- Guidance for completing the application can be found here: https://papt-candidate-packs-live.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/Appendix-1B-Part-1-+Applicant-Guidance.pdf
- All applicants must complete a standard application form: https://papt-candidate-packs-live.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/Appendix-1B-Part-2-+Application-Form.pdf.
- References will be sought for non-magistrate applicants.
- Advisory Committee Members will conduct all interviews.
- The Panel will make its recommendations directly to the Lord Chancellor.
- Members of the Advisory Committees will normally be appointed for a nine year term of office.
- Members are not normally appointed for a period that would extend beyond their 75th birthday.
Cheshire & Merseyside Advisory Committee – non magistrate members x 5
Contents
Summary
- Organisation
- Advisory Committees on Justices of the Peace
- Sponsor department
- Ministry of Justice
- Location
- North West
- Sectors
- Judicial, Prisons & Policing
- Skills
- Communication, Human Resources, Legal, Judicial
- Number of vacancies
- 5
- Time commitment
- Adhoc
- Length of term
- 9 years
- Application deadline
- Midday on 31 July 2022
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Timeline for this appointment
-
Opening date
6 June 2022
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Application deadline
Midday on 31 July 2022
-
Interviews expected to end on
30 September 2022
Timeline dates are only an estimate and can change
About the appointment
Introduction
The Advisory Committee for Magistrates’ Courts deals with the recruitment and recommendation for appointment of Magistrates within their areas. The Advisory Committee consists of twenty two members: two thirds are Magistrates (14) and one third non Magistrate members (8). The Cheshire and Merseyside Advisory Committee is currently recruiting Magistrate and non-Magistrate panel members.
Appointment description
Advisory committee members are expected to:
- Abide by the seven principles set out in the Standards in Public Life: Selflessness; Integrity; Objectivity; Accountability; Openness; Honesty and Leadership.
- Attend training.
- Attend meetings of the committee.
- Be willing and able to make a fulsome contribution to the work of the committee, including attending meetings.
- Adhere to the policies and processes set out in The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State’s Directions for Advisory Committees on Justices of the Peace.
- Follow any additional guidance issued by the Lord Chief Justice, the Lord Chancellor (or their delegates).
The functions of recruitment advisory committees are to:
- Recruit and recommend to the Senior Presiding Judge (exercising functions on behalf of the Lord Chief Justice) candidates for appointment to the magistracy;
- Recruit and recommend to the Lord Chancellor, candidates for membership of the advisory committee;
- Consider requests for review of decisions relating to recommendations for appointment;
- Encourage applications to the magistracy and advisory committee membership from underrepresented groups; and
- Consider and provide observations on the data gathered by the committee secretary as part of judicial resource exercises.
Organisation description
The functions of conduct advisory committees are to:
- Ensure that magistrates fulfil their obligations to sit and complete required training, and maintain the commitments given by signing the Declaration and Undertaking;
- Investigate allegations of misconduct by magistrates and make recommendations to the Lord Chief Justice and the Lord Chancellor in accordance with the Judicial Conduct (Magistrates) Rules 2014 and Justice of the Peace Rules 2016;
- Consider decisions by the Family Training, Approvals, Authorisations and Appraisals Committee (FTAAAC) and Justices’ Training Approvals, Authorisations and Appraisals Committee (JTAAAC) where a magistrate has failed to reach the required standard and to make any formal recommendation for removal to the Lord Chief Justice and the Lord Chancellor in accordance with the Judicial Conduct (Magistrates) Rules 2014 and the Justice of the Peace Rules 2016;
- Manage post-appointment matters such as transfers across local justice areas, re-appointments and re-activations and consideration of matters relating to sittings and leave of absence requests referred to the committee by bench chairs; and
- Maintain strategic oversight of sitting levels and leave of absence to ensure they are aware of issues that may impact upon future recruitment numbers
Conduct advisory committee members are recruited from the recruitment advisory committees so as to maintain cross-fertilisation of experience. Direct recruitment into advisory committees is therefore through applying for, and gaining experience of, recruitment advisory committees.
