Blackburn and Darwen: two towns, one vision.
Blackburn and Darwen are vibrant towns surrounded by beautiful countryside and within easy reach of Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool and Preston, the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District.
Working here you can make a difference to the lives of our residents that we are proud to serve. We would like you to share that pride we have in our heritage and the excitement we have about our future.
Employees are at the heart of our organisation. We know we cannot deliver our services and achieve the results we do without hard working, enthusiastic and happy employees. That is why we strive to ensure everyone is treated fairly, equally and have the same opportunities regardless of personal circumstances.
The Council is officially rated as one of the top councils in the country and we were proud to receive The MJ award for Council of the Year in 2018.
Our Values
Here at Blackburn with Darwen we ask our employees to ‘live and breathe’ our values and behaviours known as TRACK, Trust, Respect, Ambition, Collaboration, and Kindness. By embedding these values, our employees are proud to work for Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council.
We regularly engage and listen to our employees via surveys to check the pulse of our workforce and where improvements can be made. Our aim is to “Listen, Learn, Act”. We also host a number of employee voice groups which is an opportunity to represent your team and feedback on a range of topics.
We also host an annual staff awards show, voted by employees for employees. We like to celebrate the work of our employees and show they are “proud to be BwD”.
Testimonies
At Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council we encourage our employees to provide honest and open feedback regularly.From a recent piece of employee engagement we asked how likely would you be to recommend Blackburn with Darwen as a place to work to family and friends and the average score was 8.52 out of 10!
See what some of them had to say below:
“I like that I’m helping people, especially through the cost of living, it’s really rewarding. I like the flexibility of the role, I can work from home, and I work in the office 1-2 times a week. The team definitely helps because the job can be tough at times. I’m in a supportive team with supportive management.”
“All aspects of working for the council feed into my wellbeing. I'm in a good team, I enjoy the work, and it's nice to get praise in my supervisions, I can do the job, and it gives me satisfaction and confidence.”
“I enjoy the variety. I enjoy the challenge. I enjoy there being areas to make a positive contribution to. Like when we change the ways of working and solving problems. We're not being told what to do. I like working with customers face-to-face.”
“I have worked for Blackburn for over 10 years, we are all supportive, it's a very supportive team, and we all handle challenges together. Even with changes in the management structure there has always been someone to talk to.”
How to apply
Please see our current job vacancies and keep checking back for the latest opportunities.
To apply for a vacancy, you will need to create an account, and then there are a couple of pages to submit personal information, reference details, and your CV and covering letter. We ask that your CV should be tailored to the role you are applying for, and your covering letter should detail how you meet the key requirements of the role.
Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council is committed to recruiting, retaining, and developing a more diverse workforce that reflects our local demographics.
We are a Disability Confident employer. We strive to remove barriers that might be preventing a person with a disability from accessing opportunities to fulfil their potential and realise their aspirations. If you have a disability and meet the shortlisting criteria, you will be guaranteed an interview.
Benefits to our employees
Working for Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council has a number of benefits and rewards which range from additional annual leave to a fantastic pension scheme, and everything in between.
Pay
We pay our employees as per Green Book, Burgundy Book, and Soulbury pay scales. The details of these are available at any point during your employment. Every April you will move up a scale-point until you reach the top of the grade.
Our pay days on the 27th of the month, with an earlier pay day for Christmas.
Annual Leave
We offer 25 days annual leave for employees with less than five years’ service. This is increased to 30 days when an employee reaches five years’ service (or pro rata for part-time employees).
There is also the option to buy up to 24 additional days additional leave, to support with flexibility, caring responsibilities, or a once-in-a-lifetime trip.
You are also entitled to all bank holidays, but don’t worry if you don’t work on a Monday, you are still entitled to that day off.
Flexible Working Arrangements
As an employer we offer a variety of working arrangements to help you achieve a healthy work-life balance. We offer reduced hours, nine-day fortnights, flexi-time, and more! You just need to discuss your need with your manager. Many of our employees use flexible working to help them with the school run or missing the rush hour traffic.
