MAIDSTONE BOROUGH COUNCIL
APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT PERSON
Under the provisions of the Localism Act 2011, the Council is required to appoint an Independent Person to assist the Council in promoting and maintaining high standards of conduct amongst its elected members and parish councillors.
The Independent Person will be consulted on the decision to investigate complaints and before the Standards Sub-Committee of the Council makes a decision on an investigated complaint. The Independent Person may be consulted on other standards matters, including by the member who is subject to an allegation.
A fixed allowance of £700 per annum is proposed to be payable for the Independent Person together with reimbursement of travel and subsistence expenses (to be confirmed) and a fixed allowance of £300 per annum for a Reserve Independent Person.
For further details, including an information pack and eligibility criteria, please visit the Council’s website or contact:
Paul Fisher
Head of Legal Services
Maidstone Borough Council
Maidstone House
King Street, Maidstone
Kent ME15 6JQ
Tel: 01622 602006
Email: paulfisher@maidstone.gov.uk
Website: www.maidstone.gov.uk
The closing date for applications is 17 August 2012. Interviews will be held in late August/early September 2012.
APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT PERSON – BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Under the provisions of the Localism Act 2011 the way that Maidstone Borough Council will deal with conduct complaints about its elected members and town and parish councillors in its area is changing.
The statutory regulatory framework will be abolished and the Borough Council will be responsible for deciding how to deal with standards issues at a local level, including adopting its own local code and determining what arrangements it will adopt to deal with complaints.
The Act provides that the Council must appoint an Independent Person to assist in dealing with complaints of misconduct. Full details of the role and responsibilities of the Independent Person are included in this Recruitment Pack.
The new arrangements came into effect on 1st July 2012.
It is intended to appoint an Independent Person together with a “Reserve” candidate to be in a position to act as Independent Person in the event that the person appointed is incapacitated or otherwise unable to act.
INDEPENDENT PERSON
SELECTION CRITERIA
SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES
The Independent Person will have:
· a keen interest in standards in public life.
· a wish to serve the local community and uphold local democracy.
· the ability to be objective, independent and impartial.
· sound decision making skills
· leadership qualities, particularly in respect of exercising sound judgement.
The Independent Person will:
· be a person in whose impartiality and integrity the public can have confidence.
· understand and comply with confidentiality requirements.
· have a demonstrable interest in local issues.
· have an awareness of the importance of ethical behaviours.
· be a good communicator.
Desirable additional criteria are:
· working knowledge/experience of local government or other public service and/or of large complex organisations and awareness of and sensitivity to the political process.
· knowledge and understanding of judicial/quasi-judicial or complaints processes.
You should demonstrate in your application how you meet the above criteria as this will assist the short-listing process.
Means of assessment will be by application form and by interview.
NOTE: You will be required to be contactable at all times during normal working hours by telephone or by email and to be available to attend hearings which may be held in the day time and at relatively short notice.
Eligibility for Appointment
A person cannot be appointed as an Independent Person if they are or were within a period of 5 years prior to the appointment:
· a member, co-opted member or officer of the authority.
· A member, co-opted member or officer of a parish council in the Borough Council’s area, or a relative or close friend of the above.
However, by virtue of transitional arrangements this will not prevent former independent members of the Council’s Standards Committee from being eligible for appointment.
ROLE OF INDEPENDENT PERSON – MAIDSTONE BOROUGH COUNCIL
ROLE DESCRIPTION
Responsible to: The Council
Liaison with: Monitoring Officer, members of the Standards Committee, officers and members of the Borough Council and Town and Parish Councillors within the borough, key stakeholders within the community.
1. To assist the Council in promoting high standards of conduct by elected and co-opted members of Maidstone Borough Council and parish councillors and in particular to uphold the Code of Conduct adopted by the Council and the seven principles of public office, namely selflessness, honesty, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness and leadership.
2. To be consulted by the Council through the Monitoring Officer and/or the Standards Committee before it makes a decision on an investigated allegation and to be available to attend meetings of the Hearing Panel of the Standards Committee for this purpose.
3. To be available for consultation by the Monitoring Officer and/or the Standards Committee before a decision is taken as to whether to investigate a complaint or to seek local resolution of the same.
4. To be available for consultation by any elected member, including parish councillors, who are the subject of a standards complaint.
5. To develop a sound understanding of the ethical framework as it operates within Maidstone Borough Council and its town and parish councils.
6. To participate in training events to develop skills, knowledge and experience and in networks developed for Independent Persons operating outside the Borough Council’s area.
7. To attend training events organised and promoted by the Council’s Standards Committee.
MAIDSTONE BOROUGH COUNCIL
APPLICATION FOR THE POSITION OF INDEPENDENT PERSON
Individuals who wish to be considered for appointment as Independent Person at Maidstone Borough Council are requested to provide the following information to support their application. All information provided will be treated in the strictest confidence and will only be used for the purposes of selection. Please feel free to use a separate continuation page if you wish to expand upon your answer to any question outlined below.
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1. PERSONAL DETAILS
Name:
Address:
Postcode:
National Insurance Number:
Contact Details:
Daytime Telephone Number: Daytime Fax Number: Email Address:
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2. QUALIFICATIONS (Please list in particular any qualifications which you think are relevant to the position of Independent Person)
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3. SUMMARY OF EXPERIENCE (Please give a brief account of your experience including career, public and voluntary work together with the nature of your current or most recent occupation)
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4. RELEVANT EXPERTISE/SKILLS (Please outline briefly any knowledge or expertise which you believe would be particularly relevant to your role as an Independent Person having regard to the selection criteria and role description)
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5. Why do you wish to be considered for appointment as Independent Person and what particular attributes do you believe you would bring to the role?
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6. Please provide any additional information you may wish to give in support of your application:
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7. References will be taken up for all applicants who are invited for interview
1. Name: 2. Name: ................................................ ............................................... Address: Address: ................................................ ............................................... ................................................ ............................................... ................................................ ............................................... ................................................ ...............................................
Telephone No: ........................... Telephone No............................
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I wish to apply to be an Independent Person.
In submitting this application, I declare that:
· I am not and have not during the past five years been a Member or Officer of the Borough Council.
· I am not related to, or a close friend of, any Member or Officer of the Borough Council.
· I am not currently an Officer or Member of any other relevant authority (this includes parish, borough, county and unitary councils and Police and Fire Authorities).
· I am not actively engaged in party political activity. *
· I am a former independent member of the Standards Committee. *
· I have not been a co-opted member of Maidstone Borough Council during the past 5 years *
Signed ...................................................................................
Date: ...................................................................................
Please return this application form by 17 August 2012 addressed to:
Paul Fisher
Head of Legal Services
Maidstone Borough Council
Maidstone House
King Street, Maidstone
Kent
ME15 6JQ
Or the completed form to paulfisher@maidstone.gov.uk
(* Please delete as applicable)