Area Coroner

Salary range: £117,419

Contract type: Permanent

Location: Area Coroner for South London

The London Borough of Croydon is seeking to appoint an Area Coroner to support the Senior Coroner for South London in providing a high-quality coronial services to residents of the London Boroughs of Croydon, Bromley, Bexley and Sutton. This is an exciting opportunity to become a full-time independent judicial office holder and to work closely with an experience coronial team covering a broad and complex geographical area.

This is a new post.

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 expected on occasion to be available out of hours.

The London Brough of Croydon 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 to ensure the running of an efficient coroner service that puts the bereaved at the heart of the service. Collaborative working with the senior coroner, local authority, the police and other stakeholders is essential.

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.

The service operates the Civica cloud coroner’s case management system and experience of using this (or other similar system) is essential, as is excellent general IT skills and the ability to proficiently use MS office and other digital court platforms.

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:

Should you wish to have an informal discussion prior to application for more information or to help understand this complex geographical jurisdiction, please contact Gwen Torpey, Head of Coroners Service ([email protected],uk).

Suitably qualified applicants are requested to email their CV and supporting statement (which should include disclosure of any convictions or disciplinary proceedings) to Gwen Torpey, Head of Coroners Service by 1300 on Monday 13th October 2026.

[email protected].

To view the Area Coroner candidate pack please Click here.

Croydon Council’s priorities

The Council balances its books, listens to residents, and delivers good sustainable services

• Get a grip on the finances and make the council financially sustainable
• Become a council which listens to, respects and works in partnership with Croydon’s diverse communities and businesses
• Strengthen collaboration and joint working with partner organisations and the voluntary, community and faith sectors
• Ensure good governance is embedded and adopt best practice
• Develop our workforce to deliver in a manner that respects the diversity of our communities

Key business plan outcomes:

• Croydon is a place of opportunity for business, earning and learning
• Children and young people in Croydon have the chance to thrive, learn and fulfil their potential
• Croydon is a cleaner, safer and healthier place, a borough we’re proud to call home
• People can lead healthier and independent lives for longer
• Croydon Council’s new ways of working

Equal Opportunities Statement

Croydon Council is an inclusive employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. Subject to business needs, we will be pleased to consider applications from candidates seeking flexible working arrangements and support hybrid working, whereby staff attend the workplace for part of their working week and work from home, or elsewhere, remotely for the rest of the time.

As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the advertised role.

Croydon council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff to share this commitment.

The Successful candidate will be subject to a DBS check, if the role requires one.