Employee benefits

A group of people making a star shape with their fingers

With Southampton City Council you’ll receive a competitive salary while being able to enjoy the benefits of highly flexible working. We ensure that all employees receive a rate of pay at least equal to a Living Wage (in line with the Living Wage Foundation review and recommendations). This has had the on-going effect of increasing annual salaries for the lowest paid council staff.

Our basic minimum holiday entitlement is 25 days per year, plus Bank Holidays, rising to 30 based on length of service.

In many roles, you can make use of our flexitime scheme which enables you to build up an additional 13 days leave a year based on any additional hours you have worked each month.

We have an Employee Awards Scheme which rewards winning staff and we have Long Service Awards too.

We are a family friendly workplace, with a number of arrangements in place for employees to take family related leave, including:

We are also a fostering friendly employer, as recognised by The Fostering Network, with a dedicated policy to support employees who are foster carers or who are interested in becoming one.

We give you two days paid leave to do volunteering work and we organise regular employee events for volunteering.

Our benefits platform has a wide range of discounts and offers which are updated regularly and include a huge range of savings from major UK retailers, the ability to spread the cost of thousands of technology and home appliances, as well as supermarkets and high street shopping, utility bills, online retailers, store cards, gift cards, eGift cards and discount cards and an enormous range of goods which you can purchase through salary sacrifice, so gaining an extra discount directly in your pay. Read more about the benefits platform.

We also have local discounts and offers which you can take advantage of in the city, including sports, heritage and leisure venues, shops, restaurants and gyms. Employees can join CostCo by using their Staff ID.

In terms of traveling to work we offer an interest free season ticket loan for train travel and have a cycle to work scheme through which employees can purchase bikes and accessories tax-free.

Find out what it's like to work at Southampton City Council.