Regulation of appointment
This post is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. For more information, please refer to the Commissioner’s website
Person specification
Essential criteria
Successful candidates will have good interpersonal skills and good judgement of character and will possess the ability to interview candidates for the Magistracy.
Desirable criteria
Experience of the following is desirable, but not essential:
• Interviewing candidates in an employment context or for other public appointments/voluntary roles.
• Working with disciplinary/investigatory procedures.
Application and selection process
Public appointments are made on merit following a fair and open competition process which is conducted in accordance with the Governance Code for Public Appointments. We will deal with your application as quickly as possible and will keep you informed at key stages. We aim to conclude the appointment process within three months of the deadline for applications – this is in accordance with the Governance Code.
The assessment process
Ministers are responsible and accountable to Parliament for the public appointments made within their department. As a result, they must be consulted at every stage of the appointments process.
An Advisory Assessment Panel (“Panel”) is appointed by Ministers to assist them in their decision making. The role of the Panel is to decide, objectively, which candidates meet the eligibility criteria for the role.
At the shortlisting meeting the Panel will assess applications against the eligibility criteria and decide which candidates should be recommended for interview. Ministers will then be consulted on the Panel’s recommended shortlist.
Once the shortlist has been agreed by Ministers, you will be advised (by e-mail) whether you have been shortlisted. Those shortlisted will be invited to an interview.
The Panel will meet again to interview candidates and determine who is appointable to the role. The names of all appointable candidates are provided to Ministers. It is then for Ministers to determine merit and decide who should be appointed. In some circumstances, Ministers may choose not to appoint any candidates and re-run the competition.
The Panel’s recommendations will be provided to Ministers in a report which details the assessment method used and the outcome of each interview. They will then be asked to agree on the candidate(s) who should be appointed.
Once the decision on the appointment has been made, interviewed candidates will be advised of the outcome of their application. Successful candidates will be issued with their Terms & Conditions and a letter of appointment should they agree to take up the position.
Advisory Assessment Panels (AAP) are chosen by ministers to assist them in their decision-making. These include a departmental official and an independent member. For competitions recruiting non-executive members of a board (apart from the Chair), the panel will usually include a representative from the public body concerned.
AAP’s perform a number of functions, including agreeing an assessment strategy with ministers, undertaking sifting, carrying out interviews in line with the advertised criteria and deciding objectively who meets the published selection criteria for the role before recommending to ministers which candidates they find appointable. It is then for the minister to decide who to appoint to the role.
In general, you should have the right to work in the UK to be eligible to apply for a public appointment.
There are a small number of specialist roles that are not open to non-British citizens. Any nationality requirements will be specified in the vacancy details.
The Government expects all holders of public office to work to the highest personal and professional standards.
You cannot be considered for a public appointment if:
you are disqualified from acting as a company director (under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986);
have an unspent conviction on your criminal record;
your estate has been sequestrated in Scotland or you enter into a debt arrangement programme under Part 1 of the Debt Arrangement and Attachment (Scotland) Act 2002 (asp 17) as the debtor or have, under Scots law, granted a trust deed for creditors.
When you apply, you should declare if:
you are, or have been, bankrupt or you have made an arrangement with a creditor at any point, including the dates of this.
you are subject to a current police investigation.
You must inform the sponsor department if, during the application process, your circumstances change in respect of any of the above points.
When you apply you should also declare any relevant interests, highlighting any that you think may call into question your ability to properly discharge the responsibilities of the role you are applying for. You should also declare any other matters which may mean you may not be able to meet the requirements of the Code of Conduct of Board Members (see Outside interests and reputational issues section below)If you need further advice, please contact Ruth
McCaul (ruth.mccaul@justice.gov.uk)
The successful candidate will be required to undertake Baseline Personnel Security Standard checks in line with the Civil Service guidelines. Additional Security Clearance may also be required for certain roles. However, where this applies, candidates will be notified during the appointment process. Further information on National Security Vetting can be found on the Gov.uk website here.
