A COUNCILLOR has claimed that a local authority wanted to boost the chance of recruiting internally for its £150,000-a-year chief executive role by proposing to advertise the job during the summer holidays.
But Denbighshire County Council has dismissed the allegation as completely “unfounded”.
Current chief executive Graham Boase announced last month he will retire in January 2026, and the authority has started the £10,000 recruitment process to find his successor.
But at a council meeting at Ruthin County Hall this week, councillors voted to move the application window to the end of September, allowing more time for external applicants to consider the role.
Councillors originally heard how the position – which pays up to £148,822 – would be advertised in the summer between July 21 and September 1, with interviews on September 26 – before councillors voted to amend these dates.
The chamber also heard how the council were offering a potential £8,000 relocation payment.
But Rhyl councillor Brian Jones criticised the job being advertised during late July and August when council close and many people go on holiday.
Speaking at the meeting, he said: “I’ve got an issue with the timeline, and I think if you’re an in-house candidate, it’s not a problem. I think I’m going to propose you extend the closing date by at least another month because you touched on it about holidays, and potentially we could miss out on candidates from further afield. It’s a big decision, this.”
Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Jones elaborated on his comments. He added: “And you could look at that timescale and draw the conclusion that perhaps the hierarchy at Denbighshire… it would have suited them to do this timescale that they put forward and keep to that because it would have given in-house candidates a better chance of being successful for the job.”
Also speaking at the meeting this week, Cllr Huw Hilditch-Roberts felt that the window for applications needed to be moved or extended.
He said: “Not very often do I come on the side of (Cllr) Brian Jones, but unfortunately I am going to support Brian. The fact that 21 July is the first date and the closing date is September 1 – that is the whole summer holidays.”
Cllr Hilditch then added September was a better time to recruit as many holiday destinations don’t have 3G, 4G, or Wifi signals.
Both Cllr Gwyneth Ellis and Cllr Terry Mendies also questioned the relocation payment of £8,000.
“If we are paying someone £3,000 a week, surely they can pay the removal costs themselves?” said Cllr Mendies.
But council officers explained the sum was part of council policy that could be used to attract certain positions in the council.
Earlier in the meeting, Cllr Merfyn Parry also proposed that the council could share a chief executive with another county, which was seconded by Cllr Gwyneth Ellis, but the vote was lost.
Leader Cllr Jason McLellan said he’d be “surprised” if Denbighshire could find a “willing partner” to share the role.
The current chief executive Graham Boase also added weight to the leader’s argument that it would be difficult to ask existing chief executives of neighbouring authorities to take on twice the responsibility.
Cllr Huw Hilditch-Roberts then labelled the proposition of sharing the position as “a bonkers idea” as the chief executive had to lead 4,000 staff and “grab the bull by the horns”.
Councillors voted to move the job application window to September.
The council went on to dismiss Cllr Brian Jones’ claim.
A spokesman said: “The council is keen to receive applications from both external and internal candidates for the chief executive officer (CEO) role. The original timescale of six weeks for the recruitment campaign, using a mix of national and local media sites, was set to allow sufficient time for any applicant to apply and to capture those that may have been away during the summer period.
“However, following a discussion at full council, it was agreed to change to dates for the recruitment campaign to start at the beginning of September in order to maximise the potential pool of candidates for the role.”
He added: “It has always been our intention to encourage a wide range of applicants from across the sector, whether local, regional, or national, and it’s disappointing that this unfounded allegation has been made.”
