Access Keys

Printable logo of Vale of White Horse District Council

Vale of White Horse District Council
Abbey House, Abbey Close,
Abingdon, OX14 3JE
Email: comments@whitehorsedc.gov.uk
Telephone: 01235 520202

Working at the Council

This page gives you some background information on the Council and the local area. 

The area

Only 60 miles from London, lying between the Ridgeway and the River Thames, White Horse Country stretches from the edge of Oxford to the threshold of the Cotswolds. The rich farmlands have an unspoilt rural charm that complements the three historic bustling market towns of Abingdon, Faringdon and Wantage.

With good access links to London, the Midlands and the Southwest via the M4, A34 and M40, the Vale of the White Horse is a natural choice for leading edge businesses. The Vale has a thriving economy with a highly skilled workforce and offers an attractive living and working environment. For more details see our pages on the Economy of the Vale. 

More information about living in Oxfordshire can be found on the following websites:

Information about finding housing in the area can be found on these websites:

The Council

With our administrative headquarters in Abingdon, the Vale is one of five District Councils within Oxfordshire. 

There are 51 elected members of the Council, which is Liberal Democrat controlled. 

Our employees

The Council has around 240 employees (full and part-time) headed by a Chief Executive and three Strategic Directors, shared with South Oxfordshire District Council.

The Council has had Investors in People Status since 1998 and we take seriously our responsibility to equip staff with the skills needed to do their role. We are committed to ensuring that all employees and prospective employees are treated equally, fairly and with dignity and respect. We actively welcome applications from all sections of the community and guarantee an interview to anyone with a disability whose application meets the Essential criteria for the post under the terms of the Guaranteed Interview Scheme.

For many employees, there is a need to balance their home and work lives and the Council is keen to help staff to achieve this. We operate a 37 hour week with the majority of employees covered by an annualised hours scheme. This scheme provides employees with flexibility in determining their starting and finishing times to suit their travelling arrangements and other personal needs or circumstances. It also allows time to be accrued and carried forward. Applications for job share or reduced working hours are available to all employees regardless of personal circumstances.

The Council also offers childcare vouchers to all employees which can be used to pay for a wide range of childcare. The scheme enables staff to be paid a portion of their salary in childcare vouchers. Salary taken in the form of childcare vouchers is exempt from Tax and National Insurance.

More information about the Council's Equality in Employment Policy can be found by viewing or downloading the summary of the policy from the right of the page.

For more information on aspects of working for the Council please click on the link below:

If you have any questions or queries regarding working or moving to the Vale of White Horse District Council please do not hesitate to contact a member of the Human Resources team on 01235 520202.

Working hours  

The Council has a 37 hour working week for most staff and an annualised hours scheme is in operation.

At Abbey House, the office opening hours are 8.45am to 5.15pm Monday and 8.45 am to 5.00pm Tuesday to Friday. 

The Council is committed to helping its employees balance their work and personal lives and therefore applications to job share or work reduced hours will be considered by managers.

Annual leave

All staff receive a minimum of 23 days annual leave (pro rata for part timers). In addition there are three extra statutorydays to be used between Christmas and New Year. Annuel leave increases with grade and with length of service (an additional 5 days after 5 years completed service.  

Annual leave increases with grade and with length of service (an additional five days after five years-completed service - an employee who started part way through the fifth year will have pro rata'd allowance for that year.

Pension 

All new employees are entitled to join the Local Government Pension Scheme. You will automatically be admitted to the Scheme which has an employee contribution rate of between 5.5 per cent and 7.5 per cent of contractual earnings. You do have the right to opt out of the Scheme and make your own arrangements.

Relocation   

The Council has a generous relocation package available for certain posts, to candidates moving from a distance.   The scheme includes allowances for accommodation, disturbance, excess travel, removal and legal fees, separation allowance and weekend travelling expenses. A copy of the policy and its terms and conditions may be requested from the Human Resources department. Qualifying conditions will apply in each case.

Green travel plan

One of the Vale’s priorities is creating a cleaner, greener, safer and healthier community and environment.  If you use the bus or train to travel to work you can get a 20 per cent discount on a pass. If you get on your bicycle for business you can claim £1.00 per mile (conditions apply).

Cycle purchase scheme

Under this scheme, employees who have contracts of employment that outlast the duration of the pay back period can benefit from obtaining a tax-free bike and accessories (safety equipment) up to the value of £1,000.  Employees must be over 18 years old and have exceeded the employer's probationary period (if applicable). This is a salary sacrifice scheme and participants must pay tax via the PAYE system.

Car loan scheme

The Council operates an assisted purchase scheme for motor vehicles, which is available to our staff. Qualifying conditions apply in each case. A full copy of the rules of the scheme may be obtained from the Payroll Office on 01491 823521. 

Payment of professional fees

Any member of staff who as a requirement of their post is required to have a professional qualification or membership can have 100 per cent of their membership fee re-imbursed by the Council.

Facilities 

The main offices are located in a modern building with plenty of kitchen areas and a staff room. Additionally, employees at Abbey House can enjoy car-parking facilities for which there is presently no charge.

The Council provides a smoke-free working environment and was the first organisation to win the national Health at Work Award (Level 2) for its initiatives on employee health. It also has the Investors in People Award.

All staff are able to use the Council run leisure facilities at a discounted rate. Further details are available from Human Resources.

External services 

From time to time the Vale is asked to make employees aware of services of offers that are available commercially. Such services do not form part of your terms and conditions and can therefore be withdrawn without notice. The Council is not in a position to endorse or recommend these services or offers but wishes you to be aware of them.

Family friendly

The Vale has a number of policies that are family friendly as follows:

  • Maternity leave – the occupational maternity scheme applies to all pregnant women regardless of the number of hours worked each week.
  • Paternity leave – the Council offers five days paternity leave, with pay, for which there is no length of service requirement. If you are eligible for statutory paternity leave, the maximum amount of paternity leave you can take for the two schemes together will be two weeks.
  • Time-off for dependants leave – this allows employees to take a reasonable amount of time off work to deal with unexpected or sudden emergences and to make any necessary long term arrangements.  This does not include an entitlement to pay.
  • Parental leave – the Maternity and Paternity Leave Regulations 1999 provide all working parents (who have at least one year’s continuous service with the Council) with children under five with a right to take unpaid parental leave of up to 13 weeks, or 18 weeks if the child has a disability.

Employee welfare 

The Council provides a free, independent and confidential support service which is open to all employees and can help them address any personal or work based issues which they are experiencing.

Manager/Employee Charter

This sets out the main terms (expectations) of the employment relationship for employers and employees.

Related documents
Talk to us