Posted By Richard_Sams Hi all, thanks for taking a look at this thread, please enlighten me if you can. I am a little confused about how far the legal obligations extend to the local authority in the following situation. Various local authorities run Parish Caretakers schemes with the purpose of giving local Towns/Parishes the resources to get jobs done quickly, particulalry small jobs that can be expensive when organised by the local authority. The schemes are funded by government grant and administered locally. The aim of the schemes are to appoint Parish caretakers to carry out operations that might be described as countryside managment. The Parishes appoint the caretakers, determine the nature of the work, provide materials, and pay the caretakers an hourly rate. However the caretakers are considered self-employed for the purposes of the schemes and supply all equipment. Therefore are the authorities/local parishes still bound by the same duties as an employer under H&S law? Cheers! Richard

Posted By CW Yes