Recommendations approved.
Reasons for recommendations:
Need for continued support to progress the document to Preferred Options.
Other options considered and rejected:
To look to backfill the vacant posts. This is still the plan, but the previous recruitments have been unsuccessful. The Councils are considering a new recruitment drive looking a replacing the 2 vacant officer posts with a single higher-level officer. However, a recruitment drive at this time will not fill the vacant posts this calendar year, therefore we need to continue existing support until that process can commence.