Job Description

Job Introduction The purpose of the job will be to liaise with London\xe2\x80\x99s Labour elected representatives at local, regional and national level. You will be the main link between the officers working at London Councils, the Conservative and Liberal Democrat Political Advisors, and the London Councils Labour Group. Aims of role:

• To provide advice, briefing and support to the London Councils Labour Group and its senior members in relation to their work at London Councils.

• To act as a political link between the Labour Group and the rest of London Councils, and support effective cross-party decision making and action on behalf of London local government.

Main Responsibilities To provide high quality and responsive political advice and support to the Group Leader and other Group members on issues affecting London local government and the work of London Councils;

To provide regular and timely advice to the London Councils Chief Executive and officers across the organisation on emerging policy and political issues within the Group;

To facilitate effective and timely clearance, contact and liaison between policy officers and relevant Labour Group portfolio holders and councillors;

To work with London Councils Media and Public Affairs team in developing, agreeing and clearing media positions and advising on parliamentary engagement; To produce, where necessary, draft letters, articles and speeches on behalf of the Group Leader and other senior councillors;

To support all functions of the London Councils Labour Group, including organising and supporting regular Group meetings, managing Labour Group appointments, and arranging an Annual General Meeting, and to support the Group Whip in the undertaking of his or her duties;

To update and brief Labour Group members on the work of London Councils, through regular updates and events such as Away Days;

To liaise with national and regional elected representatives, including the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Labour Parliamentarians, to communicate the work of the Labour Group and London Councils, and to support the work of the London Councils Media and Public Affairs team and Policy teams; To liaise with other key political contacts including the LGA Labour Group and national and Labour Party staff;

To work with the London Councils Communications and Public Affairs team to plan and organise London Councils events, meetings and lobbying activity at Party Conferences;

To maintain good links with all borough Labour Groups, in particular through liaising with borough support officers, researchers and political assistants; To contribute to the effectiveness of London Councils by bringing a political and political group perspective to the work of the organisation overall. The Ideal Candidate Experience of producing written reports, briefings, and draft speeches on policy issues is essential. You must be able to understand and reflect the political position of the Group and be able to represent the Labour Group at external meetings and events with authority and confidence. The successful post-holder will be employed by London Councils Ltd but will enjoy all the terms and conditions of employment as an employee of London Councils, except as political adviser, will not be able to hold any leading positions as a councillor. These include any executive role in an Administration and any shadow roles including Leader or Deputy Leader of other groups, shadow portfolio holder or chair of any scrutiny committee. This restriction also extends to the London Assembly and to other leading roles. This list is not exhaustive and the post-holder will, at the request of the Chief Executive, resign from any political office which the Chief Executive in their absolute discretion, considers inappropriate.
For a confidential discussion about the role, please contact Ella Watson at 07970 018191.
Technical Interviews: Friday 5th January (in-person) Member Panel: w/c 8th January (online) About The Company London Councils is the collective of London local government - the 32 boroughs and the City of London. Through the London Councils Shared Ambitions agreed by our political leadership, we aim to get the best deal for Londoners and to ensure that London\xe2\x80\x99s councils have the resources, freedoms and powers to do the best possible job for their residents and local businesses. We also run a number of services on behalf of the boroughs including the Freedom Pass, Taxicard and Health Emergency Badge.