The Purpose of this Role:-

Grounds maintenance provides an essential service in ensuring the County delivers its aspirations of providing an environment which is safe, clean and sustainable. Grounds maintenance operatives, either working individually or as a team, will maintain public open space; verges; planting; schools and contracted sites to provide a quality green and sustainable environment.

The majority of the time the officer will be undertaking grounds maintenance activities. However you will be required at times to work as part of a street services team, maintaining local environmental quality which includes litter picking, responding to fly-tipping etc. Loading of waste will only be undertaken if the operative has indicated a willingness to participate in the service (e.g. bank holiday catch-up).

Expectation and Outcomes of this Role:-

This role will actively support the organisation in shaping the culture and workforce of Monmouthshire.

You will be required to:-

• Maintain Safe Working Practices for self and others in accordance with the Council’s Safe Working Practices and Health and Safety Policy
• Comply with the relevant legislation in relation to Health and Safety
• Carry out your role in a polite and orderly manner
• Undertake other duties commensurate with the grade of post if the relevant training has been provided.
• Clean and current driving licence (and HGV licence if applicable)
• Undertake any training that is required to undertake your role safely and effectively.
• Abide by the principles and practices of Equal Opportunities as laid down within the Council’s Equal Opportunities Policy.
• Work within the Annualised hour’s scheme: working 43 hours per week from mid-March through to October and 37 hours per week November to March. Hours accumulated to be taken as leave between November and March.
• Work outside normal working hours:
• Weekends and evenings:- some weekend or evening working will required. This could include being on a rota for cleaning town centres, waste collections from markets (please note these are examples and not a definitive list). These rotas will be available to everyone to indicate availability or willingness to work.
• Bank holidays:- the Council will provide the bank holiday and catch up working pattern on a three year rolling basis. It is presumed that staff are working and a fair and equitable system will be developed to allow people to have time off over bank holidays.
• Responding to emergencies (including evenings, weekends and bank holidays):- staff will be expected to be able to assist the Council in its response to emergencies on instruction from management. This includes instances such as flooding (sandbagging), snow (town centre clearances), storms (tree removal).
• Scheduling for working bank holidays, weekends etc. will be based on principles of fairness and equality with single status agreement applying.

Your responsibilities are to:-

• Grass cutting activities using both hand held and ride on equipment to open spaces, schools etc.
• Assist with grave digging and cemetery related tasks when suitable training has been given.
• To maintain horticultural features inclusive of shrub bed and areas of annual bedding.
• To carry out the marking and maintenance of various sports facilities.
• To undertake landscaping of open spaces.
• Arboriculture work.
• To empty litter bins and to carry out litter picking to open spaces, verges and hard surfaces (reactive or proactive/scheduled).
• Respond to fly-tipping service requests ensuring the correct process is followed for evidence collation.
• To ensure that vehicles are kept clean and that daily safety inspections are carried out.
• To ensure that all plant and machinery is used in accordance with manufactures advice and instruction.
• To carry out other duties and works to provide services for the Authority and commensurate with the terms and conditions .
• Responding to fly-tipping service requests ensuring the correct process is followed for evidence collation .
• Collect waste:-
• Bank holiday rota – but only when the operative has indicated a willingness to be included in the rota for Waste.
• Normal working day:- only when staff shortages are at such a level that there is no alternative and all other appropriate means to ensure cover have been exhausted.
• To abide by all Health and Safety legislation and codes of practice to ensure your own safety and that of your colleagues
• To abide by the principles and practice of equal opportunity as laid down in the Council’s Equal Opportunity Policy.