permanent Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service Arrangements Verna Connolly, Head of People and Business Support introduced the item and outlined its purpose, which was to review the current interim Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service arrangements, and recommend that they are made permanent from 15 July 2026. The council has worked well under the interim Chief Executive’s direction since his appointment in November 2024, under the existing shared arrangement with Eastbourne and Lewes Councils. There have been continuous performance reviews during this period, which have all been positive. The committee discussed the benefits of the permanent appointment, including providing the council with the stability and continuous leadership required moving into Local Government Reorganisation. The council is already benefitting from the shared service approach and it would be difficult to recruit someone with the right skillset at this stage. One concern that was raised was related to workload and burnout due to the demands of working across the three councils. It was explained that HR would monitor the situation on an ongoing basis and ensure the appropriate support is in place to prevent burnout from happening. In addition, the council is fortunate to have a Deputy Chief Executive who is doing an excellent job in supporting the Chief Executive. It was clarified that this will be a permanent contract for the duration of Hastings Borough Council’s existence. RESOLVED (unanimously)- 1. That Employment Committeenotes thesuccessful operationof theinterim Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service arrangements. 2. That Employment Committee recommends to Full Council on 15 July 2026 that Rob Cottrillbe appointedpermanently asHastings BoroughCouncil’s ChiefExecutive and Head of Paid Service with effect from 15 July 2026. 3. That the permanentappointment continuesto operateas ashared ChiefExecutive arrangement with Eastbourne Borough Council and Lewes District Council. 4.
• p7That delegated authorityis givento theLeader ofthe Counciland theHead ofPeople and Business Support, in consultation with the relevant officers at Eastbourne Borough Council and Lewes District Council, to agree and finalise any necessary contractual and administrative arrangements. 5. That the ChiefExecutive’s performancecontinues tobe reviewedthrough regular meetings with the Leader of the Council Reasons for Recommendations 1. The sharedChief Executivearrangement hasworked welland hasprovided theCouncil with effective and experienced senior leadership. 2. Rob Cottrillhas providedstability andcontinuity duringa periodof significantorganisational change, including Local Government Reorganisation, devolution and the development of shared service arrangements. 3. The arrangementhas strengthenedcollaboration betweenHastings, Eastbourneand Lewes Councilswhile ensuringthat Hastingscontinues toretain itsown politicaland organisational identity and priorities. 4. Appointing theChief Executivepermanently willprovide greatercertainty andstability for councillors, employees, partners and the Council’s wider stakeholders. 5. The sharedarrangement providesthe Councilwith accessto anexperienced ChiefExecutive while sharing the associated costs between the three authorities. The currentarrangements havebeen reviewedand nooperational orgovernance concerns have been identified that would support changing the existing model.