Notice

Best Value appointments: information for applicants

Published 14 February 2025

Applies to England

Best Value Appointee Recruitment

This round of recruitment is to identify candidates for our pool of potential appointees. We will be appointing from this pool for future Best Value inspections and interventions. Success in this recruitment does not guarantee a future appointment.

The Best Value Duty relates to the statutory requirement for local authorities and other public bodies defined as best value authorities in Part 1 of the Local Government Act 1999 (“the 1999 Act”) to “make arrangements to secure continuous improvement in the way in which its functions are exercised, having regard to a combination of economy, efficiency and effectiveness”.

For more information, please read the Best Value Guidance Best value standards and intervention: a statutory guide for best value authorities - GOV.UK

You can also read more about our current and previous inspections and interventions Statutory best value inspections and interventions in England - GOV.UK

Application Process

To apply, submit the application form along with your CV on Beapplied here by 14 March 2025.

Following a sift, prospective candidates will be invited to interview in April 2025. Interviews will be conducted virtually.

The equalities information you provide will not be used as part of the selection process and will not be seen by the interview panel.

Candidates should note that ‘due diligence’ will be carried out as part of the process if you are called to interview and will be shared with the Panel, and Ministers in the event of any future appointment. This will include searches on social media, blogs and/or other publicly available information.  References may also be requested at the interview stage.

Please note: The time taken between interview and a final decision being made can sometimes take several months. Candidates who have been interviewed will be kept informed of progress. We expect to inform candidates in late spring 2025.

Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we only provide feedback to candidates who reach the interview stage and will only be provided once the campaign has concluded. 

Diversity and Equal Opportunities

MHCLG is committed to the principle of Public Appointments on merit with independent assessment, openness and fairness of the process and providing equal opportunities. Applications are welcome from all, we particularly encourage applications from women, people from diverse ethnic backgrounds, people with disabilities and other under-represented groups.

If you believe you have the experience and qualities we are seeking, we look forward to receiving your application.

Disability Confident

MHCLG is a Disability Confident Employer. We will ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants that meet the minimum criteria for this position will be offered an interview. By ‘minimum criteria,’ we mean that you must provide evidence in your application, which demonstrates that you meet the level of competence required under each of the essential criteria.  If you wish to apply under this scheme, please indicate you wish to do so when you submit your application. It is not necessary to state your disability.

Reasonable adjustments

If you would like a confidential discussion regarding any reasonable adjustments during the process, please indicate this in the email covering your application or contact stewardshiprecruitment@communities.gov.uk. You do not need to apply under the Disability Confident Scheme to ask for a reasonable adjustment. 

Job descriptions

Best Value appointees to interventions (commissioners, panel members, envoys)

• Provide regular advice, guidance and support to the Council in developing and implementing its recovery plan.
• Work with the Council and the community to solve problems in partnership.
• Provide leadership and use your judgement to exercise any powers provided to you through Directions as and when necessary.
• Collaborate with the Council to develop and implement good local government practice drawing on your own expertise as well as other delivery partners and stakeholders.
• Be ready to challenge poor behaviour or reluctance where it is holding back the Council’s progress and take any action necessary to resolve such issues.
• Provide assurance to the Secretary of State on the Council’s progress in delivering this Plan through regular progress reports.
• Make recommendations to the Secretary of State as necessary on any matters relating to the intervention, including scope and duration of the Directions and appointments.
• Collaborate with and provide support to elected members and officers to address the Council’s challenges and to progress the Council’s recovery.
• Collaborate with a broad range of delivery partners and stakeholders, including other MHCLG appointees, and where relevant any Children’s Commissioner appointed by the Department for Education.
• Use your judgement and expertise to support the Council to deliver Best Value and continuous improvement across all its business and service areas.

Best Value (inspectors and reviewers)

• Prepare a robust independent report of the available evidence, that will subsequently be laid in Parliament, to enable the Secretary of State to make a holistic judgement of a Council’s compliance with their Best Value duty.
• Be curious and explore each of the Best Value themes in the ‘Statutory guidance on Best Value standards and intervention’ in relation to the Council, drawing on your own experience and judgement.
• Evaluate the capacity and competence of the Council to make progress and deliver continuous and sustainable improvement.
• Work closely with others in the team, and within the framework of any statutory powers.
• Develop evidence-based recommendations for actions that are necessary for the Council to secure compliance with its Best Value duty, including whether the Secretary of State should intervene and, if so, what form the intervention should take.

Assessment criteria

Essential 

• Credibility, and extensive experience of senior leadership and excellence in the public, private or voluntary sector.
• Experience of successfully leading improvement activity and organisational change, bringing colleagues at all levels with you.
• Thorough understanding of the requirements of a public sector organisation in serving the local community and how to deliver these requirements while championing good governance and risk management.
• Ability to collaborate with and influence a wide range of stakeholders, sufficient to lead and drive whole council transformation, with mutual respect and meaningful engagement, potentially from a low base.
• Ability to identify reasons for service failure and instigate the measures necessary to stabilise service delivery and implement improvement.
• An appreciation of and a willingness to demonstrate the Nolan Principles of Public Life and uphold the highest standards of local government.

Desirable

• Experience working as a Chief Executive or in executive director capacity in a Local Authority (including as a Deputy Chief Executive, Section 151 officer or Monitoring Officer) or a comparative role in the public, private or voluntary sector.
• Experience of working in difficult political environments and a thorough respect for democratic accountability.
• Experience of delivering the Best Value duty.
• An in depth understanding of local government and the significant issues facing it.
• We are also interested in those with political experience to play a role within an intervention setting. Please indicate on your application form if you are applying as a candidate from a political background.

