Sarah Montgomery oversees the day-to-day support for all of Camden's 54 councillors in the borough (including its leader and 9-people strong cabinet), working in a fast-paced environment where things can change from minute to minute.

Sarah joined Camden in January 2014 and works a four-day week, with a 7:30 am start and 4.00 pm finish.

She chooses to work this pattern in order to spend time an extra day at home with her three-year-old daughter. The position was initially advertised with full-time hours, but knowing that Camden was open to flexibility, Sarah flagged her request for a 4-day week at interview.

Camden explained that flexibility need not be a barrier to appointment, and that its IT and Agile working commitment means performance is measured "against outcomes rather than presence."

Sarah was appointed, and a flexible working pattern was fixed following collaborative discussions.

Lesley Piggott, Assistant Director in the Revenues team at Camden, who made the appointment, says: ‘Sarah had a wealth of experience in the civil service in policy roles as well as a private secretary to Ministers. Offering flexible terms meant that we were able to secure the best person for what is a really important position in the organisation.'

On the experience of working part-time for Camden so far, Sarah says: "My role could easily consume a full-time working pattern and more but working flexibly means I have become disciplined and efficient. Being able to lead a full family life outside of work means that I'm more energised and productive.'