South Lakeland District Council

Recruitment Booklet Recruiting talent developing skills

www.southlakeland.gov.uk

South Lakeland District Council South Lakeland House Lowther Street Kendal Cumbria LA9 4UQ

Tel : 01539 733333 www.southlakeland.gov.uk

If you would like a copy of this document in another format such as large print, Braille, audio or in a different language, please call 0845 050 4434 or email customer.services@ southlakeland.gov.uk

Recruitment Booklet South Lakeland District Council

Contents

page

Our Location

2

Your Recruitment Pack

3

Our Shared Vision for South Lakeland

3

What Makes South Lakeland Distinctive

3

Applying for a job at South Lakeland

6

Supporting a Successful Applicant

9

Terms and Main Conditions of Service

12

Staff Benefits

13

page 1

South Lakeland District Council Recruitment Booklet Our Location South Lakeland is situated in the north west of England. It is easily accessible via the M6 motorway and the main West Coast railway line.

UK

South Lakeland

page 2

Cumbria

Recruitment Booklet South Lakeland District Council Your Recruitment Pack Your application is important to us. In order to help you decide whether you wish to apply for this job, the following information has been included in the pack: •

Covering letter

•

Job Description

•

Person Specification

•

Application Form

•

Equal Opportunities & Diversity Monitoring Form

•

Details of the Directorate

Additional information is included within the booklet and the recruitment pack as necessary. If you have any queries please contact the Human Resources Recruitment Team on 01539 797570 or Email: [email protected]

Our Shared Vision for South Lakeland "By involving people and creating opportunities we will make South Lakeland the best place to live, work and visit…..”

What Makes South Lakeland Distinctive South Lakeland covers over 600 square miles and includes several notable market towns and villages. Although predominantly rural it has access to good communication links with the West Coast main line and the M6 running through the district. It has some especially distinctive characteristics:

page 3

South Lakeland District Council Recruitment Booklet Its Natural Environment South Lakeland has a stunning landscape which includes parts of The Lake District National Park and The Yorkshire Dales National Park, along with a breathtaking coastal peninsula.

Its Attractions The picturesque landscape makes South Lakeland a popular tourist destination bringing in visitors from all over the world. We have many well known lakes and mountains which encourages wildlife and offers opportunities for outdoor activities. The area also boasts many historic landmarks such as Kendal Castle, Sizergh Castle, Levens Hall, Holker Hall and the homes of authors and poets such as;- Beatrice Potter, Alfred Wainwright, William and Dorothy Wordsworth, John Ruskin and Arthur Ransome. South Lakeland has an array of art galleries, museums, libraries, a vibrant music scene as well as an extensive network of sports clubs and recreational facilities.

Its Population The current estimated population is 104,800, with a forecast of further growth to 112,300 by 2029.

South Lakeland District Council’s Community Strategy (2008-2028) The Council has a list of priorities under the following themes:•

Accessibility

•

Children and Young People

•

Community Safety

•

Health and Well-being

•

Housing to Meet Need

•

Involving our Communities

•

Jobs, Skills and Regeneration

•

Quality Environment

Equality and Diversity in the Workplace The Council is committed to ensuring that equal opportunity practices are embedded in all the recruitment and selection processes that it undertakes. Our Equality and Diversity in the Workplace Policy states the following regarding the recruitment and selection of employees and potential employees: The Council will: •

Ensure that the employees of the Council are representative of the community it serves.

page 4

Recruitment Booklet South Lakeland District Council •

Ensure that employees are recruited and promoted on the basis of ability and other relevant objective criteria to carry out the duties and responsibilities of the post for which they have applied.

•

Continue to ensure that the recruitment and selection procedure is applied consistently to ensure fair access to all jobs.

•

Ensure that external job opportunities are communicated to all sections of the local community.

•

Ensure that at least one member of a recruitment panel is trained in equality and diversity.

•

Ensure that all employees and applicants are treated with dignity and respect. Where harassment, victimisation or bullying occurs this will be confronted and dealt with through the appropriate policies and procedures.

•

Ensure that recruitment policies and procedures are reviewed and updated on a regular basis and reflect and incorporate national legislation and leading models of good practice and codes of conduct.

•

Consider adapting organisational requirements or existing practices where they are contrary to employee’s cultural and religious needs.

•

Involve and communicate effectively with all employees.

•

Provide a fair, equal and transparent pay and reward system.

page 5

South Lakeland District Council Recruitment Booklet Applying for a job at South Lakeland Your application is important to us and we recognise that applying for a job can be daunting. Please read the following guidelines BEFORE completing the application form.

Recruitment Process Quite simply, we want to recruit the best person for the job! We aim to give you the opportunity to provide information about your abilities and experience, as they relate to the post. Please consider the job description and person specification before applying.

Job Description This aims to give you a full description of the main responsibilities of the job and what will be expected of the successful applicant.

