Appointment details

Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) and Chair of the Commission for Local Administration in England (CLAE)

Summary
About the appointment
Person specification
Application and selection process
Additional information for candidates
Attachments

Summary

Organisation: Commission for Local Administration England (Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman)
Sponsor department: Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government
Location: Various
Sectors: Property
Skills: Change Management, Communication, Judicial, Regulation, Transformation
Number of vacancies: 1
Time commitment: 5 day(s) per week
Remuneration: £149459 per annum
Length of term: Appointments are made by Ministers for a period of up to 7 years.
Application deadline: 11pm on 19 March 2023

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Timeline for this appointment

Opening date

6 February 2023
Application deadline

11pm on 19 March 2023
Sifting date

14 April 2023
Interviews expected to end on

28 June 2023

Timeline dates are only an estimate and can change

About the appointment

Introduction from the Minister

I am seeking to appoint an outstanding individual as the new Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) and Chair for the Commission for Local Administration in England (CLAE).

Through the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill the Government is transferring more power, autonomy and responsibility to local government. This makes it increasingly vital that local citizens have an effective right of redress where services do not meet the standards that the public rightly expect and deserve.

The LGSCO is the cornerstone of this redress framework, investigating complaints from members of the public regarding possible personal injustice arising from maladministration by local authorities and social care providers. In essence their job is to “put things right when they have gone wrong” for ordinary people.

The organisation conducts ~3500 detailed investigations a year, two thirds of which uphold the complaint and make recommendations to offer remedy. In many cases, recommendations are made for systemic change, making public services better for everyone.

Further information about the LGSCO, the role of the Ombudsman and the skills and qualities we are looking for is set out below. If you have further questions about any aspect of the role or the application process, please contact PublicAppointments@levellingup.gov.uk.

If you believe you have the experience and skills are we are seeking, I would like to encourage you to consider applying at this exciting and challenging time.

Lee Rowley MP 

Parliamentary-Under Secretary of State for Local Government and Building Safety

Appointment description

The role is complex and challenging. It offers considerable scope and opportunity to shape a growing and dynamic service.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman is a prominent figure, often dealing with controversial and sensitive issues in a high profile and politically charged environment. The successful candidate must command and retain the confidence of the public, local government and Parliament while delivering an effective and impartial redress service to the satisfaction of a range of stakeholders. They must be committed to the highest levels of conduct, integrity and objectivity, equality of opportunity, and the purpose and values of the Commission. The successful candidate must be adaptable, flexible and resilient, comfortable in a change culture with both mature and balanced judgement.

The successful candidate will take up the mantle of strategic, intellectual and cultural leadership for the LGSCO; ensuring high performance and service standards through organisational leadership and public accountability, providing personal authority and oversight over all jurisdictional matters relating to investigations, and promoting a confident vision and robust values appropriate for an open and accountable public body. They will also act as the principal ambassador for the LGSCO, promoting a positive reputation and authoritatively articulating the LGSCO’s policy position at the highest level of public and Parliamentary scrutiny.

Organisation description

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) is charged by Parliament with the investigation of complaints from members of the public who have suffered personal injustice arising from maladministration by local authorities and adult social care providers. The service is free, independent and impartial, and delivers both personal redress for members of the public and recommendations for improvements to public services. The LGSCO also has an important role in providing advice and guidance on good administrative practice.

The founding legislation created the Commission for Local Administration in England (CLAE) as the host body for the LGSCO scheme and provided that the Secretary of State should designate a Local Commissioner as the Chair of the Commission. The Chair is more commonly known as the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. The Commission consists of the Chair, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman as an ex-officio member, and three (temporarily four) advisory members. Appointments to the office of Local Commissioner are made by His Majesty the King on the recommendation of the Secretary of State.

