Council – Statutory Independent Person

Posts available: 1 (not actual employment).
Contract: Temporary – appointment will be made for a period of three years.
Term: The successful candidate will be one of two Independent Persons available for consultation throughout the year and will be required to attend some committee meetings and associated training and development events.
Salary: Annual allowance of £750 pounds.
Location: Cunard Building, Liverpool.

Liverpool City Council comprises of 85 Councillors, representing 64 electoral wards. Councillors were elected in May 2023 for a 4-year term. The political composition of the Council is as follows:

• 3 Green Party Councillors
• 3 Liberal Party Councillors
• 3 Liverpool Community Independent Councillors

As well as representing their wards, these 85 Councillors sit together to collectively form ‘The Council’ and are responsible for setting the Council’s Budget and Policy Framework.

The Council operates a Leader and Executive model. This means that the Leader of the Council is elected by Full Council to lead the Council for a 4-year term. The Leader is then responsible for appointing an Executive body (referred to as the Cabinet) and the current Cabinet is made up of 10 members. The Cabinet is responsible for implementing the budget and policy framework approved by the Council.

Liverpool City Council is recruiting an individual to act as the Council’s Statutory Independent Person (IP), acting alongside an existing IP. As a Statutory Independent Person, you will provide an impartial perspective on councillor misconduct complaints, ensuring public confidence and high ethical standards within the local government system. Your role is set out in legislation, (S2 Localism Act 2011 (England)), and you will act as a consultant during the investigation of breaches to the Code of Conduct, offering an objective opinion on the matter.

Please note:

the successful candidate will be one of two Independent Persons available for consultation by the Monitoring Officer throughout the year and will be required to attend any associated training and development events as well as time required for preparation of meetings. The successful applicant is also expected to attend some meetings of the Constitution and Standards Committee. The committee meets five times each year.

We expect that applicants will need to be able to attend meetings in person. Applicants will need to be contactable throughout the year. The appointment will be made for three years.

If you have the ability to act with integrity, objectivity, and impartiality, this Statutory Independent Person role is a fantastic opportunity to contribute to Liverpool City Council’s continual improvement and development.