Hillingdon Council to Appoint New Chief Financial Officer

Hillingdon Council is set to appoint Stephen Muldoon as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO), also known as the Section 151 officer, at a council meeting scheduled for 11 September 2025. This appointment aims to bring stability and expertise to Hillingdon's financial management, particularly during a period of significant financial challenges.

The appointment, which fills the statutory role of Section 151 officer, was listed as part of the agenda for the Hillingdon Council meeting, where councillors were expected to formally approve the decision.

The role of the CFO is a statutory one, responsible for the financial administration of the council. The appointment of Stephen Muldoon is a key step in addressing financial concerns and ensuring the council's financial stability.

The meeting also covered a range of other critical issues, including discussions on the External Auditor's report and questions from both the public and council members. The Public Reports Pack highlights several financial challenges, including the need for detailed implementation plans for planned savings in the 2025-26 budget, balancing the schools' budget to prevent further growth in the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) deficit, and reviewing financial forecasting processes. Councillor Sweeting also asked about how the deficit of £65.71M is being addressed.

The External Auditor's report raised concerns about the council's financial resilience, data quality, and decision-making processes. The report emphasized the importance of the council's ongoing work with the Governance Review Improvement Plan (GRIP) and the Financial Modernisation Programme (FMP), including addressing issues with the Oracle EPM budget management system. The auditor made seven formal statutory recommendations, including detailed implementation plans for planned savings, review of service delivery models, balancing the schools' budget, review of financial forecasting processes, establishing a clear understanding of the council's current financial position, addressing issues with the implementation of Oracle EPM, and continuing the development and implementation of the Financial Modernisation Programme and the Governance Review Improvement Plan.