Area Coroner for Cumbria03/08/2025 23:00
Cockermouth
Area Coroner for Cumbria
Salary £113,778 per annum
(Full-time basis - 40 hours per week) (as per JNC Coroners Circular no. 69)
Closing date: Midnight – Sunday 3rd August 2025
Interview date: Friday 29th August 2025
Cumberland Council, as ‘relevent authority’ for Coroners services in Cumbria, is seeking to appoint a new Area Coroner for the Cumbria coroners area, due to the position being now vacant.
About the post:
The Area 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 area coroner is the nominated deputy for the Senior Coroner when the senior coroner is absent. The Area Coroner will be on occasion be expected to be available out of hours on a rota based system.
The number of reported deaths in 2024 was 1,570.
Cumberland Council is 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 local authority Service Manager to ensure value for money, performance and financial efficiencies. Collaborative working with the senior coroner, local authority, the police and other stakeholders is absolutely essential.
Also, you must attend the following, in person, each year:
- Coroner Continuation training
- Chief Coroner’s Conference for Senior and Area Coroners
- One-day Medical training
- Any other mandatory training as required by the Chief Coroner
The relevant authority will meet the costs of the training, including backfill by Assistant Coroners and associated travel and accommodation expenses.
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.
It is desirable that the successful candidate has proven experience of running, or sharing running, a coroner’s jurisdiction including carrying out investigations, case management, and conducting inquests.
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 five years of experience whilst holding that qualification.
They will be under the age of 75, have experience of working as an assistant coroner or area coroner 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 75 years (compulsory retirement age) unless they choose to resign or are removed by the Lord Chief Justice or Lord Chancellor prior to their 75th birthday.
How to apply:
The candidate pack is available here: hm area coroner - appointments pack june 2025 final
Declaration (In Word) to accompany application: cumbria declaration 2025
If you wish to have an informal discussion or have any questions regarding the position, please contact:
- Andrew Smith, Service Manager - andrew.smith@cumberland.gov.uk
Suitably qualified applicants are requested to email their CV and their application / supporting documents, the signed declaration, and a covering letter, to: andrew.smith@cumberland.gov.uk
Notification
The vacancy for this post has been notified to the Chief Coroner and Lord Chancellor (as required by statute).