The Thames Valley Recruitment Advisory Committee on Justices of the Peace is committed to providing equal opportunities for all, irrespective of race, age, disability, gender, marital status, religion, sexual orientation, transgender and working patterns and to the principle of public appointments on merit with independent assessments, openness and transparency or process.
Lay Members - Thames Valley Committee on Justices of the Peace
Contents
Summary
- Organisation
- Advisory Committees on Justices of the Peace
- Sponsor department
- Ministry of Justice
- Location
- South East
- Sectors
- Judicial, Prisons & Policing
- Skills
- Judicial
- Number of vacancies
- 1
- Time commitment
- Adhoc
- Length of term
- 9 years
- Application deadline
- 7pm on 11 August 2024
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Timeline for this appointment
-
Opening date
19 July 2024
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Application deadline
7pm on 11 August 2024
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Sifting date
12 August 2024
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Interviews expected to end on
30 September 2024
Timeline dates are only an estimate and can change
About the appointment
Introduction
The Thames Valley Recruitment Advisory Committee on Justices of the Peace is responsible for the recruitment and selection of magistrates within Thames Valley and for liaison with the Judicial Office.
Volunteers are needed to sit as lay members on the Lord Chancellor’s Recruitment Advisory Committee on Justices of the Peace for Thames Valley. As a lay member of the committee you would be involved in interviewing and selecting prospective new magistrates.
Key Functions of the Recruitment Advisory Committee
- Recruit and recommend, to the Senior Presiding Judge, candidates for appointment to the Magistracy
- Encourage applications to the Magistracy and Advisory Committee membership from under-represented groups
Other functions of the Recruitment Advisory Committee
- 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
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
The qualities sought in members of Advisory Committees include: good interpersonal skills; good judgement of character and ability; the ability to articulate clear, well founded reason on the suitability or otherwise of candidates; awareness of their own personal prejudices and an ability to set them aside; discretion in handling confidential information; the ability to work as a team member; commitment, dedication and enthusiasm; willingness to undergo such training as the Lord Chancellor may, from time to time, prescribe; understanding or willingness to acquire understanding of the local bench; willingness to talk about the magistracy and to participate in recruitment activities;
Members also need to be able to participate in interviewing candidates for the magistracy and therefore experience of interviewing is an advantage, but not essential.
Lay members of Advisory Committees bring a valuable external influence to the processes;
The Lord Chancellor will not appoint a person to serve on a committee beyond their 75th birthday.
Desirable criteria
Time Requirements
Total appointment to a maximum of 9 years. (Previous members of Advisory Committees who have already served a nine-year term are ineligible to apply)
The annual time commitment required can vary depending on the level of magistrate recruitment the committee is undertaking each year, but as a general guide this may involve between ten to twenty days of interviewing, the vast majority of which are held remotely via Microsoft Teams. In any event the Committee usually holds an average of two full meetings a year and members may also be required to attend training sessions from time to time. Meetings, interviews, and training events are generally held within normal business hours Monday to Friday.
Remuneration
Non-remunerated. Members who incur a financial loss through attendance at meetings and other official committee business may claim an allowance equal to that loss. Reasonable travel and subsistence expenses will be met.
Interviews for these vacancies will take place in September and will be conducted remotely via Microsoft Teams.
Successful applicants will be invited to attend one day of training held remotely via Microsoft Teams on either 11 October 2024 or 7 November 2024..
Successful applicants must attend this training to join the Advisory Committee.
Application and selection process
TBC
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 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.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.
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.
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:
Ø Any outside interests that you may have, such as shares you may hold in a company providing services to government
Ø 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).
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.
The Cabinet Office will use your data in line with our privacy policy.
For any queries, please contact South-East-Advisory@justice.gov.uk