Independent Member - Standards

Job Description

Organisation: London Borough of Waltham Forest 

Salary: £1,109.49
 

Application Deadline: 25/09/2026

Proposed Interview Date(s): TBC - early October
 

About Us:

Bursting with culture, energy, and opportunity, the London Borough of Waltham Forest is a fantastic and exciting place to work.

We are a highly ambitious borough. Driven by culture and the innate creativity of our residents, we have developed new and innovative ways to build our communities. Our Council is relentlessly resident-focused, insight-led, digitally driven and commercially minded; a Council focused on meeting the needs of our existing and future residents.

London Borough of Waltham Forest is one of the Mayor of London’s Good Work Standard employers. This accreditation is a proof of our commitment to creating a healthy, fair and inclusive workplace. This includes fair pay and conditions, workplace well-being, skills and progression and diversity and recruitment.

About the role:

Waltham Forest Council is seeking to appoint one Independent Person (Conduct/Standards) to support the Council in promoting and maintaining high standards of conduct among elected and co‑opted members. This statutory position, created under Section 28(7) of the Localism Act 2011, forms a crucial part of the Council’s Ethical Governance Framework.

The Independent Person provides impartial advice to the Monitoring Officer, the Audit & Governance Committee, and its Sub‑Committee on matters relating to the Members’ Code of Conduct. They may also be consulted during the assessment of complaints against councillors, including by the councillor who is the subject of the complaint.

This appointment is for a four‑year term, subject to review by Annual Council, and carries an annual allowance of £1,109.49.

>> Click here to download the Role Profile <<

Key Responsibilities:
 

• Provide impartial advice to the Monitoring Officer, the Audit & Governance Committee, and its Sub‑Committee on matters relating to the Members’ Code of Conduct.
• Be available for consultation during the assessment of complaints against councillors, including by the councillor who is the subject of the complaint.
• Attend meetings/panels relating to conduct and standards as required.

Qualifications and Requirements:
 

Essential Criteria

• A strong interest in promoting high ethical standards in local government, with an understanding of the principles underlying the Members’ Code of Conduct.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively and confidently with elected members and senior officers.
• A clear understanding of accountability, objectivity, and the public scrutiny applied to those in public office.
• Strong analytical, questioning and evaluative skills, including the ability to use logical reasoning, demonstrate open‑mindedness, and make impartial, evidence‑based judgements.
• Ability to review, interpret and absorb substantial and sometimes complex information quickly and accurately.
• A reputation for integrity, impartiality and confidentiality, inspiring confidence from councillors and the public.
• Experience of dealing with confidential and sensitive matters.
• Ability to attend meetings (sometimes at short notice) and be available for consultation via phone or email.
• Commitment to equality, inclusion, and awareness of the issues affecting the local community.
• Not a member of any political party and without a public political profile.
• Willingness to disclose any matter that could call into question independence or suitability for the role.
• Experience in complaints handling, investigative panels, regulatory decision‑making, or similar quasi‑judicial processes.
• Understanding of the role of elected councillors, ethical governance, and standards in public life.
• Prior experience in legal, governance, or comparable professional environments where impartial judgement is required.
   

Desirable Criteria

• Experience in complaints handling, investigative panels, regulatory decision‑making, or similar quasi‑judicial processes.
• Understanding of the role of elected councillors, ethical governance, and standards in public life.
• Prior experience in legal, governance, or comparable professional environments where impartial judgement is required.

Terms and conditions:

The below terms and conditions apply to this role:

• Satisfactory employment references and CIFAS identity checks;

• Satisfactory declaration of interest;

• As a public authority, we must ensure that members of staff in public-facing roles are able to speak fluent English. This means that they must have a command of spoken English, with confidence and accuracy, sufficient for the effective performance of their role. This requirement does not refer to any particular English language qualifications, regional or international accents, dialects, speech impediments or the tone of conversations. It does not require staff to speak only in English.

How to Apply:

Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications online by pressing the ‘Apply’ button below. This includes a supporting statement that outlines to us how your skills and experience make you a good candidate for this vacancy.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible. 

Equal Opportunity Employer:

Waltham Forest is a diverse borough where diversity is valued and is integral to both, service delivery and employment of its staff. The Council is proud of its rich mix of communities and as the largest employer in the area, it works hard to respond to the changing needs of its population. We use our statutory duties on race, gender and disability equality and best practice in respect of age, faith and sexual orientation to ensure equality of opportunity in the workplace. The Council is committed to meeting its 4 equality objectives: - Promoting equality of opportunity - Opposing all forms of discrimination, intolerance and disadvantage - Ensuring our workforce reflects the diverse communities of Waltham Forest at all levels. - Providing fair, appropriate, accessible and excellent Services to all. Respecting Diversity is a core Council value.

To support the above and reduce the risk of bias in its recruitment activities, the council is operating an anonymous shortlisting process, which hides personal information that can identify individuals until their application has been considered for shortlisting. The council also operates a scheme whereby, for jobs graded up to and including scale SO2, internal candidates are considered first. This includes those candidates who self-identify as having a disability for the purposes of the Disability Confident scheme. For more information, please refer to our recruitment and selection policy.

We are keen to support employees to balance their working life with other commitments. Therefore, wherever possible, we will consider working arrangements that suit an indiv