Newham Council is re-advertising the position of Corporate Director of Adults and Health after previous recruitment attempts were unsuccessful. The post has been temporarily covered for over two years with a combination of an internal 'acting up' and external interim arrangement pending the permanent recruitment to the role.

The Chief Officer Appointment Committee convened on 24 October 2025, to discuss the recruitment process for several chief officer positions, including the Corporate Director of Adults and Health. According to the Public reports pack, previous attempts to recruit for the role were unsuccessful, and the job description has been reviewed, leading to an increase in remuneration for the role in an effort to attract a wider pool of applicants.

The council has engaged Gatenby Sanderson to assist with the search. The proposed timetable includes:

  • Application closing date: November 2025
  • Long-list meeting: November 2025
  • Technical interviews: November 2025
  • Short-list meeting: November 2025
  • One to One with Chief Executive: December 2025
  • Stakeholder Panel / Youth Panel: December 2025
  • Appointment Sub Committee interview: December 2025
  • Successful candidates offered, and references taken: December 2025

The postholder would hold the statutory post of Director of Adult Social Services (DASS) in accordance with the Local Authority Social Services Act 1970, and would be designated as the Caldicott Guardian.

The committee was asked to agree the size and membership of an Appointment Sub-Committee, which will be responsible for making an appointment to the post. The Mayor is a standing member of the Chief Officer Appointment Committee and any Sub-Committee. The quorum for the Sub-Committee is three. The composition of the Sub-Committee should be appropriate to the appointment being made, reflective of the council's guidance on diverse recruitment panels, and subject to the rules on political proportionality. The Supplementary Guidance - Diverse Recruitment Panels states that recruitment panels are responsible for shortlisting and selecting a candidate to fill a vacant role, and that the panel's primary responsibility is to ensure that recruitment to the vacant role is undertaken in line with the council's recruitment and selection policy. The guidance stated that recruitment panels must always be diverse, and that as a minimum:

  • all panels should consist of at least three people
  • all panels should be ethnically diverse and no panel should consist of people who all share the same ethnicity
  • all panels should be gender diverse

The size and membership of each Chief Officer Appointment Sub-Committee should be made in line with requirements including being subject to the rules on political proportionality , according to the Public reports pack.