Person Specification This describes the skills, abilities, qualifications and experience required to do the job successfully. We will only shortlist those who demonstrate that they meet all the essential criteria in the person specification, with the exception of disabled applicants. (see below)

The Application Form The application form must be fully completed. When outlining your skills and abilities, try to give examples and link them to the criteria listed on the person specification.

page 6

Recruitment Booklet South Lakeland District Council Remember – the application form is the only information we have about you, and it is up to you to demonstrate that you meet the requirements of the job, by describing the relevant experience. NB experience gained outside paid employment may be equally relevant. If you are a relation of any member of the Council, you must disclose this on the application form. We require your present or most recent employer to be one of the referees wherever possible. If you have not been in paid employment for some time please contact us for advice. If you are a college/school leaver then please provide your teacher/tutor as your referee.

Job Sharing The Council actively promotes flexible working practices of which job sharing is one of the options. The majority of posts are available in this way, if you are interested in job-sharing – please indicate this on the application form.

The Recruitment Monitoring Form Please complete and return this form with your application form. Once received, this information is separated from the application form and is not used in the short-listing process. It is used only for monitoring purposes.

Disabled Applicants South Lakeland District Council has been awarded the ‘positive about disabled’ two ticks symbol. To achieve this, the Council agreed to take action to meet five commitments regarding the employment, retention, training and career development of disabled employees. Within recruitment if a disabled applicant meets the minimum criteria specified for a post they will be guaranteed an interview. The statutory duty to make reasonable adjustments in relation to disabled applicants applies where the Council knows, or could reasonably be expected to know, that the disabled person in question is or may be an applicant for the post, or that a particular applicant has a disability which is likely to place them at a disadvantage. If you consider yourself to have a disability please ensure you complete this section of the application form. Please indicate if you require any special aids/adaptations or conditions if called for interview.

Interview Expenses Travel expenses are normally reimbursed at the rate of the second class rail fare. Where an over-night stay is necessary, the cost of bed and breakfast will be paid, subject to a maximum figure operated by the authority. Please check this limit prior to booking. A form will be issued when invited to interview and receipts will be required.

page 7

South Lakeland District Council Recruitment Booklet Asylum and Immigration Act 2006 The Asylum and Immigration Act 2006 makes it a criminal offence for an employer to employ those who do not have permission to live or to work in the United Kingdom. All new recruits must provide evidence of their eligibility to work in the UK and the HR Group will coordinate this pre-employment check prior to a formal offer of employment being made.

page 8

Recruitment Booklet South Lakeland District Council Supporting a Successful Applicant Removal and Relocation Expenses The scheme shall apply to all newly appointed officers to the Authority recruited in response to a national advertisement (excluding adverts on websites) whose place of residence is outside a 25 mile radius from their administrative base. This scheme will not apply to staff recruited in response to national advertising whose place of residence is within a 25-mile radius of their administrative centre, nor will it apply to any staff recruited solely in response to local advertising. The scheme will apply to all grades, up to and including Directors. In special circumstances certain new employees, who have been deemed vulnerable because of the nature of their employment with the Council, are allowed to move to a new place of residence outside the District, whilst still obtaining the advantage of relocation expenses. For such employees, payment of relocation expenses will be limited to within a 25-mile radius of the District Boundary.

Removal Allowance The payment for removals shall be 100% of the reasonable expenses involved in domestic removal from one abode to another (including appropriate insurance based on the acceptance of the lower of two competitive tenders). Where an initial removal is made to temporary accommodation locally until suitable permanent accommodation is found, only the first or main removal is covered by these provisions.

Disturbance Allowance Where the move involves the sale of a house at the previous place or residence, and the purchase of a house near the new place of work, then legal and estate agent fees will be paid up to a maximum of SLDC’s agreed rate which is updated every year in line with the Retail Price Index. Where the newly appointed officer moves from rented accommodation to a house purchased near the new place of work, or sells a house at the previous place of work to move to rented accommodation near the new place of work, then legal/estate agent fees up to a maximum of the Nationally Agreed Figure. (NB – The latter will NOT include temporary rental accommodation whilst seeking a suitable house to purchase).

Separation Allowance Where a newly appointed officer is forced to maintain dependant relatives in his or her former house whilst seeking new accommodation suitably close to the new administrative base and that new base is more than 25 miles from his or her former home, then an agreed weekly lodging allowance will be paid for up to 26 weeks. In addition, the cost of a second-class return rail fare will be paid every two months, for a maximum of six months. In appropriate cases, the Director may approve the payment of an allowance equivalent to the separation allowance to officers who satisfy the distance criteria, but who choose to travel daily. In this case, however, the second-class rail fare provisions will not apply.

page 9

South Lakeland District Council Recruitment Booklet Conditions of Payment (i) Copies of the two competitive tenders for removal should be submitted to the Head of Service or appropriate Officer for approval prior to the move taking place (ii) Officers should generally settle their accounts for removals, legal and estate agent fees themselves and then submit the original invoices to their Head of Service or equivalent officer for reimbursement. The voucher should be submitted to the Finance department via the appropriate Officer who will ensure that the figures satisfy the Council’s scheme of Recruitment Incentives. (iii) To qualify for removal expenses, legal and estate agent fees, the officer must purchase or rent a property within a 25-mile radius of his/her administrative base. (iv) Whilst an officer may wish to lodge for a period, or move into temporary rented accommodation whilst searching for a suitable property to purchase, he/she must, under normal circumstances, complete the move within 12 months of taking up an appointment to qualify for relocation assistance.

