IRRV Events

Our work at the Valuation Tribunal Service (VTS) is relevant to everyone in their day-to-day lives as our remit covers business rates and council tax. We are an organisation that provides technical expertise and advises the Valuation Tribunal for England (who hear business rates and council tax appeals) on technical and procedural matters.

We currently have vacancies to join our new training programme for Trainee Clerks – initially on a two-year fixed term contract. If successful during the two-year training programme we will then look to transition you into permanent clerking roles.

During your structured training programme, you will be supported to build your expertise in local taxation and gain professional qualification status as a member of the Institute of Revenues, Rating & Valuation (IRRV).

You will find our work is varied and interesting. If you are successful in being appointed, you will receive:

A structured training programme delivered by expert professionals.
An experienced mentor to support your development along the way.
Career-developing experiences and an opportunity to network with a wide range of property professionals.
Help and support to achieve membership of the Institute of Revenues, Rating and Valuation (IRRV).

The VTS offers a competitive salary for our trainee positions ranging from £26,845 to £29,439 (we are also awaiting agreement of a further pay award). Once appointed, to progress within the grade you will need to demonstrate successful performance and successful progress in your IRRV studies.

Among our benefits, we offer membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme and a generous leave allowance that starts with 26 days, increasing to 28 after three years’ service and 31 days after five years of service). Our leave year starts on 1 April each year, so if you join us after that then your leave will be pro-rationed accordingly.

You do not need to have any previous experience of local taxation, but you must be willing to learn and also progress in your studies for the IRRV professional qualification. Our eligibility criteria to be considered for these roles is listed below.

Our commitment is to train you to understand the full appeal journey from first receipt of an appeal to writing a decision.

This will be a home working position, but you will be expected to travel and regularly attend our London office as part of your training and development.

If successful during the fixed term contract our intention would be to transition you into the permanent role of Tribunal Clerk where you will be picking up your own caseload and facilitating Tribunals in an advisory capacity. The full clerking role can command a salary up to £42,503.

Eligibility and Application

Highly engaged, self-motivated, IT literate individuals.
Working under pressure and being able to manage your own time to meet strict deadlines are key requirements in all our trainee and clerking roles.
Demonstrable organisational skills accompanied by excellent customer care skills with high levels of communication and interpersonal skills.
Able to demonstrate an ability to pick up complex matters quickly
Likely to be degree educated although that is not essential; we welcome applicants from all backgrounds who are looking to develop a career with us.
Excellent analytical skills and have an ability to communicate clearly and concisely in English both orally and in writing.
Able to distil information quickly from a range of sources and be able to summarise the key issues that require discussion and decision.

To apply you will need to provide us with a personal statement telling us how you meet the criteria for the job as detailed in our job description, person specification and this advert. You should also provide an up-to-date CV which details current salary and notice period if you are currently in work.

For further information, please contact us by email at HR.admin@valuationtribunal.gov.uk. Alternatively access the vacancy details online at https://valuationtribunal.gov.uk/about-vts/vts-vacancies/.

The closing date for received applications is 23:55 on Sunday 10 September 2023. Interviews are likely to take place during mid-late September 2023.

Fixed Term, Part Time HR & Training Adviser

We are looking for someone to join us to work part-time on an initial 18-month fixed term contract to support our HR & Training function. You will be expected to work across all aspects of HR and Training but initially we are looking to build resilience across several critical areas.

At first the successful candidate will be dealing with our monthly payroll and pensions processing requirements as well as helping us to develop our reporting arrangements on our relatively new HR system. You will also help to develop and create new and innovative modules on our Learning Management System commissioned from Learning Pool. Ideally you should have experience of these key areas as you will be involved in those aspects of the job from when you start, and we will expect you to hit the ground running.

This would suit someone with appropriate experience who wants to work anywhere between 0.5 FTE (18 hours pw) and 0.75 FTE (27 hours pw). The job will be based at our London Office – which is in Leman Street, near Aldgate East and Tower Hill/Tower Gateway stations. Along with our other staff, you will be expected to spend 60% of your time in our office environment and the rest working from home. Initially, during your induction and your six-month probation period we may expect you to attend the office a little more frequently whilst you get fully trained and develop your knowledge and expertise on our VTS systems and processes.

