Staff Benefits

We offer competitive salaries, performance related pay and many learning and development opportunities.

Work-life balance

Combining the demands of your work and personal life can be a real challenge. We offer a range of benefits to help employees achieve a healthy work and lifestyle balance, including:

• 36 hour working week
• Generous holiday allowance, 31 days plus bank holidays
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, and adoption leave schemes
• Flexible working arrangements and working from home (depending on service needs)

Workplace pension

The Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) offers a range of retirement benefits, plus financial support for your dependents should anything happen to you. Benefits of contributing to the scheme include:

• Tax relief on the contributions you pay (if you pay tax)
• Life cover of 3 times your annual pensionable pay if you die whilst an active member of the scheme
• Partner’s and children’s pensions (where eligible) if you die
• A pension based on 1/49th of each year’s pensionable pay
• When you retire, the option to give up some of your pension in exchange for a tax-free lump sum
• Pension benefits that increase in line with inflation
• Flexibility to increase your pension by paying extra
• Flexibility to pay less by joining the 50/50 section of the scheme
• Flexibility to retire as early as 55 or as late as 75
• Pension benefits payable on redundancy after age 55, provided you have been in the scheme for at least 2 years Pension benefits payable on ill health grounds at any age, provided you have been in the scheme for at least 2 years

Travel

• Cycle to work scheme - save up to 32% on the cost of the bike and equipment
• Season ticket travel - interest free loan to pay for travel between work and home

Discounts and savings

Pay for essentials from your salary to save money, including:

• Childcare vouchers - pay for childcare vouchers directly from your salary and save around 30% on tax and national insurance contributions
• Technology products - pay for electronics (such as mobile phone or home technology) directly from your salary and save around 30% on tax and national insurance contributions

You can also enjoy shopping discounts on a range of products and services, including:

• Store vouchers
• Cinema tickets
• Theme park tickets
• Local business offers

Health and wellbeing

We encourage and support our staff to lead healthy lifestyles. We offer:

• Free information and counselling service
• Free flu immunisation
• Corporate rate discount on memberships at local gym and leisure centres

Housing and finance

• Key Worker Housing schemes (subject to eligibility and availability)
• Other staff loans from approved creditors, with repayments deducted from salary
• Free financial education seminars to support staff with money matters