Assistant Coroner

Assistant Coroner for North Yorkshire and York

Salary: fee paid - £472 per day.

Closing date: Sunday 13^th April 2025

Interview date: w/c 07^th June 2025

North Yorkshire Council seeks to appoint a new Assistant Coroner to support the Senior and Area Coroners across the full range of coroner duties to deliver a high-quality coroner service to the people of North Yorkshire and York.

About the post:

The Assistant Coroner will work closely with the Senior Coroner to provide judicial leadership to the coroner team as well as conducting their own coroner investigations and inquests. The assistant coroner is the nominated deputy for the Senior Coroner when the senior coroner is absent. The area coroner will be expected on occasion to be available out of hours on a rota-based system.

We 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. In this role, you will work closely with the Senior Coroner and Area Coroner 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 an Assistant 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. You will be expected on occasion to be available to assist on an out of hours rota system.

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.

The status of this engagement is one of an Office Holder. North Yorkshire Council are acting as an intermediary on behalf of the Coroners Office. Payment for duties will be processed by North Yorkshire Council through PAYE with statutory deductions made at source, this is to meet tax regulations and not owing to an employment relationship.

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 75 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:

Please see attached pack for full details and how to apply.

If you wish to have an informal discussion or arrange a visit, please contact Rachel Davies; Rachel.Davies1@northyorks.gov.uk

Suitably qualified applicants are requested to email their CV and their supporting statement to: Sophie.hills@northyorks.gov.uk

Key Document:

Assistant Coroner Pack

Key Dates:

Closing Date: 13^th April 2025

Notification:

The vacancy for this post has been notified to the Chief Coroner and Lord Chancellor (as required by statute).

NYC are committed to directly recruiting staff and will not accept applications nor services from agency suppliers in respect of our vacancies.

We are committed to meeting the needs of our diverse community and aim to have a workforce reflecting this diversity. We are also committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. North Yorkshire Council (NYC) advertise vacancies on behalf of schools and external organisations (third parties) in North Yorkshire. NYC are not responsible for the recruitment/employment practices of third parties and accept no liability in relation to the vacancy and any subsequent recruitment/employment processes. Enquiries regarding the vacancy or practices should be made directly with the third party.