Introduction
Just 15 miles from the centre of London, Elmbridge is a hugely diverse
Borough, which offers attractive countryside, stately homes, bustling
town centres and rural idylls alike.
Almost 125,000 people live within the Borough’s boundaries and
enjoy the quality of life that has helped make Elmbridge a highly desirable
corner of the South East to live. With much of our countryside protected
as green belt, our town centres are increasingly popular places. These
comprise Walton-on-Thames, Weybridge, Esher, Molesey and Cobham.
Nearly half our population is in the 16–45 year age bracket, and
nearly half the households in the borough own two or more cars. Unemployment
is low, and house prices are high, which brings its own set of challenges
to an extremely articulate community.
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The Council
Led from the front by a very dynamic and high profile Chief Executive,
Elmbridge aims to be recognised within 5 years as one of the UK’s
best Borough Councils through:
- effective community leadership, partnership working and involving
customers to develop our priorities
- ensuring Elmbridge remains a safe, healthy, enjoyable place to live
and work
- enhancing our attractiveness and established character
- effective management to deliver high quality, accessible, affordable
services
- assisting in sustaining the local economy
- enhancing and protecting the natural environment
No mean target to aim for, we have a carefully set out strategy, which
we make known to the community, for achieving these ambitious goals. Our
Key Themes include responding promptly to stakeholders, involving
the community in what we do, and enhancing and protecting the environment.
Gradually we are driving towards our intended long term vision –
bridging communities to enhance quality of life, the environment and the
economy by promoting caring, health, safety and prosperity for all.
We publish key issues and targets for all our services such as building
control, car parking, planning, environmental health and transportation.
Our more high profile initiatives include a £60m redevelopment
of one of our major urban centres, a £1 million 50 camera CCTV system,
leading a national Reassurance Project to combat fear of crime, the building
of a new wet and dry leisure facility and the formation of a Partnership
to develop a Community Strategy.
Our quarterly magazine, The Elmbridge Review, keeps citizens informed
of our progress with its lively presentation of newsworthy stories covering
a huge range of our activities and successes.
Finally, it is worth noting that our achievements have been recognised
with some eight Charter Marks, including most recently a Green Apple Award
for environmental best practice. This was in recognition of our work in
energy efficiency and a range of innovative schemes aimed at ensuring
all local residents can access affordable warmth.
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The Borough
Elmbridge offers a huge amount of open countryside space, much of it
a rare combination of heath and woodland. Our plant and animal life is
such that these ‘commons’ have been designated Areas of Special
Scientific Interest. Water is also a predominant theme here – and
not just in terms of flooding! The Rivers Thames, Mole and Wey offer towpath
walks, boating and water sports, riverside pubs and fishing.
Each of our key towns is interspersed with charming villages and the
Borough’s range of shopping facilities is truly magnificent.
We offer a huge range of sporting facilities including leisure centres,
indoor pools, go-karting, rowing, horse riding and dry slope skiing. Almost
every palate is catered for across the Borough’s restaurants and
there are many local spots worth a day out for families young and old
alike: from Chessington World of Adventures to the Brooklands Museum,
and from Hampton Court to Painshill Park.
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The Employment Experience
We employ nearly 400 staff, including 80 part-time people plus many volunteers
from the local community and are located just off the High Street in Esher
opposite Sandown race course. Our modern, purpose built offices include
free staff car parking and provide a spacious, open plan, hi-tech working
environment. For those coming from further afield there are many options
for cheaper housing within half an hour travelling time and we offer a
comprehensive relocation package to assist with the complications of moving.
Widely respected as an employer, our people feel valued and operate within
a friendly, informal dynamic atmosphere where the energy of our purpose
permeates throughout our culture. We make decisions quickly and without
fuss and put new ideas into practice fast. Our staff are highly valued
and our staff benefits programme provides opportunities for flexible working,
including term time and home working, and good holiday arrangements, including
up to 2 flexi-days per month. We offer a 24-hour employee support help-line,
health screening and lifestyle checks, and a scheme allowing the buying
and selling of annual leave.
Staff membership of Leisure Facilities has been extended to include their
immediate families and a new ‘choices’ package offers low
cost Private Health Insurance, Dental Insurance, Sainsbury’s vouchers
and Childcare voucher scheme. Further proposals are currently under review.
Overall, we are extremely proud of what we achieve for Elmbridge, and
of the ambitious plans and standards we have set ourselves for the future.
If you think you could make a contribution to the success of our Borough,
click on our Current Vacancies and see what we have to offer. We hope
we’ll meet up with you soon!
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The Council
The Borough
The Employment Experience
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