Democratic Services Officer - Kingston upon Thames, United Kingdom - The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames

The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
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Kingston upon Thames, United Kingdom

2 weeks ago

Tom O´Connor

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Tom O´Connor

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Description

Employer
Kingston Council


Location(s)
Kingston


Contract Type
Permanent


Working Hours
Full Time


Grade
F/G


Hours Per Week
36


Salary Range
£29,214 - £37,038


Salary Basis
Per annum


Leave Entitlement
27 days


Application Deadline
01/08/2023, 23:55


Anticipated Interview Date(s)
8 August 2023


About the Borough


This special place in South West London between the capital and the country has been a Royal borough longer than anywhere else - it is where the first kings of England were crowned.

Today it is a vibrant and diverse borough, with a long history and strong cultural and community heritage.

Kingston's riverside location, fantastic retail offer, historic market place and church, parks and gardens all make Kingston town centre the vibrant space it is, and each of our district town centres (Surbiton, New Malden, Tolworth and Chessington) have something unique to offer.


Situated in Zone 6, Kingston is among the best-connected town centres in London - with direct train links from Kingston and Surbiton stations to Clapham Junction and London Waterloo, as well as Wimbledon for an interchange with the London Underground and Tramlink.

Kingston's people are innovative and entrepreneurial, and have a strong sense of community pride.

The borough has been home to great industry and creativity for many years, reflected in assets such as the Rose Theatre, the International Youth Arts Festival and Kingston University, which boasts more new graduate business start-ups than any other.


We have seen tremendous generosity and compassion within our communities, particularly in response to COVID-19, which is a demonstration of Kingston's key strength.

The council offers a strong level of support to vulnerable groups and those who need additional support, which has also increased significantly as a result of the pandemic.

Like most places, the average age of our population is rising as more people are living longer, so we are working closely with residents to help them maintain their independence and further improve the cost effectiveness of our service to meet the ongoing rise in demand.


Kingston is home to people from diverse and interesting cultures and backgrounds, which helps to create the rich sense of community shared across the borough.

In particular, Kingston has a large Sri Lankan Tamil community and is home to more people from Korea than any other part of the UK.


About the Role

The role broadly involves:

  • The coordination and servicing of the Council's Committees;
  • The preparation and publication of agendas, reports and minutes;
  • The provision of advice and guidance on the procedure and law in respect of the working of the Council's Committees, its decision making processes and the ethical framework which governs the conduct of elected Members
  • Working closely with Councillors and Officers at all levels across the organisation;
  • Supporting public participation in the decisionmaking process;
- contributing to the on-going improvement and development of processes and procedures in respect Committee meetings, constitutional arrangements and support for elected Members


About Us

The Democratic Services team is a small and busy team (servicing between us around 150 meetings a year) responsible for ensuring that requirements for political decision-making processes are met, in line with the Council's Constitution, helping to contribute towards effective and lawful decision-making.


About You


We are looking for someone who's flexible and hardworking, who can plan well, multi-task and juggle priorities, as well as work accurately under pressure.

The opportunities and tasks will be varied so you must be able to work not only as a team player but independently and be a proficient IT user (we operate in Google) ideally with experience of committee management and remote meetings software.


Being a team player, you will be expected to provide mutual support and cover for colleagues in the Democratic Services team and, on occasion when required, the Electoral Services and Mayors Office teams.

You will also be working closely with our elected members (councillors) providing support and advice to them. We therefore require someone with outstanding written and verbal communication skills, tact and diplomacy. A close attention to detail is also important.

Because of the nature of the working relationship with elected Members the post is politically restricted.

It is essential that you have not been, and are not currently, involved in any activities which may lead to the perception of political bias.

Confidence in our political neutrality in the conduct of the job role is essential.

The team embraces hybrid working with its office base in Kingston.

Much of the work can be undertaken remotely you will be expected to be able to come into the office at least once a week and sometimes more frequently.

The majority of Council meetings take place in
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