Hillingdon Council's Appointments Committee convened on 1 July 2025, in a private session to discuss the appointment of a new Corporate Director of Finance, a key financial role within the council.
The meeting, held behind closed doors, focused on filling the crucial position. While the names of candidates under consideration were not disclosed, a job description outlining the desired experience and qualifications was provided to the committee in the Public reports pack.
The council has cited the Local Government Act 1972 to justify the confidentiality of the discussions. Specifically, paragraph(s) 1, 2, and 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A were invoked. These paragraphs relate to information about individuals, information likely to reveal the identity of an individual, and information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).
Attendees at the meeting included Councillor Ian Edwards (Leader of the Council), Councillor Jonathan Bianco (Deputy Leader of the Council & Cabinet Member for Corporate Services & Property), Councillor Peter Curling (Leader of Hayes Independent Group), and Lloyd White, who is the Head of Democratic Services for the London Borough of Hillingdon.
The Agenda frontsheet indicates that the appointment was the sole item discussed in Part II of the meeting. The decision to hold this discussion in private raises questions about transparency in the appointment of such a crucial role within the council.