Newham Council is in the process of appointing a new Director of Housing Services, a decision that follows interviews conducted by the Chief Officer Appointments Sub-Committee on Tuesday, 22 July 2025. The appointment aims to fill a vacancy and ensure strong leadership within the council's housing services. The Chief Officer Appointment Committee initially met on Wednesday, 5th March 2025, and agreed to form the sub-committee to manage the interview process.
The sub-committee, comprised of Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz OBE, Councillor Caroline Adaja, Councillor John Gray, Councillor Lester Hudson, Councillor Mehmood Mirza, Councillor Sarah Jane Ruiz, and Councillor Blossom Young, convened to interview candidates and recommend an appointment. Following the interviews, a recommendation will be made, subject to consultation with Cabinet members, who have two working days to raise any objections.
The council engaged GatenbySanderson, an executive search firm, to assist in the recruitment process. According to the Public reports pack, the recruitment process was supported by Strategic HR Business Partner, Paulette Lindsay-Greenidge, and Councillor Amar Virdee was also consulted.
Twenty-seven applications were received, with seven candidates being longlisted. Technical interviews for the longlisted candidates commenced on 9 July 2025. Shortlisted candidates will participate in an Assessment Centre, including a Resident Panel, a Stakeholder Partner panel, and 1:1 interviews with Paul Kitson, Corporate Director of Housing and Inclusive Economy.
Salary costs for the Director of Housing Services position will be within the range set out in the Council's Pay Policy for 2025/2026.
At the start of the meeting, members were expected to declare any interests they had in the matters being considered, as detailed in the Public reports pack.