Additional information for candidates
We encourage applications from talented individuals from all backgrounds and across the whole of the United Kingdom. Boards of public bodies are most effective when they reflect the diversity of views of the society they serve and this is an important part of the Government’s levelling up agenda.
We collect data about applicants’ characteristics and backgrounds, including information about people’s educational and professional backgrounds, so that we can make sure we are attracting a broad range of people to these roles and that our selection processes are fair for everyone. Without this information, it makes it difficult to see if our outreach is working, if the application process is having an unfair impact on certain groups and whether changes are making a positive difference.
When you submit your application, your responses are collected by the Cabinet Office and the government department(s) managing your application. The data is used to produce management information about the diversity of applicants. You can select “prefer not to say” to any question you do not wish to answer. The information you provide will not be seen by the Advisory Assessment Panel who review applications against the advertised criteria and conduct interviews.
We are a member of the Government’s Disability Confident scheme. We use the Disability Confident scheme symbol, along with other like-minded employers, to show our commitment to good practice in employing people with a disability. The scheme helps recruit and retain disabled people.
As part of implementing the scheme, we guarantee an interview for anyone with a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the role and who has asked that their application is considered under the scheme. Indicating that you wish your application to be considered under the scheme will in no way prejudice your application. By ‘minimum criteria,’ we mean that you must provide evidence which demonstrates that you meet the level of competence required under each of the essential criteria, as set out in the job-advert.
When you apply you will have the opportunity to select if you would like your application considered under this scheme.
Government departments are committed to making reasonable adjustments to make sure applicants with disabilities, physical or mental health conditions, or other needs are not substantially disadvantaged when applying for public appointments. This can include changing the recruitment process to enable people who wish to apply to do so.
Some examples of common changes are:
- ensuring that application forms are available in different or accessible formats;
- making adaptations to interview locations;
- allowing candidates to present their skills and experience in a different way;
- giving detailed information on the selection / interview process in advance to allow candidates time to prepare themselves;
- allowing support workers, for example sign language interpreters;
- making provision for support animals to attend.
When you apply you will have the opportunity to request reasonable adjustments to the application process.
Holders of public office are expected to adhere to and uphold the Seven Principles of Public Life https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-7-principles-of-public-life/the-7-principles-of-public-life--2. These are:
- SELFLESSNESS - Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest. They should not do so in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family or their friends;
- INTEGRITY - Holders of public office should not place themselves under any financial or other obligation to outside individuals or organisations that might seek to influence them in the performance of their official duties;
- OBJECTIVITY - In carrying out public business, including making public appointments, awarding contracts, or recommending individuals for rewards and benefits, holders of public office should make choices on merit;
- ACCOUNTABILITY - Holders of public office are accountable for their decisions and actions to the public and must submit themselves to whatever scrutiny is appropriate to their office;
- OPENNESS - Holders of public office should be as open as possible about all the decisions and actions that they take. They should give reasons for their decisions and restrict information only when the wider public interest clearly demands;
- HONESTY - Holders of public office have a duty to declare any private interests relating to their public duties and to take steps to resolve any conflicts arising in a way that protects the public interest;
- LEADERSHIP - Holders of public office should promote and support these principles by leadership and example.
The Government expects all holders of public office to work to the highest personal and professional standards. In support of this, all non-executive board members of UK public bodies must abide by the principles set out in the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies. The Code sets out the standards expected from those who serve on the boards of UK public bodies and will form part of your terms and conditions of appointment.
