About Kingston
This special place in South West London between the capital and the country has been a Royal borough longer than anywhere else - it is where the first kings of England were crowned.
Today it is a vibrant and diverse borough, with a long history and strong cultural and community heritage. Kingston's riverside location, fantastic retail offer, historic market place and church, parks and gardens all make Kingston town centre the vibrant space it is, and each of our district town centres (Surbiton, New Malden, Tolworth and Chessington) have something unique to offer.
Situated in Zone 6, Kingston is among the best-connected town centres in London – with direct train links from Kingston and Surbiton stations to Clapham Junction and London Waterloo, as well as Wimbledon for an interchange with the London Underground and Tramlink.
We offer a modern and flexible working environment for our staff supported by our IT infrastructure, Google Chromebooks and Google Apps, which act as a key enabler for collaborative and streamlined working.
We operate hybrid working, a flexible working model which allows staff to work from a variety of locations and our staff are not required to work within the office 5 days a week. We measure performance with an outcomes-based approach - offering flexibility to our staff where needed so they benefit from a healthy work life balance whilst still meeting the needs of the organisation, our customers and communities.
Our main offices are situated on Kingston High Street, a stone’s throw away from our bustling town centre which includes a number of shops, restaurants, bars, the Rose Theatre, market and riverside - the perfect place to spend your lunch break or some down time after work. Learn more about what our High Street has to offer here.
Recommended reading:
If you are thinking of applying for a job at Kingston Council or preparing for an interview, the following sources will help you understand what the council is trying to achieve and some of the challenges it faces.
Our Council Plan
Our Inclusive Kingston Strategy
Our Latest Equalities Report
Our Data and Insight Pages
How we work in Kingston
We operate a ‘hybrid’ model of working, where staff agree with their team the best model for them to deliver outcomes to their customers/residents and communities, through our Future Workplace programme.
At Kingston, we're not just colleagues; we're a community. Together, we have the power to achieve extraordinary things. By embodying our STAR values - Supportive, Transparent, Appreciative, Respectful - we can create a brighter future for ourselves and the communities we serve.
We offer a modern and flexible working environment for our staff supported by our IT infrastructure, Google Chromebooks and Google Apps, which act as a key enabler for collaborative and streamlined working.
We operate hybrid working, a flexible working model which allows staff to work from a variety of locations and our staff are not required to work within the office 5 days a week. We measure performance with an outcomes-based approach - offering flexibility to our staff where needed so they benefit from a healthy work life balance whilst still meeting the needs of the organisation, our customers and communities.
Our main offices are situated on Kingston High Street, a stone’s throw away from our bustling town centre which includes a number of shops, restaurants, bars, the Rose Theatre, market and riverside - the perfect place to spend your lunch break or some down time after work. Learn more about what our High Street has to offer here.
Our Structure
You can learn more about our structure and Strategic Leadership Team here.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
We are passionate about Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, actively encouraging all our staff to bring their whole self to work.
Our Approach
We are proud to be a diverse and welcoming Borough.
Our aim is to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve, and staff feel a sense of belonging.
We engage with our workforce to ensure that they feel included and are able to contribute to matters that relate to their employment and working environment.
Our aim is to provide our workforce with a working environment that is free from harassment, bullying and/or victimisation and ensure everyone is treated, and likewise treat others, with dignity and respect.
A diverse workforce
We celebrate and respect differences and appreciate the value of having a diverse workforce. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, particularly Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, and disabled candidates, as these groups are currently under-represented in our workforce.
Disability Confident Committed
As a Disability Confident employer, we are committed to thinking differently about disability and taking action to improve how we recruit, retain and develop disabled people.
Committed to supporting those that are Care Experienced
We share this commitment to supporting those that are care experienced (previously been in care) and therefore we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants and all care experienced applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria for a role.
Family Friendly
We offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda.