Nottingham City Council to shortlist next chief executive behind closed doors

The shortlisting of candidates in the running to become the next chief executive of Nottingham City Council will be taking place behind closed doors. A meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 2, to determine who is in the frame for the critical role.

The job was previously held by Mel Barrett, who stood as the authority’s chief executive for four years before announcing his departure in May. He had been on a salary of just over £190,000 per year, following a pay rise in January.

Mr Barrett has gone on to become the new chief executive of Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing (MTVH), which was founded in the 1950s to provide homes for the Windrush generation, of which his parents had been a part of.

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The Labour-run city council said Mr Barrett has helped it face significant challenges, including the pandemic, “dealing with legacy issues which reduced the council’s financial resilience” and, more recently, the appointment of commissioners.

Commissioners were appointed by the Government to help run the council months after it declared itself effectively bankrupt in November last year.

“The job is not yet done,” Mr Barrett said upon announcing his departure.

“And we know that the pace of improvement will increase, however progress made in a number of key areas including supporting vulnerable children, becoming a more open and transparent organisation and continuing to work with others to support the vibrancy and dynamism of our city and improve the life chances of our citizens despite the continuing financial challenges faced by local government.”

The shortlisting will take place at a meeting of the Appointments and Conditions of Service Committee, however the item has been noted as ‘exempt’, meaning the press and public will be barred from this part of the meeting.

It is not publicly known who is in the running for the job.

The chief executive, otherwise known as the head of paid service, is typically responsible for the management and leadership of staff, and for advising the council on how its functions should work and be organised.

Mr Barrett also acted as the returning officer in elections, including the most recent East Midlands mayoral election, during which Labour’s Claire Ward was elected.

This role would have entailed maintaining the electoral register, all while ensuring the confidentiality, security, integrity and accessibility of the election.