Independent Member

Warwickshire County Council is looking to recruit an Independent Member to join the council's Audit and Standards Committee to commence late in 2024, or early in 2025. About the Role The Audit and Standards Committee ensures that the Council has robust systems of internal control, making sure that both councillors and officers follow high standards of conduct in the way they conduct the business of the council. The membership is a mix of councillors and people independent from the Council. As an Independent Member you will play an important role in enhancing the skills, experience and knowledge of the Audit and Standards Committee and supporting it to continue as a cornerstone of our governance and assurance framework. One of our two Independent Members will be appointed as Chair of the Audit & Standards Committee, so this affords an exciting opportunity for the successful candidate. The Candidate The post holder will ideally have experience in matters of audit, risk management, performance management and of corporate and financial governance and controls. You should be able to demonstrate the ability to think strategically and analyse information so as to be able to offer robust and reasonable challenge. You will also have effective interpersonal skills and high standards of personal integrity. The Committee meets approximately four times a year with each meeting generally lasting between 2-3 hours. Occasional Sub-Committees are also convened as required. Meetings take place on weekdays at Shire Hall, Warwick.

The Fluency Duty is outlined in the Code of Practice on the English language requirements for public sector workers. The Fluency Duty for this role is Required. You must be able to speak and provide advice in accurate spoken English to the public.

As a local authority we take on a wide range of roles, whether we are providing specialist care and support to the most vulnerable in our communities, or championing Warwickshire as a choice for business through our work to promote economic growth and innovation. Warwickshire is famous the world over as Shakespeare's county- but that's only half the story. We're also vibrant and modern. One of the fastest growing commercial regions in the UK, we're home to many leading companies and developing exciting opportunities for everyone who lives and works here. We pride ourselves on being an innovative employer that like to encourage new ways of working. Likewise, our ability to make decisions quickly is as important to us as it is to our customers. We work actively with partner organisations to deliver our core services:

• Schools and Learning
• Social Care and Health
• Community Safety
• Environment and Planning
• Leisure and Tourism
• Roads and Travel
  
  The role of Independent Member attracts an allowance of £1,427.14 per annum plus reasonable travel expenses. The role of Chairman attracts an annual allowance of £5,309.68 plus reasonable travel expenses.
The appointment is open to people over 18 who live or work in Warwickshire but have not held political office in the last five years or been an employee of the Council in the last five years. Working for Warwickshire - This is the difference you make Warwickshire County Council is a place where everyone feels valued, included, safe, supported, and welcome. Our people are at the heart of this vision, could you be one of them! At Warwickshire County Council we are committed to ensuring Warwickshire's economy is vibrant and supported by the right jobs, training, skills and infrastructure. Our people vision for Warwickshire County Council is a great place to work where diverse and talented people are enabled to be their best. Your future matters to us, we provide a generous pension scheme which includes an employer contribution rate of typically around 19 percent per month, to help support your financial security during retirement. The scheme also offers a valuable package of benefits for members and their dependants. To find out more please visit: Warwickshire Pension Fund homepage - Warwickshire Pension Fund' The benefits we offer include agile working, a valuable part of the pay and reward package for employees working in local government, generous annual leave entitlement, plus bank holidays and an additional day at Christmas, and access to Vivup benefits and discounts platform.