Vacancy Details

Description

 

Assistant Coroner for Stoke on Trent and North Staffordshire and South Staffordshire

Salary – fee paid, £ 437 per day. [in line with the JNC Coroners Circular 63]

Closing date: 02 August 2021

This is a joint recruitment between Stoke on Trent City Council and Staffordshire County Council who are seeking to appoint four new Assistant Coroners to support the Senior Coroner in Stoke on Trent and North Staffordshire and the Senior Coroner in South Staffordshire across the full range of coroner duties in order to deliver a high-quality coroner service to the people of Stoke on Trent and Staffordshire.

 

This will be a cross jurisdictional appointment.

About the post:

Stoke on Trent City Council and Staffordshire County Council are looking for an exceptional candidate with excellent proven organisational, management and efficiency skills, as well as experience of exercising sound judgement and communicating effectively. You will work closely with the Senior and Area Coroners of Stoke on Trent and North Staffordshire and the Senior Coroner of South Staffordshire to ensure value for money, performance and financial efficiencies.

You will be required to demonstrate knowledge and experience of coroner law and of basic medicine, have proven skills in conducting investigations and an understanding of court procedure. You will also need to demonstrate the excellent communication and interpersonal skills necessary to deal with sensitive situations. 

 

The successful candidate will be required to carry out the duties and responsibilities of a coroner as defined in the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 and associated rules and regulations and as further described in various guidance issued by the Chief Coroner.

 

These are fee paid positions although they are likely to involve a regular commitment, which is to be agreed between the Assistant Coroner, Senior Coroner and the Local Authority.

 

It is a Coroner’s personal responsibility (and not that of his/her clerk/secretary) to ensure that they sit when possible.  The Chief Coroner and the Lord Chancellor would expect an assistant coroner to offer a minimum of 20 sitting days each financial year.  However, it is recognised that there is a variance of workload in each area.

 

Who can apply:

The successful candidate will be a barrister or a solicitor or Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives and satisfy the judicial-appointment eligibility condition which means they will have 5 years of experience whilst holding that qualification. They will be under the age of 70 and be subject to the appointment and eligibility conditions within the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 (s.23 and Schedule 3).

 

Statutory terms of the appointment:

 

Once a Coroner is appointed they are then a Judicial Office holder until they reach the age of 70 years (compulsory retirement age) unless they choose to resign or are removed by the Lord Chief Justice or Lord Chancellor prior to their 70th birthday. 

 

How to apply:

The candidate pack is attached to the advert.

 

If you wish to have an informal discussion or arrange a visit, please contact Senior Coroner, Andrew Barkley by email Andrew.barkley@stoke.gov.uk

 

Suitably qualified applicants are requested to email their CV and supporting statement to: recruitment@stoke.gov.uk please quote Assistant Coroner in the subject line.