Seven Principles of Public Life

In 1995 the Committee on Standards in Public Life defined seven principles which should underpin all who serve the public. It is important that members of public bodies maintain the confidence of Parliament and the public. Consistent with the Governance Code, applicants will be assessed on merit, and all candidates will need to uphold the standards of conduct set out in these principles that will be tested during the selection process. Failure to disclose such information could result in an appointment either not being made or being terminated. Should you wish to speak to someone concerning a potential conflict of interest or other issues please contact a member of the Public Appointments team at PublicAppointments@communities.gov.uk in the first instance.

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 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 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 doing so.

Honesty Holders of public office should be truthful.

Leadership Holders of public office should exhibit these principles in their own behaviour. They should actively promote and robustly support the principles and be willing to challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs.

Indicative terms of appointment 

Status 

Appointees to inspections, reviews or interventions are not employees of the Department. Accordingly, nothing in their terms of appointment shall be construed as, or taken to create, a contract of employment between themself and the Department. 

Costs and expenses 

The Secretary of State has set the standard fee for Inspectors and Commissioners at up to £1,200 per day for Lead roles. Fees will be determined at the point of appointment and will be dependent on the roles.

The Secretary of State reserves the right to vary the fee at any time during the Term by agreement with Inspectors and Commissioners. For Commissioners, fees are normally payable up to a maximum of 150 days per annum for the first year and are normally expected to reduce in year two and further thereafter (unless otherwise specified). 

It will be for the Authority subject to the inspection or intervention to cover the costs of that inspection or intervention. As such, payments should be made directly from the Authority to Inspectors and Commissioners. In the case of those concurrently serving as Council officers, payments would likely be made directly to their home council. 

Costs for Commissioners will also include “reasonable expenses”. As the Authority is meeting the costs, the Department normally expects that “reasonable expenses” will be those as stated in the Authority’s handbook, unless otherwise agreed with the Department. 

Tax 

Inspectors are required to pay the correct amount of tax according to their fees. Statutory Commissioners, in accordance with the 2017 off-payroll changes (IR35), are given ‘Office Holder’ employment status. This means that they must be on the Authority’s payroll and are required to pay the correct amount of tax. 

Notice 

The Secretary of State reserves the right to terminate appointments with immediate effect if they determine in their absolute discretion, that they are no longer a suitable person to hold the appointment. 

If an appointment is terminated before the end of the Term for a reason other than the Secretary of State’s determination of suitability for a role, four weeks’ notice of that termination will be given. If Inspectors or Commissioners themselves decide to terminate their appointment, they will be required to give the Department one month’s written notice. 

The appointment may be terminated with immediate effect for any reason by mutual agreement. 

On termination of an appointment, appointees shall only be entitled to reimbursement of any expenses properly incurred prior to that date. 

Conduct 

It is essential that appointees are, and are seen to be, honest and impartial in the exercise of their duties. The Seven Principles of Public Life apply to them in their appointment. 

Conflicts of interest 

Appointees must declare to both the Secretary of State and the Authority, any personal or business interest which may, or may be perceived to influence their judgement in performing their duties. 

All information on potential conflicts of interest could be disclosed to the public under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. In entering into an agreement and accepting an appointment, appointees consent to this disclosure. 

Data protection 

By accepting an appointment, appointees consent to MHCLG holding and processing information about them for legal, personnel and administrative purposes, including any sensitive personal data (as defined in the Data Protection Act 2018). Appointees consent to MHCLG making such information available in appropriate circumstances, including within the Civil Service in reporting to Parliamentary Committees or the National Audit Office or otherwise.

MHCLG will collect and process  personal data relating to appointees in accordance with the MHCLG’s data protection privacy notice.

Appointees will process personal data only to the extent, and in such a manner, as is necessary for the purpose of carrying out the duties under the appointment.

When handling personal data in connection with their appointment by MHCLG, appointees will comply with their obligations under MHCLG’s data protection, criminal records information and information security policies.

In relation to any personal data processed in connection with the appointment, appointees will also ensure that they have in place Protective Measures, which are appropriate to protect against a Data Loss Event.

Personal liability 

 In any legal proceedings brought against an Inspector or Reviewer the Ministry will meet any civil liability which the Inspector or Reviewer incurs, provided that they acted diligently and honestly. In any legal proceedings brought against a Commissioner, Panel Member or Envoy by a third party with regards to the performance of their duties, the Authority will meet any civil liability which the Commissioner, Panel Member of Envoy incurs, provided that they acted diligently and honestly.

Inspectors and Commissioners may be personally liable if they make a fraudulent or negligent statement which results in a loss to the third party, and they may commit a breach of confidence under common law or a criminal offence under insider dealing legislation if they misuse information gained through holding the offices. 

GDPR

We will process your application in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulations and Data Protection Act 2018. Your data will be held securely and processed for the purpose of the recruitment process. Access will be restricted to those dealing with your application or involved in the recruitment process, this will include Ministers and Special Advisers.

Data may also be shared with Cabinet Office, in order to comply with the Public Appointments Governance Code, article 3.1 of the Public Appointments Order in Council 2019.  Data may also be shared with Cabinet Office and The Commissioner for Public Appointments in order to meet the public equality duty as set out in the Equality Act, s149. The Commissioner may also request access as part of a complaint investigation or review of the recruitment process.

Your data will be stored for 2 years. If appointed, your data will be stored for the duration of your tenure and may be shared with the organisation that you are appointed to, unless specifically requested otherwise. Should you wish your data to be removed from our records, please contact stewardshiprecruitment@communities.gov.uk

Complaints:

If you consider that your personal data has been misused or mishandled, you may make a complaint to the Information Commissioner who can be contacted at:

Information Commissioners Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

0303 123 1113 email: casework@ico.org.uk.

The data controller for Public Appointments is joint between MHCLG, OCPA and the Cabinet Office.