There can be some flexibility on the actual hours and days/working pattern that you will work which we are happy to discuss if you are successfully shortlisted for an interview.

To be successful in your application, you should be able to demonstrate attainment of an appropriate CIPD qualification (ideally we are looking for CIPD 5 or its equivalent) but it is as important that you have the appropriate knowledge and workplace experience of dealing with generic HR matters but particularly significant experience of payroll, pensions and Learning Management Systems. We view this as an important professional role capable of advising managers and colleagues on HR & Training matters. As a small team, we all must chip in so there is also a requirement to be competent in dealing with any elements of HR and Training administration. You will be a team player capable of constructive debate and discussion with colleagues in our friendly and supportive team and in developing and providing solutions to any challenges that present themselves.

We offer a competitive salary with the full-time equivalent salary ranging from £35,030 to £40,229 (there is a Local Government pay award pending on top of this). The pro-rata equivalent salary will be dependent upon the hours you will work – so if you work 0.5 FTE then it will be £17,515 to £20,114; if you work 0.75 FTE then the range will be £26,272 to £30,171. Progression within the grade is dependent upon successful performance and your qualification level. We also offer membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme and 26 days annual leave, plus two employer determined non-statutory days (usually at Christmas/New Year). The leave year starts from 1 April each year (all leave will be pro-rationed for part-time workers and your leave entitlement will also be dependent upon when you start during the leave year).

To apply you will need to provide us with a personal statement telling us how you meet the criteria for the job as detailed in our job description, person specification and this advert. You should also provide an up-to-date CV which details current salary and notice period if you are currently in work. Please also complete our Diversity Monitoring Form and in your e-mail tell us where you saw the role advertised. Please send your completed CV, personal statement and Diversity Monitoring Form to recruitment@valuationtribunal.gov.uk.

The closing date for received applications is 23:55 on Friday 29 September 2023.

For further information can be found at https://valuationtribunal.gov.uk/about-vts/vts-vacancies/.

VALUATION TRIBUNAL SERVICE (WALES)

Web Site

Practitioners are advised to regularly view the Valuation Tribunal Service (Wales) web site at http://www.valuation-tribunals-wales.org.uk/.

Website and Social Media

Social media posts can be found on:-

All website and social media information is available in Welsh and English.

Appeal Forms, Listings, Decisions and General Information

A wide variety of general information is readily available online to practitioners and tribunal users, including:-

The latest appeal forms, so that appellants can register appeals if they do not accept Billing Authorities’ decisions on their Council Tax liability (including Reduction Scheme appeals)
- Council Tax Liability.
- Council Tax Reduction.
Future appeal listings and previous tribunal decisions: Valuation Tribunal Wales Public Portal.
Booklets on Non-Domestic Rating and Council Tax appeals: Guidance.
Protocols on how best to undertake cases at the Valuation Tribunal for Wales, including the required preparation for video hearings: Best Practice Protocols.
Corporate information, including annual reports and Welsh language reports: Publications.

UPPER TRIBUNAL (LANDS CHAMBER)

Listings for W/C 4 September 2023 can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/upper-tribunal-lands-chamber?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications-topic&utm_source=3b519ef7-bcad-45b9-87d1-9af644643ddb&utm_content=daily.

IRRV Newsletter 28th August 2023 to 3rd September 2023

IRRV Events

IRRV Calendar

IRRV: ‘The first 25 Years’

IRRV Contacts

Job Vacancies

General News

IRRV Products and Services

Current

2023

2022

2021

Valuation Tribunal Service (England and Wales) and Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber)

VALUATION TRIBUNAL SERVICE (ENGLAND)

Web Site

Guidance

Corporate Documents

Latest News

Vacancies

VALUATION TRIBUNAL SERVICE (WALES)

Web Site

Website and Social Media

Appeal Forms, Listings, Decisions and General Information

UPPER TRIBUNAL (LANDS CHAMBER)

IRRV Software