Introduction
A home to the Derby and a home to some 67,000 residents (figure from
Census 2001), Epsom and Ewell is an extremely lively Borough just outside
the Southern tip of London. With 600 acres of unspoilt downland comprising
the celebrated Epsom Downs, from where you can see the whole of London
and, to the South, rural Surrey, and communities dotted across the Borough,
we are genuinely a place with a lot to offer you, at work, home and at
play!
back to top
Borough Council Initiatives
At Epsom and Ewell we always have one eye focused firmly on the present
- what is going on in our communities and how we can help deliver a better
quality of life and support to those who most need our assistance. And
we have another eye looking straight ahead at the future - at the services
we deliver, the way we run and manage ourselves and the responsibility
we have to future generations to ensure what we are doing now is a wise
investment for years to come.
Whilst being a relatively small Borough in terms of staff numbers (we
employ around 200 full-time and 100 part-time people), we are active and
ambitious in what we do across the community.
We have a progressive strategy in place for dealing with graffiti, including
mural creation in collaboration with professional artists, education programmes
and ‘streetcare’ wardens whose job is to monitor and note
instances of graffiti (as well as other things) for speedy removal. We
also operate a recycling programme, including kerbside collections and
recycling banks.
We run a regular Borough Survey via the Epsom & Ewell Exchange Panel.
In response to this we are increasing the numbers of our services available
on-line as nearly three quarters of households in the area have internet
access.
Our Contact Centre, central to our e-government strategy, has now been
operational for two years, and handles enquiries ranging from refuse collection
to stray dogs and parking fines to pest control. One of just a few such
centres in the UK, our team operate with tough targets - answering 85%
of calls within 15 seconds - and can deal with up to 1,000 calls per day.
Call monitoring allows us to spot trends and identify potential issues
before they become a problem, helping us deliver our residents a more
pro-active, efficient service. In the last year alone we have demonstrated
the success of the Centre to over 60 visiting Councils from across the
country!
back to top
The Local Area
Epsom and Ewell is right on the edge of London itself and so exceptionally
well positioned for all the capital’s attractions, whilst providing
some of the best known countryside in the region. As well as the world-renowned
Epsom Derby, which has been running for over 200 years, attracting visitors
from all over the globe, we have many other offerings for residents and
visitors alike.
Set in nearly 300 acres of open space is Nonsuch Park including Nonsuch
Mansion House and the former site of Nonsuch Palace. Horton Country Park,
incorporating a children’s farm, golf course and equestrian centre
is a great day out for the family. The Epsom Playhouse runs amateur and
professional productions, including National Tours, West End shows, classical
concerts and a film season. There are many sport and leisure facilities
across the Borough, including Epsom’s newly rebuilt £8 million
Rainbow Centre, one of the very best in the South East.
Annual events such as the Herald of Spring at Bourne Hall help keep us
in touch with tradition and maintain a sense of community.
back to top
The Working Experience
Epsom and Ewell has responded positively to government initiatives to
improve the way we work, and nowhere is this more evident than the way
we are managing for change to allow our people to progress their careers
and to attract new talent.
Our focus has been to update the way that we measure, recognise and reward
people’s efforts in order that skills and abilities are identified
and nurtured. We run a market related pay scheme, benchmarking salaries
against appropriate ‘anchors’. We link appraisals with performance-related
pay to grant people annual bonuses. Three consecutive bonus payments qualify
staff for an additional performance related pay increase. And linked to
this is a personal development plan for each employee, backed up by a
substantial training budget that provides for management development programmes,
leadership training and many other on and off-site training courses.
Our recruitment policy for senior administrative and management employees
is geared to hiring people with demonstrable intellect and potentially
transferable skills, in order that we can provide interesting and progressive
career options as well as help attract people from outside the Public
Sector. And for those with talent and ambition, we endeavour to ‘fast-track’
wherever possible.
The changes being brought about by this modern approach to hiring and
inspiring our people is seeing positive effect throughout our organisation.
A willingness to contribute and put even more effort into the work we
do is apparent as you wander through our open plan offices. There are
huddles and informal ‘on-the-hoof’ meetings going on much
of the time and a real buzz of vibrant activity pervades.
For anyone looking to join a dynamic local government operation, with
a focus on welcoming and adapting to change, and who can adopt a positive
attitude to the work we do and the way we do it, Epsom and Ewell has to
be the place for you.
For more information about our Borough, take a look at our web site,
or view our current vacanicies by clicking the link at the bottom of the
page.
back to top
|
