MD2306 Appointment of the GLA's Chief Officer

Chief Officer appointment process

Mary Harpley was selected as the preferred appointment following a fair, open and transparent external recruitment process that was in line with the Statutory Officers – Staffing Protocol. An external firm was commissioned to provide executive search and candidate handling services and the role was advertised in national and specialist media. A panel representing the Mayor and London Assembly shortlisted and interviewed candidates, with the support of the GLA’s Human Resources team and the external consultants.

Head of Paid Service / Chief Officer

Under the GLA Act 1999 (as amended), the GLA is required to have a Head of Paid Service (HoPS). The HoPS exercises the statutory functions set out for that role in the GLA Act relating to GLA staffing matters. The role also has specific statutory functions and is politically restricted under the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.

The HoPS role will be known as the GLA’s “Chief Officer” . As Chief Officer, Mary will lead the corporate management team and assume responsibilities for the strategic management of GLA activity and functions. A full job description is attached at Appendix 1.

The postholder will also discharge a number of statutory functions as the GLA’s “proper officer”.

As one of the GLA’s statutory officer roles, the HoPS post has a special employment status within the Authority. Appointments to the post must be made, and the terms and conditions determined, by the Mayor and the London Assembly acting jointly.

Since the retirement of the incumbent permanent HoPS, Jeff Jacobs, on 4 May 2018, the GLA’s interim HoPS has been David Lunts, Executive Director of Housing and Land. Mary will assume HoPS duties from David Lunts at the point her appointment becomes effective on 10 September 2018.

The Mayor is being asked to approve the appointment of the permanent HoPS, on the terms and conditions set out within the contract of employment appended to part 2 of this decision form, through this Mayoral Decision (MD) form. The London Assembly will be asked to approve the appointment at its 7 June 2018 meeting.

Greater London Returning Officer

The Mayor appoints the Greater London Returning Officer (GLRO). The GLRO has responsibility for administering the GLA elections, which ordinarily take place every four years, and for replacing any of the 11 London-wide Members who may resign in the interim. The next set of elections is in May 2020. The Chief Officer will act as GLRO in conjunction with a Deputy GLRO.

An external recruitment process was undertaken to select the Chief Officer in line with equalities principles and best practice. Mary Harpley will be the first woman to hold the GLA roles of HoPS and GLRO.

The Chief Officer’s annual remuneration will be £190,000. A GLRO fee will be payable at the time of the GLA elections in 2020. That fee will be set according to the Cabinet Office guidance in place at the time. The costs arising from the remuneration and the fee will met from within the contingencies available in the GLA budget.

The Mayor and the Assembly acting jointly must appoint a Head of Paid Service (section 72(1) of the GLA Act 1999). The appointment to the post and the determination of its terms and conditions are to be such as the Mayor and the Assembly acting jointly think fit.

The HoPS appointment must be made on merit. The appointment process and other matters relevant to the three Statutory Officers is set out in Statutory Officers’ Protocol – Staffing. This reflects the Local Authorities’ (Standing Orders) Regulations 1993/202 which do not apply to the GLA but whose contents reproduce standard local government practice.

Generally speaking, these provide that where it is not proposed to appoint a statutory officer from existing members of the Authority’s staff, a recruitment and interview process must be conducted, which has been the case.

The HoPS appoints all GLA staff in consultation with the Mayor and Assembly other than the 13 appointments the Mayor can make personally and the other two statutory officers (Chief Finance Officer and Monitoring Officer), who are also appointed jointly by the Mayor and Assembly.

The GLA Act gives a number of responsibilities to the Authority’s “proper officer”, including in relation to the return of London List AMs otherwise than at an election. The HoPS discharges all of these apart from the proper officer responsibilities under access to information law, which is given to the Executive Director of the Assembly Secretariat.

The HoPS cannot also be the GLA’s Monitoring Officer.

Under section 35(2C) of the Representation of the People Act 1983 the GLRO is the returning officer at any election of the Mayor of London, at the election of the London List members of the London Assembly at an ordinary election.