South Hams District Council Jobs | 1 Live Vacancy

South Hams District Council is the local authority for South Hams, a largely rural district in South Devon that takes in Totnes, Kingsbridge, Ivybridge, Dartmouth and the surrounding coast and countryside, plus a share of the city of Plymouth's fringe. Since 2019 the council has operated a shared staffing arrangement with the neighbouring West Devon Borough Council, so many services, including housing, are run jointly across both districts under a single "Team South Hams and West Devon" structure.

Housing and homelessness services

The council's Housing Options and Advice team carries out the authority's statutory homelessness functions under Part VII of the Housing Act 1996 (as amended by the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017). That covers homelessness prevention and relief duties, assessing and supporting households who are homeless or threatened with homelessness, sourcing and managing temporary accommodation, and working with people sleeping rough to help them into settled housing. The team also provides general housing advice covering renting, older residents, younger people leaving home, and disabled residents who need adaptations, and it administers Disabled Facilities Grants and loans to help people stay safely in their own homes.

Housing sits alongside the council's wider Land and Property function, which manages the council's own housing stock and tenancies, so staff in these teams also deal with repairs, estate management and tenant support for council tenants across the district.

Where they work and who they support

South Hams District Council supports residents across its district in South Devon, from market towns such as Totnes, Kingsbridge and Ivybridge to smaller coastal and rural communities, working closely with West Devon Borough Council's equivalent teams next door. Its homelessness and housing support services are for anyone at risk of losing their home "for whatever reason," including families with children, single people, older and younger residents, private and social tenants, and people sleeping rough.

Working at South Hams District Council

The council has been recognised for flexible working, letting staff choose between home working, its two main offices and satellite locations, and adjust hours around operational needs. It offers management support, professional development, and staff reward schemes, and because housing, planning, environmental health, waste and other services are run jointly with West Devon Borough Council, staff have access to a wider range of specialist colleagues and career paths than a single small district authority would normally offer. Typical roles in the housing service include Housing Options Officer, Homelessness Prevention Officer, Housing Solutions Officer and support/administration roles within the Land and Property team.