Caerphilly council to recruit permanent chief executive to replace sacked Anthony O'Sullivan

Councillors will meet next week to agree to start recruitment for the post, with interim arrangements having been in place since March 2013.

Mr O’Sullivan was suspended amid claims relating to pay rises given to senior officers, and then placed on special paid leave.

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The council agreed to dismiss him with immediate effect last month after “serious allegations of gross misconduct” were proven.

“Members will be aware that interim arrangements have been in place for the position of chief executive since March 2013, whilst the substantive chief executive was not in the workplace,” a council report says.

“Council, at the meeting held on October 3, 2019, made the decision to dismiss the former chief executive from the employment of the council with effect from that date.

“Council is, therefore, now in a position to consider the appointment of a permanent chief executive.”

Mr O’ Sullivan has said he will appeal against his dismissal.

Anthony O'Sullivan

Currently the council has an interim an interim chief executive in place, Christina Harrhy, with her salary frozen at the minimum point of a salary range, at £143,949.

However the salary range for the new post will need to be updated to include national pay awards of one per cent for 2016 and 2018.

This would take the incremental salary range to a starting point of £148,311, with the highest point at £164,790.

The total costs for the pay awards and incremental progression to the top salary grade would be £28,344.

But a report says the council will save £19,010 as the authority no longer has the post of deputy chief executive, leaving the total additional cost at £9,334 to be added to next year’s budget proposals.

The post will be externally advertised in January if approved by a full council meeting on Tuesday.

The council’s appointments committee will then meet to agree the advert and recruitment.