Revenues & Benefits Customer Service Advisor
| Posting date: | 20 February 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £25,362 to £28,532 per year, pro rata |
| Hours: | Part time |
| Closing date: | 10 March 2026 |
| Location: | Sittingbourne, Kent |
| Remote working: | On-site only |
| Company: | Swale Borough Council |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: |
Summary
We have an exciting opportunity for a part time Revenues and Benefits Customer Service Advisor to join our busy front-line telephony team, helping the people of Swale accessing council tax, housing benefits and council tax support services.
Other methods of contact include some face-to-face interactions for appointment-based enquiries.
This is a solely customer focused role and does not include any assessments or processing of claims and updates.
Are you…?
• Experienced in handling council tax and housing benefit enquiries
• Computer literate with experience in working in a contact centre or similar environment where telephony is the main channel of communication
• Articulate and a good communicator with interpersonal skills
• Able to effectively listen, showing patience and empathy
• Adaptable and calm under pressure
• Able to work alone but also work as part of a team
• Able to demonstrate a positive approach to understanding the customer experience and committed to providing excellent customer service
About the Role:
Being the first point of contact to the council for these services, you will be providing a professional interface between the customer and the organisation. This requires experience in delivering Revenues and Benefits services but does not include assessing or processing claims.
With supporting customers at the heart of the job, in what at times is a fast-paced role, you will need to have great communication skills as well as a respectful approach. Active listening and empathy is required to recognise and understand the customer needs.
This is a part time position and with the nature of the role, resource is required to support the business needs in accordance with the council’s opening times and peak periods of demand, so the working pattern is as follows:
Part time post: 30hrs per week
Monday to Thursday 8.45am-4pm & Friday 9am-1pm
About Swale Borough Council:
Swale Borough Council is a progressive and ambitious Local Authority, located less than an hour from Central London in an attractive and diverse part of Kent involving urban, rural, and coastal areas. We believe that staff are our most valuable asset and we’re committed to attracting and retaining the very best. In recent times we have adapted and evolved to meet the current world by introducing a highly flexible hybrid working policy, along with a 34-hour week, recognising that staff wellbeing and work life balance is high on our agenda.
Our Offer:
A range of benefits including:
• Generous holiday entitlement which increases after 5 years LG service plus bank holidays with the option to buy additional leave.
• Additional 3 days leave given to enable a close down of the offices between Christmas and New year.
• Free parking
• Invitations to staff events to celebrate success and support wellbeing that include holistic therapies and outdoor activities
• Employee Assistance Programme which provides confidential & independent information and access to counsellors
• Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) with valuable life cover and financial protection for your family.
• Life Assurance – three times your annual salary (for members of the LGPS)
• Season Ticket Loan - to help with the cost of your rail/ bus journey, to & from work
• Lease car salary sacrifice scheme allowing you to lease a brand-new car. The monthly fee includes insurance, servicing and road tax.
• Annual flu vaccine
• Cycle to work scheme
• Staff benefits discounts on leisure, eating out, holidays and shopping
• Excellent learning and career opportunities for committed individuals
• A professional fee payment, if required for the role
About You:
Key requirements:
• Educated to GCSE standard (or equivalent, including English & Maths at a grade 4 or above)
• Knowledge and experience of handling Revenue & Benefit enquiries
• Experience in an office-based customer service environment (a minimum 6 months in a contact centre or similar role where call handling is the predominant contact channel)
• The ability to work on various computer systems at the same time. You will need accurate keyboard skills with the ability to talk and type at the same time (a quick typing speed would be ideal)
• Excellent communication skills, including listening and using simple language with the ability to remain calm and professional
The Council considers these to be customer focused roles and the ability to converse at ease with customers adapting communication style to suit differing audiences and provide advice in accurate spoken English is fundamental to the role.
Selection Process:
Following the submission of your application form, it will be reviewed by the recruiting manager. Those that are successful in securing an interview can expect job specific interview assessment by telephone followed by an interview for successful candidates.
Swale Borough Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all employee and volunteers to share this commitment.
