A Joint Appointments Committee will oversee the recruitment and selection process for the new Joint Chief Executive of Guidford and Waverley councils.
The committee, which includes Leaders and other senior councillors from the authorities, will make recommendations to the councils on the final appointment.
Public sector and SME employment consultants, South East Employers, will also advise on the process.
Once appointed, the Joint Chief Executive will create a single management team, comprised of Statutory Officers, Directors and Heads of Service.
They will propose an Inter-Authority Agreement, which will confirm the legal basis for how the two councils will work together.
The new management team will be responsible for preparing business cases for any further combining of services or administrative work that can help save costs and future-proof services for local residents.
While the councils will ultimately share a single management team responsible for the operational delivery of services, they will remain entirely separate councils, retaining their own constitutions, councillors and democratic processes.
Leader of Guildford Borough Council, Councillor Joss Bigmore said:
“Reaching this milestone is a reflection of the commitment and drive from both councils to protect and future-proof services for local residents.
“Progressing with the appointment of a Joint Chief Executive and a shared senior management team will ensure a solid base from the outset.
“Our closer partnership working will mean we will realise tangible benefits from cost saving to resilience.
“We understand committing to further partnership working can feel unsettling for our staff, residents and businesses.
“I can reassure you that we will do all we can to make this transition as smooth as possible for everyone.
“We are confident that starting this process by creating a shared management team is the best option.”
Leader of Waverley Borough Council, Councillor Paul Follows added:
“Last night’s decision marks a major step forward for our vision to secure our local services for the future and is a testament to the determination of councillors at both Waverley and Guildford to make this partnership successful.
“Waverley’s coalition Executive is itself a fantastic example of how effective local government can be when we look past our differences and prioritise partnership, consensus and collaboration.
“That is not to overlook just how dependent we are on the commitment and professionalism of our officers in order to reach a milestone such as this.
“ I want to thank them for their dedication and single-minded focus on how we can best provide the services local people need.
“I also want to reassure our residents, our businesses and our local communities that the partnership with Guildford cannot and will not diminish our commitment to listening to you and to working for you.
“Our collaboration has arisen entirely out of our determination to ensure we can continue to respond to local needs and to protect our local services.”
