Recruitment pack for appointment of independent persons

Appointment of independent persons

Under the provisions of the Localism Act 2011 (the Act), the council is required to appoint at least one independent person to assist the council in dealing with complaints about its elected members and co-opted members (together referred to as ‘members’).

To provide cover for holiday and sickness absences, or where a potential conflict of interests may arise, the council has agreed that three independent persons should be appointed. The appointment will be for a period of up to four years.

An allowance of £610.04 per annum for the position is payable together with reimbursement of travel expenses: Appendix L: Councillor and Co-opted Members Allowances Scheme

For further details please contact:

Jan Guyler, Monitoring Officer, Canterbury City Council
Tel: 01227 910590
Email: jan.guyler@canterbury.gov.uk

The closing date for applications is 5pm on Friday 27 February 2026.

Appointment of independent person – background information

The Act requires the council to promote and maintain high standards of conduct by its members.

The statutory regulatory framework sets out the responsibilities for deciding how to deal with conduct issues at a local level and this includes a council adopting its own local code of conduct and determining arrangements for dealing with complaints about its members. The local code of conduct must be consistent with the Seven Principles of Public life (the Nolan Principles) i.e. selflessness, integrity, objectivity, openness, accountability, honesty and leadership. The council’s Members’ Code of Conduct forms part of the constitution available on the council website: Appendix B - Code of Conduct.pdf

The council has determined procedures for handling complaints against members which are also available on the council’s website: Appendix C - Arrangements for dealing with Code of Conduct complaints.pdf

Full details of the role and responsibilities of the independent person are included in this recruitment pack.

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
understand and comply with data security requirements
be a good communicator

Desirable additional criteria are:

working knowledge and or 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

Means of assessment will be by CV and covering letter setting out how your skills and experience meet the selection criteria and subsequent interview.

Please note, you will be required to be contactable during normal working hours by telephone or by email and to be available to attend meetings, which may be held in the daytime.

Eligibility for appointment

A person cannot be appointed as an independent person if:

They are or were within a period of five years immediately prior to the appointment, a member, co-opted member or employee of the council, or
They are a relative or close friend of a member, co-opted member or employee of the council

You must be aged 18 or over.

Independent person - role description

Responsible to: The council
Liaison with: Monitoring Officer, members of the Standards Committee, officers and members of the council

To assist the Council in promoting high standards of conduct by elected and co-opted members of the council and to uphold the Members’ Code of Conduct adopted by the council in accordance with the principles of conduct in public office, namely selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.
To be available for consultation at each stage of the complaints handling process either by the Monitoring Officer or by the Standards Committee and its sub-committees including:
- during the initial assessment of a complaint against a member
- before a decision is taken as to whether to investigate a complaint or to seek local resolution of the same
- before a decision is taken as to whether to refer the matter to a hearing of the Standards Committee, and
- before a decision is taken on an allegation that has been investigated, and to be available to attend meetings for this purpose.
To be available for consultation at any stage of the complaints handling process by any member who is the subject of a conduct complaint.
To be available for appointment to any panel required to be convened to consider disciplinary action against certain chief officers.
To develop a sound understanding of the ethical framework as it operates within Canterbury City Council.
To understand their duties under data protection legislation and to take any action required to ensure that any personal data provided by the council is held securely.
To participate in training events to develop skills, knowledge and experience and in networks developed for independent persons in other local authorities.
To attend training events organised and promoted by the Standards Committee.
To act as advocate and ambassador for the council in promoting ethical behaviour by ensuring that own personal conduct adheres to the Principles of Public Life when acting in the role of independent person: The Seven Principles of Public Life - GOV.UK.

Online forms down at the moment