Environment Protection Officer - Licensing Support in Kingston upon Thames

About the Borough

Joining us, you get to work for not just one high performing London Borough, but two. Kingston and Sutton councils have a number of shared services serving both authorities, with some teams and roles more focussed on one council than the other, but the majority are shared across both, meaning you get multiple opportunities to learn from a wider pool of activities and two different political bodies. We work flexibly in both Kingston and Sutton offices, and support working at home or flexible working patterns that enable you to tailor your working and personal life. We provide the equipment and tools to enable you to work flexibly, and in return ask you to use that flexibility to be creative and ambitious in the services we deliver.

There are some really exciting things happening in both boroughs. In Sutton, we are developing the London Cancer Hub, a world leading cancer research and treatment hub that will bring together professionals from across different sectors to identify and test new treatments and therapies. Over in Kingston, we are undertaking the largest housing regeneration programme ever delivered in the borough, building new energy efficient housing that will transform some of our oldest council-owned housing. Both boroughs have publicly committed to doing what they can to tackle the climate emergency and are investing in new technologies and societal change that will help bring carbon emissions down and improve our climate impact.

You should choose Kingston and Sutton if you are looking for an opportunity that will challenge you to deliver more, support you to achieve personal ambitions, and expect you to put borough residents at the heart of what you do. Kingston is a beautiful Royal borough with a historic setting on the banks of the Thames with excellent schools and a bustling retail centre, all surrounded by open green spaces such as Richmond Park and Bushy Park, former recreation grounds for Tudor Kings and Queens. The Council is controlled by a Liberal Democrat Administration and has a council plan “Greener, Fairer, Safer, Together”, that sets out a vision to be a vibrant, diverse and inclusive borough where residents are active, empowered, engaged and able to remain independent and resilient.

The Council engages with residents through a number of forums and events through the year, and like Sutton plays a leading role in developing the South West Region of London. Sutton is a well connected attractive part of London that has a reputation for excellent schools, green and leafy open spaces, and a history that drives a thriving heritage and culture offer through our museums and libraries. The Council is controlled by a long established Liberal Democrat Administration and has high ambitions set out in its corporate plan “Ambitious for Sutton”, that will ensure Sutton remains a great place to live, work and raise a family. The Council plays a leading role in a number of local partnerships and places great emphasis on engaging effectively with its residents, listening to local voices and making their message heard across London Government.

About the Role and Our Ideal Candidate

We are looking for a committed and enthusiastic individual to join our licensing team working across our two boroughs. The team is responsible for a variety of public safety, health and safety and animal welfare regimes in connection with Alcohol and Entertainment, Gambling, Special Treatments, Street Trading, Animal Activities and Sports Ground Safety. This is a role with a focus on supporting the wider work of the team and includes:

• Processing applications for changes and amendments to existing licences, including reviewing associated paperwork, performing checks and re‑issuing the various types of licences and permits.
• Providing advice and guidance to residents and businesses, responding to enquiries and questions about the licensing regimes we regulate.
• Supporting officers with complex applications and visits to premises applying for and holding a licence.

You will be enthusiastic, committed, self‑motivated and have a positive attitude. You must be a confident communicator with excellent time management skills and be confident in dealing with members of the public, elected councillors and other enforcement agencies. You must be able to demonstrate your ability to adapt to changing properties and work accurately and diligently to tight deadlines. This is a fantastic opportunity for someone eager to develop their skills and knowledge within a regulatory environment. You might already have experience in processing and validating licence applications or in other administrative or support roles, and be looking to progress your career in the dynamic field of Licensing. This is a challenging role providing an ideal opportunity for you to be part of an innovative front‑line service.

About Us

Maintaining a healthy and safe environment is a key priority for both Councils. The Licensing Team works to make the boroughs safer and to regulate and support our business communities to grow in challenging times. A small team of specialist officers, the Licensing Team has a broad remit, encompassing a wide range of functions covering national and London specific regimes, administering licences and enforcing related legislation. The team provides a high‑quality, responsive service through close collaboration internally and with external partners. Regulatory Services offers a supportive environment to enable you to achieve your professional goals and shape how services are delivered. With offices in both Kingston and Sutton town centres, and modern remote working technology, the service works agilely, with occasional evening and weekend work giving scope for a healthy work life balance.

Our Offer to You

As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We’re constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across however big or small; will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team. Employees have access to a wide range of benefits to enable staff to achieve a work life balance, some of which include:

• A generous annual leave entitlement of 25‑32 days, plus bank holidays (pro‑rata if part‑time working hours apply) depending on service and grade.
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, shared parental, adoption and dependents leave.
• Three volunteering days per year in Kingston.
• Hybrid working (dependent on the role).
• Flexible and agile working arrangements using Google Chromebooks.
• Learning and development portal offering a range of courses.
• Discounts on a range of local shops, restaurants, gyms and leisure centres.
• Interest‑free season ticket loans.
• Local Government Pension Scheme.
• Bicycle loan facilities and cycle‑to‑work scheme.
• Electric vehicle leasing scheme.
• Confidential health & wellbeing and counselling support.

Diversity and Equality

We are proud to be a diverse and welcoming Borough and we strive to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve, and instil a sense of belonging in our staff. We celebrate and respect differences and appreciate the value of having a diverse workforce, therefore we welcome applications from under‑represented groups. We are also a disability confident employer and guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria for a role. As an accredited London Living Wage Employer all our employees are guaranteed the London Living Wage regardless of their length or type of contract.

The UK has a points‑based immigration system affecting EU and non‑EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance. Sponsorship availability varies and is subject to eligibility requirements and budget limitations. As a result, we cannot guarantee sponsorship for all roles and will evaluate sponsorship requests on a case‑by‑case basis.