Employee benefits and entitlements

There’s a space for you

Never worked in local government? No problem. There’s a role for everyone.

Join a place with a genuine focus on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Snapshot of the benefits of working at the Council

• Structured pay scales: know where you stand
• Secure, generous pension: for every £1 you pay, we put in at least twice as much
• Most roles offer truly flexible hours and locations from one day to the next (including home working)
• 25 days’ annual leave (plus Bank Holidays), rising to 30 after 5 years * please note we are currently trialling a 4 day week so this may vary.
• Build your career with opportunities for training and qualifications
• Get paid while you learn with an apprenticeship
• Play your part in tackling the Climate Emergency
• Be part of a friendly, supportive team – with approachable colleagues who want to help
• Help us make work fun and celebrate our successes together

Structured pay scales

Our pay and grading structure is in line with the National Joint Council Job Evaluation Scheme. Within each pay band, increases (or 'increments') are awarded each year, as long as colleagues have performed satisfactorily. This means that most colleagues receive a pay rise as a matter of course every April. 

Salaries are paid on last working day by BACS transfer to your bank account. The Council will have regard to the Living Wage Foundation hourly rate when it agrees annual pay awards for its staff each year.

Pension

Membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme is available to all of our employees, which means you can access a secure and generous pension. Please visit their website to view information regarding contributions. Employee contributions vary by salary, employer contributions are assessed every 3 years and are currently at 17%.

Hybrid working

We are committed to providing a flexible, adaptive, and agile working environment for our employees. This includes the way we work, where we work, and what tools we need to utilise to support our hybrid approach.Our “hybrid” approach means that work is an activity we do rather than a place we go; “work is what you do – not where you do it”. It places an emphasis on an activity-based culture, using new tools, new processes, increased flexible working opportunities and new approaches to management and teamwork. 

Annual leave

Depending on grade and length of continuous Local Government service, annual leave entitlement is between 25 and 34 days. All statutory holidays are given. 

Equal opportunities

We recognise the benefit of having a workforce where people have different backgrounds and lived experiences. We want to make sure that people who would like to join our team feel welcome and able to do so. And we want to create a workplace where everyone feels safe to be themselves. 

Parental leave

An employee may receive Occupational Maternity / Adoption pay of 12 weeks at half pay as well as Statutory Maternity Pay / Statutory Adoption Pay payments, depending on length of service. We also have families taking advantage of Shared Parental Leave, and have introduced a policy to support families who have premature babies, or babies who are unwell when they are born. Changes in legislation are always reflected in our policy and practice. 

Parking

There are parking facilities on all sites, however, availability cannot be guaranteed. We also have Electric Charge points at Cambourne.

Zipcar

We have a dedicated Zipcar based outside out Cambourne offices, for use by our employees during the work day. The car can be booked for business use, and is free to use.

Car sharing schemes

‘CamShare’ is an online car sharing scheme which assists employees in finding other staff to car share with. ‘CamShare’ is a secure system where contact is made through work e-mail addresses only.

Cycle scheme

We have signed up to Cyclescheme, which administers the Government's Bike to Work scheme.

Childcare vouchers

As part of its family friendly initiative the Council, in conjunction with a Childcare Voucher provider, operates a salary sacrifice scheme for the purchase of childcare vouchers.

Membership of a Trade Union

We currently recognise UNISON and GMB for collective bargaining purposes.

Professional membership fees

If your role requires you to be a member of a professional body, the membership fees will be covered by the Council. This must be approved by your line manager. 

Relocation expenses

Relocation expenses, up to a maximum amount, may be payable in approved cases to newly appointed employees required to relocate to the South Cambridgeshire area in order to take up their appointments. Employees must be moving from an area at least 50 miles away / over one hour's travel time from their new place of employment. The property to be purchased / rented must be no more than 35 miles away / under one hour's travel time from their new place of employment.