Caretaker (Level 2) - The Lantern

Human Resources & Development - Form 35a Version 16 - Issued June 2026 JOB DESCRIPTION AND PARTICULARS OF APPOINTMENT ▪ Job Title: The Lantern Caretaker ▪ Post Number: P27942 ▪ Grade and SCP: Grade 4 (£25,989) pro rata ▪ Directorate: Place Where your role fits at Shropshire Council At Shropshire our priority is to be a 'best value' authority that delivers, enables, and influences for Shropshire and its residents by:  • Being financially stable and sustainable  • Having clear priorities and purpose  • Supporting and enabling our workforce to excel  Recognising the challenge across local government today.  This starts with our Improvement Plan to address immediate challenges, while ensuring a focus on the future and how the Council will need to look, feel, and operate to best serve the needs of the county and its residents, and being aware of changes in national policy.     Our Shropshire values: PROUD  • Partnerships   • Respect   • Opportunities   • Understanding   • can Do   Aim to unify the workforce, support transformation, improve trust, and build a modern, sustainable Council. As a member of the Facilities Management Team within Property Services Group, you will support the achievement of these key priorities, making a real difference to the lives of people in Shropshire. Overview of your role The Caretaker is responsible for providing a safe, secure, and well-managed environment at The Lantern. Working as part of the caretaking team, the postholder ensures the building is opened, secured, and prepared for daily use, events, and meetings, while maintaining a visible presence and responding appropriately to any issues that arise. Due to the nature of the building contract, the Caretaker does not undertake repair or maintenance work. Responsibility lies with identifying and reporting faults and ensuring that the appropriate procedures are followed. There may also be some additional duties across other sites, where required, or additional hours to cover holiday absence. Who will your manager be and what will you be responsible for? You will be: ▪ reporting to Area Facilities Officer who is in turn responsible for your health and safety, training and development. ▪ Responsible for completing within expected timescales all mandatory corporate and role specific training. Training requirements will be detailed in your corporate induction and Personal Development Plan (PDP). Courses are accessed via the council Learning Management System via the Intranet. What will you be doing? • Deliver a high-quality caretaking service at The Lantern, working as part of a team and providing flexibility to support other sites or cover annual leave where required. • Open and secure the building in line with agreed procedures, including setting and unsetting security alarm systems. • Prepare rooms and spaces for events, meetings and activities, ensuring layouts and facilities meet operational requirements. • Act as a registered key holder and respond appropriately to call-outs or emergencies outside normal working hours, in accordance with agreed protocols. • Carry out regular internal and external checks of the building to maintain safety, security and good order, and maintain a visible on-site presence. • Monitor the condition of the building and its facilities, promptly identifying and reporting defects, faults or hazards through the appropriate reporting channels. • Respond calmly and appropriately to incidents, disturbances or issues as they arise, escalating concerns where necessary. • Undertake general caretaking duties, including replenishing consumables, waste disposal, sweeping external areas, and checking for trip hazards. • Support staff on duty by responding to operational issues, including assisting with moving equipment or loads where required. • Receive and distribute deliveries for the centre in a timely and organised manner. • Comply at all times with Council policies, including health and safety, fire safety, equal opportunities, environmental responsibilities and the Code of Conduct. • Maintain an appropriate standard of personal presentation and conduct in line with the expectations of the service and the Council. • Undertake any other reasonable duties commensurate with the post to support the effective delivery of the service • To make a positive contribution to the reputation of Shropshire Council as an employer of choice and of equal opportunities through all of its processes and documentation. The above duties are an illustrative outline and are not an exhaustive list. You will be expected to become involved in a range of work to enable the service to respond effectively to the changing requirements of the Council and changes affecting the workforce. What we expect of you You will: ▪ adopt a customer focused approach when delivering your service, ensuring engagement with service users and maintenance of an appropriate personal profile, ▪ act as an advocate for your service and work collaboratively with colleagues across the whole Council to meet the needs of the people of Shropshire, ▪ meet individual, service and personal development targets agreed through the Performance Development Review Process, learn from experience and are committed to continuous improvement individually and as an employee of the Council, ▪ work with colleagues to meet your team's key performance indicators, support a culture of team working and ensure the team functions successfully in support of the Council's corporate and service objectives. ▪ meet the behaviours and competencies adopted by the Council in the way in which they achieve their objectives and carry out their work. ▪ A priority for the Council is the protection of vulnerable people, ensuring they are able to live as independently as possible. The post-holder will promote and engage with Council's responsibility to safeguard the welfare of children, young people and adults, and protect their right to be safe from harm. What are your conditions of Service The conditions of service are those laid down by Shropshire Council, which have been adopted and amended as necessary from those laid down by the National Joint Council for Local Government Services. You will be based at The Lantern, Shrewsbury Your post is subject to the following: ▪ The post is Permanent, for 13.50 hours per week ▪ Weekday mornings - 7.45am to 9.45am (Tues-Fri) ▪ Saturday - 8:30am to 2:00pm Annual leave entitlement is a pro rata flat rate scheme of 207 hours (28 days) annual leave plus bank holidays, with five days extra awarded to those staff with five years local government service giving an entitlement of 244 hours (33 days). Two days of an employee's allowance (pro rota for part time staff) must be taken at Christmas for any potential Christmas closures. Employees who work in a building/service which is required to open over the Christmas period, the two days leave (pro rota) can be carried over into your next leave year but must be used by the end of March. The appointment is subject to one months' notice in writing on either side. The appointment is subject to six months' satisfactory probationary service during which time the notice period will be one week on either side. Smoking is not allowed in Council buildings, in Council vehicles or in any Council place of work. It is a condition of your appointment that you provide a suitable vehicle for the performance of your duties and that this is readily available for use during normal working hours. You are entitled to claim for reimbursement of the costs of travel on council business at the rate of 55 pence per mile. What pre-employment checks will we undertake? The appointment is subject to receipt of the following pre-employment checks; 1. Satisfactory employment references, 2. Medical report, 3. Evidence of the qualifications required for the post/listed on your application form, This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such all applicants who are appointed to this post will be subject to an Enhanced Disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service before the appointment is confirmed. This check will include details of cautions, reprimands or warnings as well as convictions and non-conviction information. Once appointed, the successful applicant(s) will also be required to apply for an Enhanced Disclosure at pre-determined intervals during the course of their employment whilst in this post. Supplying false information or failing to disclose relevant information could be grounds for refusal and could amount to a criminal offence.