## Recruitment And Consultancy Freeze - Exceptions Approved - September 2011

1.  
During the month of September, the following exceptions to the recruitment and consultancy freeze (above £20k) have been considered by the Chief Executive, in his capacity as Accounting Officer. 2. 

The details are shown below: 

| Decision                | Approval    |
|-------------------------|-------------|
| date                    |             |
| Ref: No. &              |             |
| directorate             |             |
| Summary of              |             |
| application             |             |
| Consultancy/            |             |
| recruit                 |             |
| 126                     |             |
| Consultancy             | Approved    |
| 5 September             |             |
| 2011                    |             |
| RME                     |             |
| Scope for               |             |
| improvement in the      |             |
| efficiency of NR        |             |
| expenditure on support  |             |
| and operations          |             |
| £35,000                 |             |
| 129                     |             |
| 5 September             |             |
| 2011                    |             |
| Temporary cover for     |             |
| PA to director          |             |
| External                |             |
| recruitment             |             |
| Approved                |             |
| External                |             |
| Affairs                 |             |
| 124                     |             |
| 9 September             |             |
| 2011                    |             |
| Web manager             |             |
| maternity leave cover   |             |
| External                |             |
| recruitment             |             |
| Approved                |             |
| External                |             |
| Affairs                 |             |
| 127                     |             |
| 9 September             |             |
| 2011                    |             |
| Financial analyst -     |             |
| Grade C                 |             |
| External                |             |
| recruitment             |             |
| Approved                |             |
| RME                     |             |
| 128                     |             |
| 9 September             |             |
| 2011                    |             |
| External                |             |
| recruitment             |             |
| Approved                |             |
| RPP                     |             |
| Agency worker (3        |             |
| months) and Casual      |             |
| worker (1 year)         |             |
| 130                     |             |
| 9 September             |             |
| 2011                    |             |
| Organisational change   |             |
| manager                 |             |
| External                |             |
| recruitment             |             |
| Approved                |             |
| Corporate               |             |
| Services                |             |
| 131                     |             |
| Consultancy             | Approved    |
| 9 September             |             |
| 2011                    |             |
| Efficient expenditure   |             |
| benchmarking of NR      |             |
| against North           |             |
| American railroads      |             |
| RME                     |             |
| £50,000                 |             |
| 132                     |             |
| Impact of changes in    |             |
| track access charges    |             |
| on rail freight traffic |             |
| Consultancy             | Approved    |
| RME                     |             |
| 13                      |             |
| September               |             |
| 2011                    | £60,000     |
|                         |             |
| Decision               | Approval    |
|------------------------|-------------|
| date                   |             |
| Ref: No. &             |             |
| directorate            |             |
| Summary of             |             |
| application            |             |
| Consultancy/           |             |
| recruit                |             |
| 133                    |             |
| Web developer          |             |
| extension to contract  |             |
| External               |             |
| recruitment            |             |
| NOT approved           |             |
| 20                     |             |
| September              |             |
| 2011                   |             |
| External               |             |
| Affairs                |             |
| 125b*                  |             |
| Consultancy            | Approved    |
| 30                     |             |
| September              |             |
| 2011                   |             |
| International          |             |
| benchmarking of        |             |
| efficiency of NR       |             |
| expenditure on support |             |
| and operations         |             |
| RME and                |             |
| RPP                    |             |
| £200,000 plus vat      |             |

Further details of any of the above applications and decisions are available from Elaine Horton 
*This is the second time this application has been considered  - the limit for the second application was raised from 
£100k plus VAT to £200k plus VAT 
3. 

The chief executive refused one application for external recruitment 
(Web Developer contract extension) 4. 

The Director of Corporate Services did not consider any applications for consultancy <£20,000.