Job Advertisement: Independent Chair of the Audit Committee at North West Leicestershire District Council – Allowance of £3,250pa

North West Leicestershire District Council is seeking an independent member to join our Audit and Governance Committee. This is an exciting opportunity for a self-motivated and objective individual to make a significant contribution to our organisation.

The Council has an Audit and Governance Committee who provides an independent review of its governance, risk management and control frameworks and oversees the financial reporting and annual governance processes. It also oversees internal audit and external audit, helping to ensure efficient and effective assurance arrangements are in place.

About this opportunity 

We are looking for a highly organised and motivated member of the public to play a key role as the Independent Chair of our Audit and Governance Committee.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone with a keen interest in audit, risk management or governance. You would work alongside the nine councillors on the politically balanced Audit and Governance Committee, to support it in delivering its responsibilities as a key component of the Council's governance framework, and its role is to provide independent assurance to the Council on the adequacy of the risk management framework and the internal control environment. 

Who we are looking for 

The successful candidate will have knowledge or experience of local government and the ability to establish good working relationships with councillors and officers. The Independent Chair will need to be objective, impartial, have high standards of integrity, be politically neutral with an ability to analyse and understand information. 

The Chair will be expected to use their specific skills, specialist knowledge, and experience to help the Committee to undertake its role and you will also bring an element of external challenge and support. 

The independent Chair will need to attend formal meetings of the Audit and Governance Committee in person, ensuring that meetings are properly conducted and that all views are heard, and issues considered. For each meeting you will need to scrutinise Committee papers in advance to be familiar with issues to be discussed. 

Independence and Eligibility 

Given the independent nature of this role certain persons are ineligible for appointment.  

These are someone who:

 ·        has, within the period of five years immediately preceding the date of the appointment, been a councillor or officer of North West Leicestershire District Council;

·        is a relative or close friend of a councillor or officer of North West Leicestershire District Council;

·        has a personal, legal, business, or contractual relationship with the Council, or any other relationship or activity which might represent a conflict of interest. 

If you have any questions or would like an informal chat please contact Paul Stone (Director of Resources) on 01530 454495 or email [email protected]  

Application and Interview information 

Closing date: 22 March 2026

Interview date: 30 March 2026 

The interview will take place in person at the Council's offices in Coalville and further information will be provided to candidates invited to interview.