Breckland Council Application Pack for the Post of Job Title Ref: Job Reference Number

Breckland Council Application Pack for the post of Statutory Information Officer Thank you for your interest in working for Breckland and South Holland Councils. Within this pack you will find the following:

 Conditions of service  Job Description  Person Specification

Please ensure that you read the job description and person specification before completing the application form.

Please use the application form to provide us with full details of your experience and qualifications in support of your application. Applicants will be selected for interview based upon the information they provide on their application form and how this meets the criteria in the job description and person specification.

If you would like to apply for this vacancy, please e-mail your completed application form to [email protected] or send the completed application form to:

Human Resources Elizabeth House Walpole Loke Dereham Norfolk NR19 1EE

Please mark the envelope “JOB APPLICATION”.

All application forms must arrive at Human Resources by 1700 hours on the closing date!Unexpected End of Formula.

If you have any queries or would like further information, please do not hesitate to contact us on the E-mail address above. TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SERVICE

The Terms and Conditions at Breckland and South Holland are in accordance with collective agreements negotiated from time to time by the National Joint Council for Local Government Services Administrative, Professional, Technical & Clerical Services (APT & C), with the exception of those conditions affecting salary at Breckland Council, which are subject to a locally negotiated salary structure. Other Terms and Conditions may be implemented following collective agreements negotiated and agreed with the Trade Union(s) recognised by the councils for collective local bargaining purposes. This position will eb employed by Breckland Council and the principal conditions are set out below:-

Grade: 9

Salary Scale: £21,162.00 - £26,439.00 per annum (pro rata for part time posts)

Hours: 37 hours per week

Period of Notice to be given by the postholder: 1 month(s) notice.

Probationary Period: The appointment of every new entrant to the Local Government Service with this Authority is subject to a term of probation which, at the moment, is six months. Subject to satisfactory service, the employee is transferred to the established staff at the end of the period of probation. During the probationary service the employee will be expected to establish his/her suitability for the post.

Sickness Payments: Will be in accordance with the National Scheme of Conditions of Service relevant to APT & C staff.

Annual Leave: For full time posts the annual leave entitlement is 22 working days, increased by five days after five years’ continuous Local Authority service, plus eight public holidays. For part time posts the entitlement is pro rata.

Flex time Scheme: A flex time scheme operates within Breckland Council.

Car User Status: This post attracts casual car user status.

Relocation Expenses: A relocation package of up to £4500 is applicable to all new appointees who are required by the Council to relocate to the area.

Please note that all offers of appointment are subject to satisfactory references and satisfactory medical clearance. In some instances, offers of employment may also be subject to satisfactory criminal record checks. STATUTORY INFORMATION OFFICER : JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Summary Grade 9 Responsible To Senior Business Intelligence Officer Responsible For No line management responsibilities Job Purpose To co-ordinate and respond to requests for information, made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, Environmental Information Regulations 2004 and Data Protection Act 1998 and to ensure both Councils comply fully with their statutory duties on these matter.

To co-ordinate all corporate complaints that are received by each council, ensuring that both organisations’ complaints processes are adhered to and that resolutions are delivered in a timely and appropriate way that provide an acceptable outcome for all parties involved.

To keep accurate information on all complaints and statutory information requests; to help inform organisational learning from complaints that drives continuous improvement; and the development of frequently asked questions to reduce the burden of statutory information requests. Location of Job Shared Role Directorate/ Service Strategy & Governance – Corporate Improvement & Performance Area Description of Duties Primary Functional Statutory Information Objectives of the  To be the first point of contact for all ‘statutory information’ Role requests received by Breckland Council and South Holland District Council.

 Co-ordinate and respond directly to requests for statutory information received by the Councils under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, Environmental Information Regulations 2004 and Data Protection Act 1998; making an assessment on the information held by the authority, the service areas responsible and whether the information can be disclosed.

 Maintain accurate records of ‘statutory information’ requests on the Councils’ corporate performance systems.

 Exercise own judgement when assessing and responding to ‘access to information’ requests received from the public, media, commercial and other organisations, to ensure that the relevant officers (including liaison with senior managers) are made aware of the request and the right level of information is provided, and/or exemptions applied.

 Identify trends in information requests and use this information to influence policy development and service improvements within the authority.