We also offer hybrid working arrangements when the role allows it; working from home, your main office, and other council buildings throughout the week is common practice across council departments supported by modern technology.
Local Government Pension Scheme
The Council operates a pension scheme, known as the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).
You will automatically be admitted into the scheme upon appointment and will start making contributions to the scheme unless you don’t earn over the statutory amount, are aged under 22 or you positively elect to opt out. Pension deductions will be based on the full-time equivalent salary or you can opt to pay 50% if this helps your financial situation.
Childcare and Dependents Support
Here at Blackburn with Darwen we welcome working parents and offer a range of options to support parents throughout their career with the council. As well as flexible working options to support with school pick-ups to paid time off for dependents and others in your care.
You can also find further information regarding childcare support options offered by HMRC.
Salary Sacrifice
Blackburn with Darwen offer a number of salary sacrifice schemes which can be a benefit to you if you need a new car, a new bike, top-up your pension, or even secure a loan! These salary sacrifices are deducted from your gross salary so you save on tax payments – win win!
Our cycle to work scheme provides bikes and equipment that can be bought from bicycle retailers as part of a loan scheme, which takes monthly instalments from your wage and reduces your tax payments as part of the purchase.
Our car benefit scheme (Tusker) is designed to allow employees to drive a car of their choice at a competitive price, complete with insurance, servicing, tax, breakdown cover and tyres via salary sacrifice. The only extra thing you need to pay for is the fuel.
Training and Development
At Blackburn with Darwen we offer a continuous programme of training and development for our employees. As well as a comprehensive e-learning packages, there are lots of face-to-face training opportunities to enhance your skills.
We also offer a wide range of professional development, through the apprenticeship levy. Employees can make applications, for all types of technical, professional and managerial courses.
As a large organisation, we are also in the unique position to offer you opportunities of moving around the council to experience other departments and services to gain a wider understanding of the organisation as a whole, develop your networks and broaden your own career opportunities.
Professional Fees
As an employer we support continuing professional development and you may be entitled to your annual membership subscription to a professional body or institute. We have employees who are members of CIPD, CIPP, RICS, Social Work England, and more.
Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council values our Social Workers highly and continues to pay professional fees for their registration with Social Work England.
Modern Working
We have a number of offices that provide a modern, technologically advance, and comfortable workspace to support new and innovative ways of working. We promote agile working and our digital support will enable connected working now and into the future, wherever you base yourself.
We have recently renovated the historic Blackburn Town Hall to accommodate a more modern working approach, and our Duke Street and One Cathedral Square offices are contemporary working spaces with open plan seating and rooms for collaborative working between teams.
Our borough
Local population
We have over 140,000 people living in the borough and are very proud to have a rich and diverse mix of people from all backgrounds including British, Asian, Irish and Polish heritage. We are also one of the youngest populations in the country, with over a third of our residents aged under 19.
It’s an exciting time to live and work here. Millions of pounds of investment has flowed and continues to flow into the borough to regenerate our town centres, refurbish buildings, improve roads and provide new facilities and opportunities for local people.
Transport
Blackburn and Darwen are at the heart of the motorway network. The M65 links to nearby towns and the M6 for the Lake District or the Midlands while the M61 and M66 motorways provide easy access to Manchester and the M62 for Yorkshire. Manchester, Blackpool and John Lennon (Liverpool) airports are all close by and London is only three hours away by train.
Commuting times around Blackburn with Darwen
You’re never more than 30 minutes away.
From Blackburn to:
- Feniscowles by car: 10mins
- Tockholes by car: 10 mins
- Belmont by car: 20 mins
- Darwen by car: 15 mins, by train: 7 mins
- Chapeltown by car: 27 mins
- Edgeworth by car: 25 mins
Things to do
Over £66 million has been invested in expanding and improving shopping in Blackburn Town Centre, with a number of shops, restaurants, and cinemas to enjoy in your spare time.
Darwen is a bustling town centre with a historic market and a thriving nightlife where you can dance the night away.
Beyond the two town centres there are a number of green spaces for you to while away the hours meandering through woodland and meadow, gazing upon spectacular scenery.