The Benefits

Our staff are at the forefront of everything we do as a council

Without them we would not be able to maintain the highest standards that we offer to our local community. Therefore, to reward and recognise our staff we have comprised an attractive set of benefits for our employees.

Annual leave

We offer a generous entitlement ranging from 26 days to a maximum of 34 days, in addition to paid time off for public holidays.

Pension

Employees can choose to opt into the Local Government Pension Scheme, contributing a percentage of their salary with the council also making a significant contribution.

Long service

We recognise our long standing, loyal staff, awarding those reaching 25 and 35 years continuous local Government service with a voucher and formal recognition at our annual staff recognition event.

Discounts

A range of employee discounts are available from local organisations in the West Berkshire area, including leisure centres, cafes and shops.

Family Friendly Policies

We really value work-life balance and have a number of policies to ensure staff are well supported.

Flexible working

Most jobs are covered by our flexitime scheme which allows employees to vary their daily hours within certain time bands, and to build up time to take as additional leave, subject to operational needs.

Mobile working

Employees working in suitable jobs are provided with the technology to work from a range of locations (including home) as well as their main office base. This helps improve work-life balance, free up more time to spend with customers, and reduce travelling time and costs.

Yearly salary increments

On 1st April each year employees receive a pay increment until they reach the top of the pay band, subject to satisfactory job performance and upon successful completion of probation. A separate cost of living award is made as well, normally on an annual basis.

Travel

We have implemented a wide range staff travel initiatives including discounted parking season tickets, a cycle to work scheme, and for those staff who are deemed 'essential care users', free parking in central Newbury and an additional monthly allowance supplementary to paid mileage.

Relocation package

A relocation package is available in certain circumstances. If a job you're interested in includes a relocation package, we'll mention it in the advertisement and at the interview.

Health and Wellbeing

We offer a range of services to support staff, including free health screenings and smoking cessation clinics, and access to confidential counselling where needed. We pay sick pay, based on length of service, to help support employees when they are not well enough to work. Our maximum entitlement is a maximum entitlement of six months full pay and six months half pay. Frontline workers are also offered flu vaccinations in the autumn.

Learning and Development

We take the development of our employees seriously and offer a range of training opportunities in-house, both in the classroom and through on-line learning. In some cases, we'll pay for professional development and qualification courses, including day-release where you need it to complete training. We're also particularly proud of our record on appointing and training apprentices.