Brent Council has done a great deal of public relations work championing the London Living Wage so I was surprised last week to see the council tweeting a link to the above vacancy at 'up to'£7.50 per hour.

The Council's own Pay Policy statement LINK states:

 The council has implemented the London living wage. This rate has been applied to all staff who receive less than £9.75 per hour. Those whose substantive salary is below the London Living Wage are placed on the nearest spinal column point to ensure an equivalent rate to the London Living Wage. The London Living Wage will not apply to apprentices as they are paid in accordance with nationally defined training rates. The Council is an accredited London Living Wage Employer and asks its contractors supplying services to the Council to pay their staff the London Living Wage. As contractors are employers in their own right, the council cannot legally force contractors to pay the London Living Wage but has built into its procurement procedures a requirement to do so. The Council also encourages schools to pay the London Living Wage. This begs the question on why the Council is using its website and social media to advertise jobs at exploitative poverty wage rates when elsewhere it makes the case for the difference the London Living Wage makes to employees:

 Rather better paid is the post of Political Assistant to the Brent Labour Group currently advertised on the Jobs Go Public website  LINK although the job is only open to internal candidates currently employed by Brent Council or temporary agency workers currently working in the council. See the stern warning I have highlighted in red at the end of the advertisement.

The temporary post will cover the period leading up to the 2018 Council elections:

Salary range: £34,338 - £37,293 p.a. inc.

Contract: Fixed term (Until 31/05/2018)

Hours of work: 36 hours per week

Location: Civic Centre and other locations from time to time

This is an exciting, high profile opportunity to work at the cutting edge of local government for an innovative local authority.

Brent is a tremendously vibrant London borough where the iconic arch of Wembley Stadium dominates the skyline. Spanning both inner and outer London, it is a borough of huge contrasts in terms of its economic, environmental, ethnic and social make up. Brent’s diversity is evident to all who visit our borough and our long history of ethnic and cultural diversity has created a place that is truly unique and valued by those who live and work here.

The council is pursuing a far-reaching transformation agenda that better meets the needs of our community so it is an exciting time to join us.

The Post

The Labour Group is looking for experience in working – paid or unpaid – in a political environment, a professional approach with the organisational skills to deal with shifting priorities. You will need to demonstrate your awareness of new legislation and political developments (local, regional and national) with particular reference to the Labour Party.

This post is politically restricted and will be offered in line with current legislation governing Political Assistant Posts. This is a temporary role to 31 May 2018.

As the Group’s Political Assistant you will be carrying out a range of interesting duties including:

·      undertaking political research in Council matters

·      assisting with the composition and issuing of press releases

·      attending Labour Group meetings to provide information and advice to Council Members

·      liaising with Members of Parliament and Officers of the Council

The Person

Ideally, you will be a member of the Labour Party and have:

·      research/administrative experience

·      experience of dealing with public bodies or political organisations

·      a good knowledge of Council political structure and public affairs

·      good interpersonal skills and organisational skills

·      good computer skills including word processing, spreadsheets, database and desk top publishing, and

·     the ability to work under pressure as part of a team as well as use your own initiative

We would like to hear from you.

Closing Date: 30 June 2017 (23:59)

Assessment & Interview Date: 12 July 2017

Additional Information

This position is only open to current employees of Brent Council or Temporary Agency Workers currently working in Brent Council. External candidates are not permitted to apply for internal only roles. Forwarding ‘internal only’ roles to external candidates may lead to disciplinary action being taken.