By Lucy Phillips
3 June 2010
The appointment of a new chief executive at Monitor looks set to be dragged out as the foundation trust spending watchdog awaits further details of its beefed-up role.
Former executive chair Bill Moyes left the regulator in January and the post was then split into two. Steve Bundred, former chief executive of the Audit Commission, took up a four-year term as chair at the beginning of May, working three days a week. David Bennett, a former government advisor and chair of a health consultancy, became interim chief executive in March.
The new government has outlined its intention to turn Monitor into a full economic regulator for the NHS, overseeing access, competition and price-setting.
But the recruitment process for a new permanent chief executive has not yet begun. Bundred told Public Finance that he wanted to recruit someone as soon as possible, but added: 'The issue is not just how quickly can you get anyone in place, it's how quickly can you find the right person for the job. Clearly the nature of the job is going to change because the nature of the organisation is going to change. So we would be looking for somebody who is capable not only of leading the organisation through that process of change but also managing the new Monitor when it becomes a full-scale economic regulator.'
He denied there would be 'unnecessary delay' but further details of the watchdog's new role are not expected until a white paper in July, with legislation to be passed in the autumn.
Bundred said a salary for the new post had not yet been discussed. 'That's something we need to talk to head hunters and the department about,' he said. Moyes was on an annual package of £215,000 for the joint role, but public bodies are coming under continued pressure from the government to clamp down on so-called fat cat pay.
When asked if the prospect of a lower salary would make it more difficult to find a good candidate, Bundred said: 'I think you don't know until you try. I guess I'm fairly clear that we're a public body and all public bodies are faced with spending constraints and we won't be any different in that regard. I'm also clear that there is a labour market in these sorts of senior posts and this will be a big job and we need to get someone who is capable of fulfilling it.'
His comments came as Communities Secretary Eric Pickles vetoed a proposed salary of £240,000 for Bundred's replacement at the Audit Commission. Bundred himself had been on a package of £225,000 a year. Pickles said the planned salary contravened the spirit of new Treasury rules on controlling public sector pay. ‘By blocking this massive salary for the Audit Commission, I want to send a signal to councils across the country that they too can stop paying ridiculous sums to chief executives,’ said Pickles.
3 June 2010
The appointment of a new chief executive at Monitor looks set to be dragged out as the foundation trust spending watchdog awaits further details of its beefed-up role.
Former executive chair Bill Moyes left the regulator in January and the post was then split into two. Steve Bundred, former chief executive of the Audit Commission, took up a four-year term as chair at the beginning of May, working three days a week. David Bennett, a former government advisor and chair of a health consultancy, became interim chief executive in March.
The new government has outlined its intention to turn Monitor into a full economic regulator for the NHS, overseeing access, competition and price-setting.
But the recruitment process for a new permanent chief executive has not yet begun. Bundred told Public Finance that he wanted to recruit someone as soon as possible, but added: 'The issue is not just how quickly can you get anyone in place, it's how quickly can you find the right person for the job. Clearly the nature of the job is going to change because the nature of the organisation is going to change. So we would be looking for somebody who is capable not only of leading the organisation through that process of change but also managing the new Monitor when it becomes a full-scale economic regulator.'
He denied there would be 'unnecessary delay' but further details of the watchdog's new role are not expected until a white paper in July, with legislation to be passed in the autumn.
Bundred said a salary for the new post had not yet been discussed. 'That's something we need to talk to head hunters and the department about,' he said. Moyes was on an annual package of £215,000 for the joint role, but public bodies are coming under continued pressure from the government to clamp down on so-called fat cat pay.
When asked if the prospect of a lower salary would make it more difficult to find a good candidate, Bundred said: 'I think you don't know until you try. I guess I'm fairly clear that we're a public body and all public bodies are faced with spending constraints and we won't be any different in that regard. I'm also clear that there is a labour market in these sorts of senior posts and this will be a big job and we need to get someone who is capable of fulfilling it.'
His comments came as Communities Secretary Eric Pickles vetoed a proposed salary of £240,000 for Bundred's replacement at the Audit Commission. Bundred himself had been on a package of £225,000 a year. Pickles said the planned salary contravened the spirit of new Treasury rules on controlling public sector pay. ‘By blocking this massive salary for the Audit Commission, I want to send a signal to councils across the country that they too can stop paying ridiculous sums to chief executives,’ said Pickles.
