Rosalind Thorpe, Legal Support Officer

Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council

My Role:

I work for Stockport Council as a Legal Support Officer in Environmental Health & Trading Standards. An important and interesting part of my role is providing legal advice to the many teams who work within the department. I also support officers through the process of taking legal action against individuals or companies who break the law. Another significant part of my role is assisting council departments and Stockport Police Community Support Officers with their environmental Fixed Penalty Notices. Since being with Stockport Council my role has expanded to include managing the department's training needs and risk assessments.

The Challenge, Why did you apply?

So, why did I apply for the Local Government Challenge? In short, I want the opportunity to help improve and shape the future of local service delivery. I also feel that the challenge would help me gain a greater understanding of the role local government has, and could have in our society.

What would you do with the £10,000 scholarship if you won?

If I won the £10,000 scholarship I would want to look at the practicalities of adopting a New Mutual Model for service delivery in England and Wales. I have chosen this area because it has been argued that a New Mutual Model could provide many benefits, including local community control, a constitutional role for employees, the encouragement of citizenship, and the promotion of long-term thinking in the interests of the community.