WINCHESTER CITY COUNCIL

DO YOU WANT TO HELP MAINTAIN STANDARDS OF CONDUCT AT THE CITY COUNCIL AND IN LOCAL TOWN AND PARISH COUNCILS?

Are you fair-minded, impartial and a good communicator?

Can you reach independent conclusions based on the facts?

If the answer to these questions is ‘yes’ then you may be able to help the City Council by acting as one of three ‘Independent Persons’.

The Localism Act 2011 requires Councils to appoint at least one ‘Independent Person’ whose views would be sought and taken into account before it made any decision about an investigation about an allegation that a City or Town/Parish Councillor has breached its Code of Conduct. To provide cover for absence etc, the Council has decided to appoint three ‘Independent Persons’ and applications are invited accordingly.

The people we are seeking will need to live or work in the Winchester District. Some experience of maintaining standards and ethics in the public or private sectors and a legal or management background would be useful, or experience of a management position in a voluntary organisation. However, it will be more important to be able to provide clear thinking, make objective judgements and be impartial.

A small annual allowance plus travel and subsistence expenses will be payable. The appointments are likely to be for two years.

Please note that the following cannot be appointed if they have the following links with the City Council or Town/Parish Councils:
a) Current Councillors or officers
b) Most co-opted Members
c) Persons who have held such offices in the last 5 years
d) Relatives and close friends of such persons

You can download application details from www.winchester.gov.uk/councillors-committees.
If you would like to receive an application pack by post, please contact Katherine Jeffery on 01962 848 264 or write to the address below, or email kjeffery@winchester.gov.uk.

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact David Blakemore on 01962 848217.

The closing date for applications is Friday 3 August 2012

Stephen Whetnall
Corporate Director (Governance)
City Offices,
Colebrook Street,
Winchester
SO23 9LJ