Benefits of working for Council

Professional development Our learning and development covers in-house training, online courses, college courses, external trainers, coaching - a whole variety of things - designed with one purpose - to give you the right skills, confidence and support to really achieve your potential. Additionally, the council’s MiPod site is full of useful, interesting and creative information and links to challenge, motivate and resource you to become the best you can.

Parking Discounted daily parking is available if a quarterly or annual season ticket is purchased. Parking season tickets - Car park areas and charges.

Travel discounts Annual Metrocard discount scheme for council employees. Save over £150 on your commuting, leisure and business journeys. Get 20% discounts on the cost of Annual Metrocard (15% of this discount is paid by metro and 5% by the council). Interest-free payments via salary/wage deductions. Spread payments throughout the year. Unlimited travel on bus services throughout . Unlimited travel on train services within your chosen zone. No administration fee

Transport and travel Transport services are experienced, qualified professionals responsible for the servicing, MOT, maintenance and general upkeep of the council’s fleet. As an additional service they offer a range of services including full MOTs and servicing, maintenance, fault finding, diagnostics and repairs to Kirklees Council employees and their families at competitive rates.

Pension Council employees are eligible to join the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). When most people first start working, a retirement pension is one of the last things they think about. As you get older and take on more responsibilities, you may begin to wonder how you will manage when you come to retire or what would happen to your family if anything happened to you.

Benefits include: Guaranteed pension for life that goes up every year in line with the cost of living. You can give up part of your pension for a tax free lump sum. You can get a pension at any age if you become too ill to work. You can retire from age 55 if you’re made redundant or your employer consents. You can retire from age 55 on reduced benefits. If you die, there is a lump sum death grant of at least three times your pay and also pensions for your spouse, civil partner, nominated cohabiting partner or eligible children. You can pay extra to increase your pension benefits.

For further details on the pension scheme visit www.wypf.org.uk or telephone 01274 434999. Alternatively contact the pensions team at Kirklees by telephoning 01484 221000 and ask for pensions.

Work-life balance Kirklees council offers a number of provisions and flexible working practices to benefit their employees. Holiday entitlement (including public holidays) of 35.5 days (less than 5 years service) or 40.5 days (5 or more years service). Variety of special leave provisions and family and friends policies. Employee healthcare providing a range of services. Childcare voucher scheme (www.kiddivouchers.com scheme reference number: S849019A).

Maximum weekly working hours The working time regulations advise how many hours, as a maximum, employees can work in one week and specifies what rest breaks they must have. To support your well-being, Council employees aged 18 and over must not work more than 192 hours in any four week period. This requirement includes compliance with the European Working Time Regulations. (Exceptions can be made for busy periods, emergencies and people working away from home). We do not support arrangements for employees to opt out of the working time regulations. When applying for a job it is your responsibility to make sure that the total time spent on all your jobs does not exceed European working time regulations and that you give yourself sufficient rest time. Recruiting managers may discuss this with you at interview. If you’re under 18, you can’t work more than 8 hours a day or 40 hours a week.

We’re listening We like to receive feedback and listen to our employees. We hold regular ‘Meet the Director’ sessions to enable you to share your thoughts openly with our Chief Executive and the corporate directors.

Childcare vouchers Employees with children can benefit from a number of flexible working arrangements within the council. We can give you help on choosing a childcare provider as well as information about Kiddivouchers.

Cycle to work scheme You could make big savings on the cost of a new bike and related safety and security equipment under a Government initiative (Green Transport Plan) aimed at getting more people on their bikes to work.

Wellbeing for life We are working hard to make sure that wellbeing is an integral part of our long term plans - not only for members of the public, but for staff as well. The council has a number of policies around the wellbeing and health of staff and provides many services to help people stay fit and healthy. As an employee you also have access to health MOTs, lifestyle advice, face to face counselling service, Care First confidential telephone counselling and information line. We also provide: Debt management advice. Personal finance - free financial advice. Leisure - corporate membership with Kirklees Active Leisure. Shopping - discounts and offers at local shops and restaurants. Vehicle servicing and MOT scheme.

Kirklees - the place to be Part of the Yorkshire and the Humber region, Kirklees is set in the heart of West Yorkshire and has a growing population of around 425,500. With the two major centres of Huddersfield and Dewsbury it encompasses the smaller towns of Batley, Birstall, Cleckheaton, Denby Dale, , , Kirkburton, Marsden, Meltham, and Slaithwaite. Set against the backdrop of the Pennine Moors and Peak District parkland, the Huddersfield area has some of the UK’s most stunning countryside on its doorstep. Yet the North’s leading cities, including Leeds and , can easily be reached within half an hour. Kirklees has an excellent standard of schools and educational opportunities. Ofsted judge 88 per cent of our schools to be good or outstanding - a figure which is well above the national average - and we also achieve above average for our GCSE outcomes. High performing colleges and leading universities combine with competitive house prices to create an enviable lifestyle for families. The birthplace of famous artists, authors, musicians and actors, the region has a rich cultural heritage too. Throughout the year, towns and neighbouring villages come alive with an eclectic mix of plays, music and festivals. While the region is steeped in history, there is also a contemporary feel to the area. It offers diversity like no other place in the UK; so if you’re looking for a place where you can enjoy a rewarding career, balanced perfectly with a wonderful place to live, you need look further, the area has it all