Council set to advertise £149K-a-year position

Richard Evans - Local democracy reporter

A council is set to begin its search for a new £148K-a-year chief executive – a process costing around £10,000.

The move by Denbighshire Council follows the current chief executive Graham Boase announcing last week that he will retire early next year.

The recruitment process is set to launch next week with the successful candidate earning up to nearly £149,000 a year.

The post includes a salary with three incremental points of £148,822, £146,620, and £144,452, with the council paying relocation costs of up to £8,000, plus a local government pension scheme.

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Meeting

A report will go before councillors at a full council meeting at Ruthin County Hall HQ on Tuesday (8 July), confirming the current chief executive will retire at the end of January 2026, after more than four years in the role.

Councillors will be tasked with signing off the recruitment process, including the salary package, as well as a six-week advertising campaign to attract candidates.

A “politically balanced” “special appointments panel” of seven members – chaired by the council leader – will be formed to shortlist and assess candidates, supported by HR and senior officers.

Interviews for the job will be held by the full council on 26 September.

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Assessment

The council has decided against using expensive external consultants, as they have done in the past, and is instead opting to manage the recruitment through its HR manager, with some external assessment.

The job advert will go live on July 21 with a September 1 closing date, with a new appointment expected to be made by the end of September.

But the cost of recruiting the top position is still expected to be around £10,000.