If you would like to discuss this position, please contact Carol Sargeant, Customer Service Manager on 01795 417055
Job Description and Person Specification: https://docs.maidstone.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/424421/RevsBens-CSA-SBC-JDPS-updated-Feb26-HW.pdf
Closing Date: Tuesday 10 March 2026
Telephone Interview Date: Tuesday 17 March 2026
Interview Date: Wednesday 25 March 2026
Other methods of contact include some face-to-face interactions for appointment-based enquiries.
This is a solely customer focused role and does not include any assessments or processing of claims and updates.
Are you…?
• Experienced in handling council tax and housing benefit enquiries
• Computer literate with experience in working in a contact centre or similar environment where telephony is the main channel of communication
• Articulate and a good communicator with interpersonal skills
• Able to effectively listen, showing patience and empathy
• Adaptable and calm under pressure
• Able to work alone but also work as part of a team
• Able to demonstrate a positive approach to understanding the customer experience and committed to providing excellent customer service
About the Role:
Being the first point of contact to the council for these services, you will be providing a professional interface between the customer and the organisation. This requires experience in delivering Revenues and Benefits services but does not include assessing or processing claims.
With supporting customers at the heart of the job, in what at times is a fast-paced role, you will need to have great communication skills as well as a respectful approach. Active listening and empathy is required to recognise and understand the customer needs.
This is a part time position and with the nature of the role, resource is required to support the business needs in accordance with the council’s opening times and peak periods of demand, so the working pattern is as follows:
Part time post: 30hrs per week
Monday to Thursday 8.45am-4pm & Friday 9am-1pm
About Swale Borough Council:
Swale Borough Council is a progressive and ambitious Local Authority, located less than an hour from Central London in an attractive and diverse part of Kent involving urban, rural, and coastal areas. We believe that staff are our most valuable asset and we’re committed to attracting and retaining the very best. In recent times we have adapted and evolved to meet the current world by introducing a highly flexible hybrid working policy, along with a 34-hour week, recognising that staff wellbeing and work life balance is high on our agenda.
Our Offer:
A range of benefits including:
• Generous holiday entitlement which increases after 5 years LG service plus bank holidays with the option to buy additional leave.
• Additional 3 days leave given to enable a close down of the offices between Christmas and New year.
• Free parking
• Invitations to staff events to celebrate success and support wellbeing that include holistic therapies and outdoor activities
• Employee Assistance Programme which provides confidential & independent information and access to counsellors
• Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) with valuable life cover and financial protection for your family.
• Life Assurance – three times your annual salary (for members of the LGPS)
• Season Ticket Loan - to help with the cost of your rail/ bus journey, to & from work
• Lease car salary sacrifice scheme allowing you to lease a brand-new car. The monthly fee includes insurance, servicing and road tax.
• Annual flu vaccine
• Cycle to work scheme
• Staff benefits discounts on leisure, eating out, holidays and shopping
• Excellent learning and career opportunities for committed individuals
• A professional fee payment, if required for the role
About You:
Key requirements:
• Educated to GCSE standard (or equivalent, including English & Maths at a grade 4 or above)
• Knowledge and experience of handling Revenue & Benefit enquiries
• Experience in an office-based customer service environment (a minimum 6 months in a contact centre or similar role where call handling is the predominant contact channel)
• The ability to work on various computer systems at the same time. You will need accurate keyboard skills with the ability to talk and type at the same time (a quick typing speed would be ideal)
• Excellent communication skills, including listening and using simple language with the ability to remain calm and professional
The Council considers these to be customer focused roles and the ability to converse at ease with customers adapting communication style to suit differing audiences and provide advice in accurate spoken English is fundamental to the role.
Selection Process:
Following the submission of your application form, it will be reviewed by the recruiting manager. Those that are successful in securing an interview can expect job specific interview assessment by telephone followed by an interview for successful candidates.
Swale Borough Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all employee and volunteers to share this commitment.
If you would like to discuss this position, please contact Carol Sargeant, Customer Service Manager on 01795 417055
Job Description and Person Specification: https://docs.maidstone.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/424421/RevsBens-CSA-SBC-JDPS-updated-Feb26-HW.pdf
Closing Date: Tuesday 10 March 2026
Telephone Interview Date: Tuesday 17 March 2026
Interview Date: Wednesday 25 March 2026
Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme
Disability Confident
About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.