Senior Newcastle councillor in u-turn over chief executive appointment

May 9 2009 by Amy Hunt, The Journal

Barry Rowland

A COUNCIL leader has performed a U-turn on a decision to interview only one person for a shoo-in candidate for a top job.

The Journal revealed how a Newcastle City Council committee agreed to interview only Barry Rowland, the current acting chief executive, for the permanent £175,000-a-year post.

Opposition Labour councillors withdrew from the process in protest, saying they would not support a one-horse-race. Now council leader John Shipley has distanced himself from his colleagues’ decision and says he wants to get members from both parties back round the table to agree an “open and transparent” solution.

Coun Shipley was not at the meeting of the Constitutional Committee as he was in London to discuss high-speed rail links to the North East with transport minister Lord Adonis.

And in his absence six of his Liberal Democrat colleagues, including deputy leader Coun David Faulkner, voted in a private meeting for an ring-fenced interview process.

They said this was designed to demonstrate confidence in Mr Rowland, who has been acting chief executive since the departure of former boss Ian Stratford in November. They said Mr Rowland would still be subject to a rigorous interview process.

Since the committee is not “whipped”, meaning individual councillors make their own decision on how to vote, Coun Shipley is not able to force his colleagues to support him.

But he said: “My own view has been that it is inappropriate for this appointment to be made by an interview panel comprising only members from the majority party and without open advertisement and competition.

“The acting chief executive has advised the chairman of Constitutional Committee of his own preference for an appointment process which commands cross-party support, but he acknowledges that this must be a matter for politicians to decide.