Cumberland Council Jobs | 1 Live Vacancy

About Cumberland Council

Cumberland Council is a unitary authority in the North West of England, created in April 2023 when the former Carlisle, Allerdale and Copeland district councils merged with the western half of Cumbria County Council. It covers Carlisle, the Solway coast, Workington, Whitehaven, Keswick and the western Lake District, with its main offices at Cumbria House on Botchergate in Carlisle. As a unitary council it delivers everything from adult and children's social care to housing, planning and environmental services, and it positions itself as a values-driven organisation with health and wellbeing at the centre of what it does.

Housing and homelessness services

Housing sits within the council's Adult Social Care and Housing directorate. The homelessness and rough sleeping service helps anyone who is at risk of losing their home within 56 days, whether they have been asked to leave, are facing eviction, are staying temporarily with friends, live in unsafe or unaffordable accommodation or are being illegally evicted. Referrals come through a single contact number and an online housing assistance portal, with immediate-risk cases prioritised, and there is specific guidance for young people and for people leaving prison. Residents can report someone sleeping rough so that outreach can be arranged.

The council does not run a large council-landlord operation; social housing is accessed through housing associations via the Cumbria Choice sub-regional choice-based lettings scheme. Homelessness reviews and strategies inherited from the legacy districts describe small numbers of directly held temporary accommodation units, some with additional security for those fleeing abuse, and a move towards a Housing First style model of supported accommodation. The wider housing service also covers private renting advice, affordable home ownership, Disabled Facilities Grants and adaptations, Warm Homes energy efficiency grants, empty homes and Gypsy, Traveller and Roma site management. The council also owns and runs residential care homes, extra care and supported living schemes for adults across the area.

Where it operates and who it supports

Services are delivered across north and west Cumbria from bases in Carlisle, Whitehaven, Workington, Wigton, Longtown, Millom and Keswick. The people supported include households threatened with homelessness, rough sleepers, prison and hospital leavers, young people, older adults and people with disabilities living in council care and supported housing.

Working for the council

Cumberland offers nationally agreed pay scales and is a Real Living Wage employer. Staff receive 25 days of annual leave rising to 31 after five years, plus eight public holidays, with up to two days of flexi leave a month in eligible roles. Flexible, hybrid and remote working are available where the job allows, and there are family-friendly leave policies, flexible retirement and career breaks. Employees join the Local Government Pension Scheme, and wellbeing support includes free flu vaccinations, mental health support through Able Futures and a network of staff groups covering race equality, LGBT+, menopause, carers and more. Induction, e-learning and support for formal qualifications are part of the package.

Typical roles

Recent vacancies include Housing Options Advisors and Homelessness Officers, housing enforcement and environmental health officers focused on private sector housing, housing technical officers for adaptations, and a large volume of Support Worker, Night Support Worker and Community Support Worker posts in the council's residential homes and supported living schemes.

• Location: Cumbria House, 117 Botchergate, Carlisle, Cumbria CA1 1RD
• Contact: 0300 373 3730; recruitment system queries HR.Systems@cumbria.gov.uk
• Pension: Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)