Job Opportunity: Democratic Services Officer
Vacancy reference
ECR000657
Salary
Grade 8, £35,570 - £38,510
Hours
37 hours per week, will accept 4 days
Contract
Permanent
Location
Castle House, Newcastle-under-Lyme
About the job
We are looking for a Democratic Services Officer working to the Democratic Services Team Leader to provide the necessary support to members including the Mayoralty and servicing Cabinet, Committees and Council. You will need to be confident when dealing with members, senior officers and the public, and have an understanding of how the councils democratic functions operate, as you will be assisting in the smooth running of member committees and other meetings - some of which are held in the evenings - and facilitating meetings and training events for members and with partners and other stakeholders as required. Whilst it would be an advantage to have worked in democratic services, you need not have an in-depth knowledge of the relevant legislative framework provided that you have the right attributes and skills and are prepared to undertake to acquire the necessary knowledge -training will be provided-with a view to you being able to attend meetings, assist the chair and members with queries at such meetings and produce effective minutes, satisfying the councils legislative and constitutional requirements.
Requirements
You will be competent in the use of ICT as necessary to do the role, be meticulous in record-keeping and able to work evenings and weekends as required. You will work with the Democratic Services Team Leader and Monitoring Officer to ensure that the matters relating to member requirements and the constitution are kept up to date and play a role in respect of civic functions involving the Mayor and Deputy Mayor.
Why work for us?
Newcastle-under-Lyme is a borough with big ambitions. We’ve already started our transformation, however, we still need to find better ways of doing things because we are determined to do the very best we can for our communities.
If our vision is to be the best, then we need the best people working for us. Our people are at the heart of what we do and have the freedom to innovate, grow and develop. We recruit people who share our vision and values; people who have the drive to deliver our ambitious council plan.
Our historic borough is a place of marked contrasts. We are the home of a world class University at Keele, a leading light known internationally for its research and sustainability record, which stands side by side with former mining communities including some which register amongst the most deprived areas in the country. Our borough is also a mixture of urban centres, affected by some of the same social issues facing our neighbouring city, Stoke-on-Trent, but also outstanding rural landscapes in our less populated villages. Our plans and priorities aim to address the needs of all our communities.
Our People offer
We reward our people with a competitive range of benefits including;
- access to the local government pension scheme
- minimum 24 days annual leave plus 5 extra days after 5 years' service
- flexible working options and family friendly policies
- local and national high street discounts
- free car parking
- wellbeing support including £12.50 per month Jubilee2 membership
- green travel scheme including cycle to work and electric car salary sacrifice
- free employee 24 hour employee assistance and counselling services, flu vaccination service and health checks
- development and training opportunities
Contact
Olwen Brown, Service Director, Legal and Governance and Monitoring Officer olwen.brown@newcastle-staffs.gov.uk
Closing date
Tuesday 24 November 2026
Should we receive a large number of applications, then this post could close sooner than the date stated.
Shortlisted applicants will be contacted within two weeks of the closing date.
Interview date
Tuesday 1 December 2026
While we value diverse backgrounds and experiences, we are unable to provide visa sponsorship. Applicants must be able to prove they have the Right to Work in the U.K.
Supporting documents and information
Download the job description and person specification
We are committed to making our recruitment process as accessible as possible for everyone. This includes making adjustments or changes for disabled people, neurodiverse people or people with long-term health conditions. If you would like us to do anything differently during the interview or assessment process please contact our People team (humanresources@newcastle-staffs.gov.uk)
Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council is committed to the employment and career development of disabled people, armed forces and care leavers. As such we offer an interview guarantee scheme where you meet the minimum criteria for the role. By minimum criteria we mean you must provide us with evidence in your application and supporting information which demonstrates that you generally meet the level of skills and experience defined in the person specification and as indicated by the Disability Confident symbol.
Need help completing the online application form?
Our application form has recently been updated to make it easier to apply, please be aware that you are not able to save your application part way through so please ensure you have all information to hand.
- Make a note of the details of the post you are applying for.
- Read through the job description and person specification.
- Review our values and behaviours.
- Ensure that you have relevant job application information to hand i.e. employment details, qualifications and training, professional memberships (if applicable) and the details of two referees.
- If you have a CV you can cut and paste information easily into the form.
- The supporting information section of the application is your opportunity to share with us your key achievements and highlight any relevant experience. We’d like you to tell us; who you are, your values and strengths, why you feel you are suitable for the role and finally, your career goals.
- We’d suggest typing your supporting information firstly to a Word document and then copy and paste to the supporting information section of the online application. This way you won’t lose valuable information if the page times out.
- At the end of the form you can choose to save a copy of your application, we advise doing this.
- If you are interested in more than one role, you will need to submit a separate form for each job.
Contact our People team if you have any questions regarding the online application form or require further support (humanresources@newcastle-staffs.gov.uk)