 Working collaboratively with colleagues in the Governance teams respond to updates in guidance and legislation, ensuring the authority meets requirements through updating policy and procedures in relation to Freedom of Information Act 2000 and Environmental Information Regulations 2004.

 To be responsible for ensuring that Officers at all levels within both organisations are aware of their responsibilities under statutory information legislations.

 To pro-actively ensure that all requests are handled appropriately, are of a high quality and are responded to within statutory timescales.

 To actively engage with our regulator (ICO) to ensure that any matters raised by them are handled in a timely and appropriate way.

 To develop and maintain frequently ask questions to help reduce the burden to the councils of excessive statutory information requests.

Complaints  To be the first point of contact for all complaints received by Breckland Council and South Holland District Council.

 Co-ordinate responses to complaints ensuring that they are handled appropriately; dealt with the timeframes set out in the councils’ corporate complaints procedures; and that all responses are of a high quality and provide an acceptable outcome for all parties involved.

 To escalate issues accordingly so that senior management and elected members are aware of potential reputational risk to the councils.

 To actively engage with our regulator (LGO) to ensure that any matters raised by them are handled in a timely and appropriate way.

 To ensure that the councils are aware of the learning from corporate complaints and they are including this in their continuous service improvements.

 Maintain accurate records of complaints on the Councils’ corporate performance systems.

Other duties  Ensure compliance with all council policies, procedures and standard operating practices.

 Undertake such other relevant duties as may be requested and deemed appropriate by the Corporate Improvement and Senior Business Intelligence Officer.

 To be responsible for their own learning and development. Primary NA Line/Performance Management Objectives of the Role (If Applicable) Primary Leadership NA Objectives of the Role (If Applicable) Responsibilities for: People NA Assets NA Finance NA Decision Making The post holder is responsible for using their own judgement and knowledge to: -

 Determine whether requests for statutory information are valid and can be legally provided and to advise other officers on this  Determine when we are not required to respond to information requests  Determine whether statutory information requests and complaints have been fully resolved to an appropriate standard  Determine potential impacts which might create risks for either council and escalate accordingly

Communications The post holder is required to communicate to the following level: -

 At a high level verbally and written with complainants and requestors, often having to handle difficult situations where the individuals are very emotive  Be able to give clear guidance to officers at all levels around the requirements set out in statutory information legislation  To be able to challenge and proactively chase officers at all levels when they are reluctant to provide information  To be able to communicate complex legislative matters in plain English STATUTORY INFORMATION OFFICER: PERSON SPECIFICATION

Experience, Skills & Knowledge Essential Desirable Experience of dealing with the public and Experience of using the Covalent system to elected members in relation to handling manage complaints and information complaints and information requests requests Detailed knowledge of Freedom of Experience and knowledge of handling Information, Environmental Information statutory information requests such as Regulations and Data Protection Freedom of Information, Environmental Legislation and its application Information Regulations and Data Experience of developing and maintaining Protection requests policy/guidance in line with Freedom of Information, Environmental Information Ability to identify trends in information requests Regulations and Data Protection and learning opportunities from complaints Legislation Excellent IT skills - Microsoft Office (Excel, Access, Word and Power Point) Experience of co-ordinating statutory Ability to communicate effectively to staff at all information requests and complaints in a levels of an organisation both orally and in local government setting writing. Excellent organisational and multi-tasking skills to cope with the varied workload and be able to prioritise work accordingly. Ability to triage multiple information requests, prioritising them appropriately Ability to proactively chase and obtain information from individuals who may be unwilling to provide Able to work on own initiative with minimum supervision

Ability to work under pressure, work methodically, plan ahead and deal with conflicting pressures/tight deadlines.

Adaptability to changes in practice.

Qualifications Essential Desirable Minimum 4 GCSEs at grade A to C, Undertaken training on the Freedom of including English OR equivalent Information Act, Environmental qualifications/experience Information Regulations 2004 and Data Protection Act 1998.

Mental Demands  This role will require the post holder to be able to prioritise and triage large volumes of information requests and be able to prioritise them according often to competing deadlines. Physical Demands  Low this role will require a certain amount of data entry on the councils’ performance management systems

Health & Safety (exposure to risk)  This role will require long periods of sit and computer work.

This job description is not exhaustive.

The job description outlines the current position and will be subject to review in the light of development within the service, in consultation with the post holder as detailed in your Contract of Employment.