Do they have what it takes to be the head of the Isle of Wight council?
Following a national recruitment campaign, 21 candidates have stepped forward to become the Isle of Wight council’s chief executive and topped paid officer.
During the last search for a chief executive, only two candidates reached the interview stage and concerns were expressed about the level of interest that would be received for the position this time.
£138,038 a year salary
On a salary of £138,038 a year — excluding employers’ national insurance and employer pension contribution — the new chief executive will also be the authority’s head of paid service.
The salary point has been determined by market testing the council says and is an increase on what the former CEO, John Metcalfe, was earning.
The position has been vacant since Mr Metcalfe left at the end of March.
He is now chief executive of a local authority in Cumbria, on a salary of £170,000.
Interim Chief Executive
The role has been filled on an interim basis in the last six months by Wendy Perera, the assistant chief executive and director of strategy.
The council say making a permanent appointment will allow the necessary development and maintenance of strong partnerships and working relationships across all sectors.
Extensive recruitment campaign
An extensive recruitment campaign was undertaken in September — thought to have cost more than £11,000 — and featured a campaign video with an appearance from the council leader Cllr Lora Peacey-Wilcox, with the hope it would attract a lot of applicants.
With the 21 applications submitted from a diverse range of candidates, the authority says, it is now ready to proceed with the first stage of the selection process.
Appointments and employment committee
The council’s appointments and employment committee are being asked to shortlist the applicants or determine if there are no suitable applications that meet the requirements of the job.
The appointment of a chief executive cannot be made until Cabinet has been notified of the proposed appointment and if no objection has been made.
The appointments committee have been given a confidential appendix for consideration with summaries of all the candidates.
The part of the meeting, on Wednesday, 12th October, to either decide on a shortlist or not, will also be heard in private.
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is taking part in. Some alterations and additions may have been made by OnTheWight. Ed
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