SCRUTINEERS say they’re concerned the Government still has no firm recruitment strategy for appointing a permanent Chief Executive – despite spending more than £300,000 on failed attempts since 2022.
That was the warning from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which this week also criticised ministers for refusing to tighten up rules on rent-free accommodation for senior hires.
The spending watchdog, Comptroller and Auditor General Lynn Pamment, previously raised concerns about the lack of leadership stability and called for a “robust strategy” to avoid further failed recruitment drives.
Her report also warned that accommodation perks – which had seen free housing worth £30,000 awarded to some senior workers – risked damaging morale and creating perceptions of “favourable treatment” among keyworkers. She urged the Government to ensure a consistent policy was applied.
However, the Government declined to adopt that recommendation, stating that departments would be reminded of their obligations, but exemptions would still be permitted “on the balance of risk and administrative effort”.
In response, the PAC said this refusal “highlights an acceptance on the part of Government that an inconsistency in the application of this policy is a tolerable risk”.
It added: “The provision of accommodation for key workers requires a robust and fair approach to mitigate against the very concerns raised by Government over the non-implementation of this recommendation… We urge Government to revisit this response and review the level of risk associated with not taking forward this recommendation.”
PAC Chair Deputy Inna Gardiner also raised broader concerns about staffing, saying: “We are also concerned that the Government does not appear to have a firm recruitment strategy in place for the appointment of a permanent Chief Executive Officer.”
