Principal Historic Buildings Adviser

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A decision made 24 March 2006, to secure necessary approval under Housing Regulations for the appointment of Principal Historic Buildings Adviser (Contract Post - term delegated to the Director, and Assistant Direct of Planning and Building Services).

Subject:	Principal Historic Buildings Adviser Application for temporary ‘essentially employed’ contract
Decision Reference:	MD-PE-2006-0025	Exempt clause(s):
Type of Report (oral or written):	Written	Person Giving Report (if oral):
Telephone or e-mail meeting	n/a	Report File ref:		3/22
Written Report Title:	Principal Historic Buildings Adviser Application for temporary ‘essentially employed’ contract	Written report – Author:		Kevin Pilley Assistant Director Planning and Building Services
Decision(s): · The Minister for Planning and Environment endorses the proposal to secure the necessary approvals to enable the appointment of a suitably qualified, experienced and skilled person from outside the Island under the auspices of the Housing (General Provisions)(Jersey) Regulations 1970, Regulation 1(1)(J) for the post of Principal Historic Buildings Adviser on the basis of a temporary contract. · The Minister delegated the determination of the contract term to the Director and Assistant Director of Planning and Building Services
Reason(s) for decision:  A local recruitment process has demonstrated that there is not a local candidate that is presently able to fulfil the requirements of this post;  The role of Principal Historic Buildings Adviser is critical to the business of the Planning and Environment Department and the attainment of States strategic objectives and is thus deemed to be ‘essential’, as defined under the housing regulations;  The Historic Buildings Section of Planning and Environment is critically under-resourced;  Determination of the contract period is management issue to be determined by the Director/ Assistant Director.
Action required:  The Assistant Director of Planning and Building Services makes an application to the Population Office in the Chief Minister’s Department for a temporary contract for the post of Principal Historic Buildings Adviser under the auspices of the Housing (General Provisions)(Jersey) Regulations 1970, Regulation 1(1)(J) subject to the determination of the term of the contract by the Director/ Assistant Director;  Subject to the approval of the application to the Population Office that Planning and Environment Department Human Resources undertake a recruitment campaign outside the Island in order that a suitably qualified, experienced and skilled person can be appointed
Signature: (Minister/ Assistant Minister)			Date of Decision: 24 March 2006

Principal Historic Buildings Adviser

		Item No:
		Date:

PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT

Principal Historic Buildings Adviser

Application for temporary ‘essentially employed’ contract

Purpose of the Report

The purpose of this report is for the Minister for Planning and Environment to consider the requirement to seek the necessary approvals under the auspices of the Housing (General Provisions)(Jersey) Regulations 1970 to enable the potential appointment of a Principal Historic Buildings Adviser from outside the Island on the basis of a temporary three-year contract.

The draft States Strategic Plan seeks to ensure that Jersey’s built heritage is sympathetically managed. SSI and other conservation designations are also to be respected and protected from damage and development. To achieve these objectives requires an appropriately trained, skilled and resourced staff.

Background

Through restructuring of the section and the resignation of the former Assistant Director for Design and Conservation, there has been a staff shortage in the Historic Buildings Team for the past eight months. Budgetary and contractual constraints have compromised the ability of the department to recruit into the newly created post of Principal Historic Buildings Adviser until recently.

The post has been advertised locally and a recruitment procedure undertaken. Unfortunately, this process has not enabled an appointment to be made.

Discussion

There remains a business-critical need to make an appointment to the post of Principal Historic Buildings Adviser as soon as possible.

The Historic Buildings Section is critically under-resourced which is seriously affecting the ability of the department to deal with this aspect of its business and is also placing undue strain on the existing member of staff.

It has been demonstrated, by virtue of undertaking a process of local recruitment, that there is not a local candidate that is presently able to fulfil the requirements of this post.

It is, however, considered that there are local candidates who, with the appropriate support, experience and training, have the potential to fulfil the requirements of this post in the near future and the department is seeking to establish an appropriate career progression path to this end for an existing member of staff.

In the meantime, a suitably qualified, experienced and skilled person is required to take up the post. Given that a local recruitment process has failed to produce such a candidate, it is considered necessary that an application be made to secure the necessary approvals to appoint an appropriate person from outside the Island under the auspices of the Housing (General Provisions)(Jersey) Regulations 1970, Regulation 1(1)(J) as ‘essentially employed’. Having regard to the fact that the department is seeking to ensure that a local candidate may have the potential to fulfil the role required of this post in time, it is considered appropriate that a temporary contract of three years be sought under the terms of this regulation relative to this particular post.

Recommendation

On the basis of the above, it is recommended that the Minister for Planning and Environment endorse the proposal to secure the necessary approvals to enable the appointment of a suitably qualified, experienced and skilled person from outside the Island under the auspices of the Housing (General Provisions)(Jersey) Regulations 1970, Regulation 1(1)(J) for the post of Principal Historic Buildings Adviser on the basis of a three-year temporary contract.

Reason(s) for Decision

 A local recruitment process has demonstrated that there is not a local candidate that is presently able to fulfil the requirements of this post;

 The role of Principal Historic Buildings Adviser is critical to the business of the Planning and Environment Department and the attainment of States strategic objectives and is thus deemed to be ‘essential’, as defined under the housing regulations;

 The Historic Buildings Section of Planning and Environment is critically under-resourced.

Action Required

 The Assistant Director of Planning and Building Services makes an application to the Population Office in the Chief Minister’s Department for a three-year temporary contract for the post of Principal Historic Buildings Adviser under the auspices of the Housing (General Provisions)(Jersey) Regulations 1970, Regulation 1(1)(J);

 Subject to the approval of the application to the Population Office that Planning and Environment Department Human Resources undertake a recruitment campaign outside the Island in order that a suitably qualified, experienced and skilled person can be appointed

Written by:	Kevin Pilley Assistant Director: Planning and Building Services

Approved by:	Peter Thorne Director: Planning and Building Services

Endorsed by:	3/22 03 February 2006