Northumberland County Council faced 'tight market' in search for new legal boss

The council had been looking to appoint a permanent replacement for current interim Suki Binjal as part of ongoing efforts to appoint a new executive team, putting an end to long-standing interim arrangements at the top of the authority.

However, due to what was described as a “tight market” for monitoring officers, the council has been forced to once again explore interim options.

It now looks set to appoint an as-yet unidentified candidate to the role on a two-year contract, subject to the approval of full council.

At Thursday’s meeting of the council’s staff and appointments committee, it was explained that the candidate is likely to retire at the end of the contract.

It is hoped he will be able to develop “existing talent” at the council so that a potential successor will be available when his contract does come to an end.

Council leader Glen Sanderson said: “It’s a challenge for every council. There are not many monitoring officers around. We have come to the conclusion that this particular gentleman is an absolutely fantastic choice.

“It suits him and us to make this a two-year contract. We have some absolute stars in our ranks that will be able to step up to the role.”

If approved by full council, the new monitoring officer is expected to start work in June.

The monitoring officer is a statutory role for local authorities and acts as the council’s top lawyer.