Repayment of Expenses An employee who benefits from any or all of the provisions of this scheme shall be required to sign an undertaking to the effect that should he/she leave within two years from the date of making a claim under the scheme then he/she will repay the Council: a) The full amount of the Council’s contribution on that item if less than one year is served in post from the date of the claim b) One twenty-fourth of the Council’s contribution on that item for each uncompleted month if the period of service in post from the date of the claim is between one and two years. c) Where several claims are made over a period of time, then each item shall be dealt with separately for the purposes of calculating any repayment.

Short term or fixed contracts for two years or less In the case of staff recruited in response to national advertising, for a short term or fixed term contract of two years or less, then all the provisions of the Council’s policies & procedures will apply, except “repayment of expenses.” Instead, the following will apply: (a) If the short term or fixed term contract is terminated by the Council at or before the date when the contract would normally have been terminated, then no repayment of expenses will be required (b) If the short term or fixed term contract is terminated on satisfactory completion of the task for which the contract was entered into, then no repayment of expenses will be required

page 10

Recruitment Booklet South Lakeland District Council (c) If the short term or fixed term contract is voluntarily terminated by the employee before the authority considers the task for which the contract was entered into is complete, then repayment of some or all the recruitment expenses paid out by the Authority may be required. The proportion of the Council’s contribution, which such an employee will be expected to repay, will be dependent on the particular circumstances and will be for determination by the leaders of the Council in consultation with the appropriate officers. In the event that a short term or fixed term contract is renewed, with no break in service and the total possible service from two (or more) contracts exceeds two years, then the above provisions will not apply and the “Repayment of Expenses” provisions will operate as applied to permanent posts.

page 11

South Lakeland District Council Recruitment Booklet Terms and Main Conditions of Service Payment of Salary All employees are paid by credit transfer into a bank or building society account on the 20th of each month (for the whole of the current month).

Local Government Pension Scheme Membership of The Local Government Pension Scheme is automatic and requires a contribution of between 5.5% and 7.5% (depending on pay scale). The Council also makes a contribution of 20.5%. However, the individual has the right to opt out. Employees may qualify to transfer existing pensions to this Council.

Place of work The Council’s main office is at South Lakeland House, Lowther Street, Kendal. If the post you are applying for is at another location, this will be stated in the job advertisement.

Hours The basic working week, unless otherwise stated on the advertisement, is based on 37 hours, 5 days a week (Monday to Friday). A flexi-time scheme is offered to most posts. The scheme enables an employee to start work between 7.30am and 10.00am and finish between 15.00pm and 19.30pm subject to the needs of the service.

Annual Leave Most annual leave periods run from 1 January to 31 December. For full-time employees and up to 5 years service – entitlement is 23 days. Over 5 years service entitles you to 28 days holiday. This is pro-rata for employees working less than 37 hours. If you are office based then 2 days annual leave are required to cover the period between Christmas and New Year, when the offices are closed. It is possible to purchase extra leave and a flexi day can be taken every four weeks (if applicable).

Occupational Sick Pay In addition to your entitlement to Statutory Sick Pay, the Council has an occupational sick pay scheme. This entitles an employee to periods of full and half pay depending on their length of service in local government. There is a maximum of 6 months full pay and 6 months half pay after 5 years service.

page 12

Recruitment Booklet South Lakeland District Council Staff Benefits Family Friendly Policies The Council operates several family friendly policies including:•

flexible working

•

home working

•

parental and special leave

•

career breaks

Childcare Vouchers The council operates a Childcare Voucher salary sacrifice scheme – the purchase of these gains tax and NI relief.

Paycare The Council, in association with Paycare Ltd offer all employees the opportunity to join a Healthcare plan. As a member you can claim costs on Optical Charges, Dental Charges, Hospitalisation, Specialist Consultation etc.

Learning Development The Council is committed to developing all its employees. In addition to any essential training required to fulfill your role, there is also the opportunity to develop your skills and achieve accredited qualifications, such as NVQs and various course identified in the appraisal process.

Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (ROA ’74) One of the questions on the application form asks whether you have any convictions for criminal offences. If you have never at any time been convicted of a criminal offence, then answering the question presents no difficulty. If on the other hand, you have in the past been convicted of a criminal offence, then under certain circumstances, ROA ’74 allows you to regard the conviction as “spent”, and to answer the question as though the offence had never occurred. You are advised that, if you make a false statement on the application form, then this could lead to dismissal. If you still have any doubts about how you should reply to the question on the application form, you should seek help from your legal adviser.

Criminal Records Bureau Certain jobs require that the successful applicant undertakes a Criminal Records Bureau check. The advert will indicate if this check is applicable

page 13

South Lakeland District Council South Lakeland House Lowther Street Kendal Cumbria LA9 4UQ

Tel : 01539 733333 www.southlakeland.gov.uk