Holders of public office are expected to adhere and uphold the Seven Principles of Public Life and the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies. Before you apply you should consider carefully:
- any outside interests that you may have, such as shares you may hold in a company providing services to government;
- any possible reputational issues arising from your past actions or or public statements that you have made;
- and/or - any political roles you hold or political campaigns you have supported;
You will need to answer relevant questions in relation to these points when making an application. Many conflicts of interest can be satisfactorily resolved and declaring a potential conflict does not prevent you from being interviewed. If you are shortlisted for an interview, the panel will discuss any potential conflicts with you during that interview, including any proposals you may have to mitigate them and record that in their advice to ministers. Alongside your own declaration, we will conduct appropriate checks, as part of which we will consider anything in the public domain related to your conduct or professional capacity. This may include searches of previous public statements and social media, blogs or any other publicly available information. The successful candidate(s) may be required to give up any conflicting interests and their other business and financial interests may be published in line with organisational policies.
Details of declared political activity will be published when the appointment is announced, as required by the Governance Code (political activity is not a bar to appointment, but must be declared).
You will not become a member of the Civil Service. You will not be subject to the provisions of employment law.
Members will be appointed for a term of nine years or until they reach the age of 70, whichever is sooner. It is not mandatory to serve for a full nine years.
Former members who previously served less than a nine-year term are not precluded from serving a further term. However, the cumulative total of both terms must not exceed nine years.
The Lord Chancellor may terminate a member’s appointment with the agreement of the Lord Chief Justice or the member concerned.Appointments are for the term set out in this advert, with the possibility of re-appointment for a further term, at the discretion of Ministers. Any re-appointment is subject to satisfactory annual appraisals of performance during the first term in the post. If re-appointed, the total time served in post will not exceed more than two terms or serve in any one post for more than ten years.
Appointments are for the term set out in this advert, with the possibility of re-appointment for a further term, at the discretion of Ministers. Any re-appointment is subject to satisfactory annual appraisals of performance during the first term in the post. If re-appointed, the total time served in post will not exceed more than two terms or serve in any one post for more than ten years
You can claim reimbursement for reasonable travel and subsistence costs necessarily incurred on official business however these payments are taxable as earnings and will be subject to tax and national insurance, both of which will be deducted at source under PAYE before you are paid.
This is an office holder appointment and does not attract any benefits under any Civil Service Pension Scheme. You will not be eligible for redundancy pay as you are not an employee. No other arrangements have been made for compensation upon termination because an office holder who is appointed for a limited duration would have no expectation of serving beyond that period.
We will notify you of the status of your application. We regret that we are only able to offer detailed feedback to candidates who have been unsuccessful at the interview stage.
We aim to process all applications as quickly as possible and to treat all applicants with courtesy.
Please contact Ruth McCaul in the first instance if you would like to make a complaint regarding your application at Ruth.McCaul@justice.gov.uk.
If you are not content with the appointing department’s response, [and this appointment is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments], you may wish to further complain to the Commissioner at publicappointments@csc.gov.uk,Further information on how the Commissioner handles complaints can be found on the Commissioner for Public Appointments’ website www.publicappointmentscommissioner.independent.gov.uk/complaints
The Cabinet Office will use your data in line with our privacy policy.
In accordance with the Public Appointments Order in Council 2019(4)(5), we will process your application in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Ministry of Justice’s Information Charter, which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/personal-information-charter.
Your data will be held securely and access will be restricted to those dealing with your application or involved in the recruitment process. Your data may also be shared with the Commissioner for Public Appointments and other relevant government departments, including the Cabinet Office, as part of a complaint investigation or review of the recruitment process. Cabinet Office will handle data in accordance with their Privacy Notice https://publicappointments.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/privacy-notice. Your data may also be disclosed as required by law or in connection with legal proceedings.
Your data will be stored for up to two years and processed for the purpose of the recruitment process, diversity monitoring and, if successful, your personal record. If appointed, your data will be stored for the duration of your tenure and may be shared with the organisation to which you are appointed, unless you specifically request us not to. Should you wish your data to be removed from our records, please contact publicappointmentsteam@Justice.gov.uk.
If you need further advice, please contact Ruth McCaul at
ruth.mccaul@justice.gov.uk