Kingston Upon Thames & Sutton Councils
Job title:
Independent Person (Governance)
Company
Kingston Upon Thames & Sutton Councils
Job description
About the BoroughIn Sutton, there is much for us to be proud of both as a council and as a borough. This includes high levels of resident satisfaction, the quality of our services, our success in addressing our financial challenges to date, the way that we involve and engage with residents on key issues facing the borough, and the enthusiastic and motivated staff that we employ.Looking ahead, there are plans for the delivery of new homes and new schools and the London Cancer Hub is being developed, while the Council is also seen as a driving force within the South London Partnership of five outer south west London boroughs focused on strategic growth, regeneration and investment.All of this demonstrates a good track record and an authority that is ambitious and set to deliver more improvements for the borough. We’ve set out our vision for the future of Sutton in our corporate plan – Ambitious for Sutton. This strategic plan will shape the outcomes we achieve, the services we provide, and the impact we have on residents, to make Sutton a great place to live, work and raise a family.Situated in Zone 5, Sutton is less than 30 minutes by train from central London, and south and south west London are easily accessible by public transport. There are 10 train stations which serve key neighbourhoods within the borough providing direct connections to London Victoria, London Bridge, London Blackfriars and St Pancras International. Sutton also has direct rail connections with Epsom, Dorking, Guildford and Horsham, as well as Wimbledon for an interchange with the London Underground and West Croydon for the London Overground. There’s also an extensive road network which provides close and easy access to the M25 and M23.About the RoleAs an Independent Person: Governance, you will support the Monitoring Officer of Sutton Council and provide an independent view on Code of Conduct complaints submitted against members of the council (elected Councillors).The expected average time commitment is only one or two hours per week and is dependent on the number of complaints received. The Council aims to maintain a small panel of independent persons, typically 2 or 3 at any one time, both to allow for any conflicts of interest and to share the workload.Key aspects of the role include:
- Providing advice to the Monitoring Officer in considering allegations that a councillor/co-opted member has breached the council’s Code of Conduct;
- Sometimes sharing your views on a complaint with the councillor against whom it has been submitted;
- If necessary, attending meetings of the Code of Conduct Panel and council committees, for which reasonable expenses will be paid
About UsAs an Independent Person, you will not be a council employee. However, you will work closely with the Monitoring Officer, their deputies, and colleagues in reviewing Code of Conduct complaints.Reasonable expenses will be paid in the discharge of your role. As a voluntary position, you will not be expected to work to a specific schedule but will correspond with the Monitoring Officer and other officers via phone and/or email when your advice is sought.About YouIt is essential that you:
- Are familiar with the Seven Principles of Public Life (the “Nolan Principles”)
It is desirable that you:
- Have previous experience as an Independent Person;
- Are qualified or experienced in legal or governance matters
An Independent Person cannot be:
- A member, co-opted member or officer of Sutton Council nor have been one during the last five years;
- A relative or close friend of a person who fulfils the criteria above
Our Offer To YouAs an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We’re constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across – however big or small – will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.In addition, we offer a modern and flexible working environment for our staff, supported by our IT infrastructure, including Google Chromebooks and Google Apps. Our Flexible Working – Smarter Working Scheme embraces new ways of working. It provides improved work life balance for our staff as it allows staff to work from a variety of locations and staff are not required to work within the office 5 days a week.Employees have access to a wide range of benefits, some of which include:
- Generous annual leave entitlement plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply)
- Flexi-time (Please note, this applies to roles at grades 1-9 only)
- Three volunteering days per year in Sutton
- Comprehensive learning and development programme
- Local and national discounts for shopping, eating out and leisure activities
- Interest free season ticket loans
- Local Government Pension Scheme
- Car parking scheme
- Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme
- Zip car scheme
- Free eye tests and contribution towards glasses
- Confidential wellbeing and counselling support
- Subsidised gym membership
Application ProcessPlease apply online outlining what skills, abilities and experience you can bring which makes you an ideal candidate for this role. Please ensure you refer to the requirements outlined in the job profile when completing your application.To support our diversity agenda and reduce the risk of bias in our recruitment activities, our short listing process completely anonymises personal information that can identify job applicants e.g. name, title etc. Our hiring managers review and short list applications based on the information provided as part of your application as to how well you meet the requirements and criteria for the role, as outlined in the job profile.The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.Additional InformationWe pride ourselves on being a diverse, inclusive and welcoming Borough and we aim to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve – the key highlights from our recent Equalities Workforce Report can be seen We are respectful of difference and realise the positive value of diversity in our workforce. We welcome and encourage job applications from people of all backgrounds and particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates and disabled candidates, as these groups are currently under-represented in our workforce. As part of our Disability Confident Committed status, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum/essential criteria for the role.We offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums, and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda.The UK has introduced a new points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the for right to work guidance.Important Information – Political Restrictions
This post has been deemed as politically restricted / sensitive and therefore applicants will be required to declare any interests that may be deemed political as part of their application.
Job Profile
Expected salary
Location
Sutton, Greater London
Job date
Wed, 07 Aug 2024 23:01:57 GMT
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