Job interview of £215k council CEO lasted one hour

Bin collectors face a more rigorous recruitment process than a council's new £215k-a-year chief executive, a meeting was told.

Opposition parties heavily criticised Reform UK's decision to appoint businessman Dennis Bacon as boss of Norfolk County Council, which has an annual budget of £2.3bn.

The meeting was told his job interview lasted just an hour, with one councillor describing the decision as "unbelievable".

Other's criticised his lack of public sector experience, but the council's Reform leader, David Bick, said he was "absolutely convinced we've got the best person".

Last week the council announced it planned to give Bacon its top job – the previous CEO Tom McCabe had quit shortly after Reform took power in May.

Founder of the care firm Apple Homecare and owner of a bed and breakfast in Norwich, Bacon won the Channel 4 reality show Four in a Bed last year.

Alongside his business ventures, he spent 19 years as chairman of the Norfolk Independent Care Association, which supports more than 600 organisations and 11,000 staff in the social care industry.

The 63-year-old has also sat on the Norfolk and Waveney Sustainability and Transformation Partnership, a network of local NHS organisations and councils.

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However, opposition councillors attacked the decision with Green group leader Maxine Webb describing the recruitment process as "rushed" as Bacon underwent just a one-hour-long interview with councillors.

She was part of the interview panel alongside Bick, senior Reform councillor Robin Hunter-Clarke, Liberal Democrat group leader Brian Watkins and Great Yarmouth First's Jon Wedon.

Great Yarmouth First has backed Reform in many of its decisions, and according to council documents a "majority" of the panel supported appointing Bacon.

"Some other less executive positions of this council consisted of seven different rounds of interviews," Webb said.

Liberal Democrat Dan Roper said that in Broadland - where he is also a councillor -"we put our waste operatives through a longer process in terms of interview than you have for your chief executive".

"That's unbelievable really," he added.

Independent Alexandra Kemp pointed to the fact that the council was set to go through major upheaval, with the authority due to be abolished as part of local government reorganisation:

"This is really no time for a novice or a newbie chief executive, however good they might be," she said.

Labour's Ben Weston highlighted how Bacon left his job at his care firm nine days before the CEO job was advertised:

"I bet Mr Bacon couldn't believe his luck," he told the chamber.

However, Conservative Daniel Elmer said that while he had some concerns about the process, "it would be quite refreshing to have some private business experience brought into the county council"

The plan was supported by Great Yarmouth First (GYF), with its leader Jon Wedon offering a welcome to Bacon.

Justine Thomas, a cabinet member and Reform's chief whip insisted the recruitment process "was properly conducted" and that "we've got a highly credible, experienced candidate".

And her leader, Bick - who declined to be interviewed after the meeting - said Bacon "had considerable experience dealing both with this council and the NHS."

"I'm absolutely convinced we've got the best person," he continued.

With the support of GYF, Reform comfortably won the vote with 45 councillors in favour of appointing Bacon, 18 against and five abstentions.

Subject to employment checks, Bacon is expected to start work on 7 September.

The BBC has asked Norfolk County Council if he was available for comment.

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