Caretaker

Role overview

Lewisham Council is seeking a customer-focused caretaker to help keep shared residential spaces across the borough clean, safe, and well maintained. The post is based in London, England, United Kingdom and supports a community known for its cultural diversity and welcoming approach.

The role is centred on maintaining communal areas for residents, responding to issues as they arise, and helping ensure that buildings managed by the council remain tidy and secure. The council also highlights its commitment to equality, diversity, and access for all, and notes its recognition as the UK’s first Borough of Sanctuary.

Key duties

• Carry out scheduled and reactive sweeping and cleaning of internal and external shared areas, using the correct equipment, materials, and cleaning agents safely.
• Clear dumped waste, timber, and other large items from communal spaces and dwellings, moving them to the proper location and, where needed, transporting them to a disposal facility.
• Complete routine inspections on a planned or response basis and raise or resolve issues involving chute systems, litter bins, communal lighting, fire safety risks, and shared repairs.
• Arrange and keep track of repairs to communal spaces through the appropriate channels or as directed by supervisors and managers.
• Spot and report any safeguarding or welfare concerns relating to vulnerable residents.
• Identify nuisance, anti-social, or criminal activity and support enforcement action by gathering evidence, sharing relevant information about individuals, and providing witness statements when required.

What the council offers

• Access to strong training and development support.
• Generous annual leave.
• Membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme.
• Flexible working options and family-friendly policies.
• Season ticket loans and bicycle loans.
• Employee discounts, including subsidised local gym memberships.
• Supportive staff networks.

Candidate profile

The council is looking for someone who takes pride in their work, delivers a consistently strong customer experience, and shows commitment to equality of access and opportunity within a diverse community. The successful person should be willing to learn and develop, work collaboratively with colleagues and management, and follow all relevant policies and procedures, including those related to health and safety and equality and diversity.

Working arrangements and special conditions

Caretakers may work from a range of locations across the Lewisham borough. There may also be weekend working on a rota basis.

This post requires a clean, full manual UK or EU driving licence with Category B. A basic DBS check is also required.

Application notes

The recruitment process is anonymous, and CVs are not accepted. Applicants must complete the application in full and ensure the supporting statement explains how they meet each criterion in the person specification. An applicant handbook is available and should be followed carefully when applying.

For an informal discussion about the role, the contact person is Robert Edworthy, [email protected], telephone 07736374628.

Pay and conditions

The salary for this role is £31,086 to £31,530 per annum (SC3). Appointments are normally made at the minimum spinal column point for the grade. A higher point may only be matched to an existing salary, up to the top of the scale, and only with documentary evidence.

Equality and accessibility

Lewisham Council states that it is a Disability Confident employer and encourages applications from people of all abilities. Reasonable adjustments can be requested for the application or interview stages, and support is available for disabled applicants and those with health conditions. The council also supports the Access to Work scheme.

Social links

The employer invites people to stay connected through its social media channels.