Further information on the work of the LGSCO and CLAE can be found at: https://www.lgo.org.uk/

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

Ability to operate in a quasi-judicial environment with the ability to analyse complex issues quickly and with a track record of reaching sound and balanced judgements.
Experience of strong strategic leadership skills with the ability to chair and manage a medium size organisation, ideally within a statutory framework and with a proven ability to deliver within complex governance arrangements.
A track record of a performance orientated approach to management founded on sound financial management, delivering value for money and effective risk management.
Evidence of strong change management skills, including a proven capacity to manage organisational transition and transformation.
A professional background that will inspire confidence in the local government sector and the public in the candidate’s ability to ensure fair, robust and independent investigations.
Excellent communication skills, including a proven capacity to establish credibility and build working relationships with stakeholders, conflict resolution and media handling under public and political scrutiny.

Desirable criteria

Understanding or experience of the policy and political context within which the organisation operates, including working within the local government or social care sectors in a leadership capacity or in managing service delivery.
Experience of leadership in a customer service, redress or complaints handling environment and a track record of achieving improvements.

Application and selection process

How to apply

Please submit the required documentation listed at 1-3 below to PublicAppointments@levellingup.gov.uk by 11.00 pm on 19th March 2023. If not provided your application will not be taken forward. Late applications will not be considered.

Please ensure you include ‘LGSCO’ as the subject line of your email.

1. Curriculum Vitae (maximum 2 pages). Include your education, professional qualifications and full employment history.

2. An accompanying Supporting Letter (maximum 2 pages). Please tailor setting out your suitability for the role(s) and how you meet the Selection Criteria. We suggest you use specific examples to demonstrate how you meet the Criteria. If you can offer the experience in more than one of the areas referenced above, there is no need to submit more than one supporting letter against the criteria - just clearly reference and example those Criteria in a single supporting letter.

3. Application and Diversity Information Form. This is an online form you must complete here. (https://forms.office.com/e/xrM4dQxHB2)

You should declare any potential issues including conflicts of interest (perceived, potential or actual), this includes your personal or professional history that could, if you were appointed, be misconstrued, cause embarrassment to the LGSCO, DLUHC or HM Government, or cause public confidence in the appointment to be jeopardised. The Panel will explore your declarations during the interview process. Failure to disclose such information could result in an appointment either not being made or being terminated.

Candidates should note that ‘due diligence’ will be carried out as part of the assessment process if you are called to interview and will be shared with the Panel and Ministers, this will include searches on social media, blogs and/or other publicly available information.

Diversity data will be treated in confidence and is used for data gathering information only and will not affect your application. Please complete the Disability Confident section if relevant.

You will receive an automated acknowledgement of your application.

Overview of the application 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 have best met the criteria, who should be recommended for interview. Ministers will then be consulted on the Panel’s recommended shortlist. If you have applied under the Disability Confident Scheme and you meet all the essential criteria, then you will also be invited for an interview.
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 Panel may invite you to make a brief presentation at the start of the interview and will go on to question you about your skills and experience, including asking specific questions to assess whether you meet the criteria set out for the post. The Panel will also explore with you any potential conflicts of interest or any other issues arising from your personal and professional history which may impact on an appointment decision.
Details of the panel’s assessment of interviewed candidates are provided to Ministers, including whether they have judged a candidate to be appointable to the role. 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.
Ministers may choose to meet with candidates before deciding the outcome. Candidates should therefore be prepared for a short time gap between interview and a final appointment decision being made. Candidates who have been interviewed will be kept informed of progress.
This post is subject to a Select Committee Pre-Appointment Hearing. The preferred candidate will be required to attend a pre-appointment hearing with the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee. The hearing will take place before a candidate is appointed.
Once the decision on the appointment has been made, interviewed candidates will be advised of the outcome of their application, including whom they may approach for feedback. Successful candidates will be issued with their Terms & Conditions and a letter of appointment should they agree to take up the position.

Further information about appointments, including tips on applying, can be found on our guidance pages on gov.uk.

Advisory Assessment Panel (AAP)

Catherine Frances (Panel Chair and DLUHC Representative)
Mark Lloyd (Local Government Sector Representative)
Michelle Morris (Ombudsman Representative)
Eileen Mortby (Senior Independent Panel Member)

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.

Catherine Frances (Panel Chair and DLUHC Representative)
Mark Lloyd (Local Government Sector Representative)
Michelle Morris (Ombudsman Representative)
Eileen Mortby (Senior Independent Panel Member)

Pre-appointment scrutiny

Pre-appointment scrutiny by select committees is an important part of the process for some of the most significant public appointments made by Ministers. It is designed to provide an added level of scrutiny to verify that the recruitment meets the principles set out in the Governance Code on Public Appointments. This scrutiny may involve the relevant select committee requesting and reviewing information from the Department and the Minister’s preferred candidate. The select committee may also choose to hold a pre-appointment hearing.

For this appointment, we expect that a pre-appointment hearing will take place on 18 September 2023.

If you are confirmed as the government’s preferred candidate for this role, the department will be in touch to confirm next steps. In most cases your name and CV will be provided to the relevant select committee in advance of the hearing. Following a date being agreed for a pre-appointment hearing with the committee you will be asked to complete a questionnaire in advance of that. Following the hearing, the government will review and respond to the Committee’s report before confirming the appointment.

Full information can be found in the Cabinet Office’s guidance here.

Eligibility criteria

For the advertised role, The Local Government Act 1974 disqualifies a person from appointment if they are a member of, or disqualified from election to, a local authority. The successful candidate will also be disqualified from employment by a local authority for three years after their term of office ends.

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 the DLUHC Public Appointments Team at PublicAppointments@levellingup.gov.uk.

Security clearance

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

Equality and diversity

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.

Disability confident

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 essential criteria for the role, set out in the advert, 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.

Reasonable adjustments

We 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 additional 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.

Principles of public life

Holders of public office are expected to adhere to and uphold the Seven Principles of Public Life. These are:

Selflessness - Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest.
Integrity - Holders of public office must avoid placing themselves under any obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence them in their work. They should not act or take decisions in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends. They must declare and resolve any interests and relationships.
Objectivity - Holders of public office must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.
Accountability - Holders of public office are accountable to the public for their decisions and actions and must submit themselves to the scrutiny necessary to ensure this.
Openness - Holders of public office should act and take decisions in an open and transparent manner. Information should not be withheld from the public unless there are clear and lawful reasons for so doing.
Honesty - Holders of public office should be truthful.
Leadership - Holders of public office should exhibit these principles in their own behaviour and treat others with respect. They should actively promote and robustly support the principles and challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs.

Code of conduct for board members

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.

Management of outside interests and consideration of reputational issues

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 public statements that you have made;
and/or - any political roles you hold or political campaigns you have supported;

which may call into question your ability to do the role you are applying for.

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).

Status of appointment

As this is an office holder appointment, you will not become a member of the Civil Service. You will not be subject to the provisions of employment law.

Remuneration, allowances and abatement

Remuneration for this role is treated as employment income and will be subject to tax and National Insurance contributions, both of which will be deducted at source under PAYE before you are paid.

You can claim reimbursement for reasonable travel and subsistence costs which are properly and necessarily incurred on official business, in line with the travel and subsistence policy and rates for the organisation to which you are applying. 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.

Application feedback

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.

How to complain

We aim to process all applications as quickly as possible and to treat all applicants with courtesy.

Please contact the DLUHC Public Appointments Team in the first instance if you would like to make a complaint regarding your application at PublicAppointments@levellingup.gov.uk. They will acknowledge your complaint upon receipt and respond within 15 working days.

How to complain to Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA)

If you are not content with the appointing department’s response 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 https://publicappointmentscommissioner.independent.gov.uk/regulating-appointments/investigating-complaints/

Data protection

The Cabinet Office will use your data in line with our privacy policy.

DLUHC'S Privacy Notice is included in this advert.

Contact details

For further information on the work of LGSCO and CLAE, please see the candidate pack include in the advert.

Contact the Public Appointments Team at PublicAppointments@levellingup.gov.uk for any queries.

Attachments

LGSCO Candidate Pack

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