STAFF SERVING THE 115,000 residents in a district covering the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, William Shakespeare's birthplace, find it a rewarding experience in more ways than one. Employees at Stratford District Council believe they receive a Fair Deal, the positive score here for questions on pay and benefits ranking it 12th out of all 75 organisations in our list. Nobody earns £15,000 or below and more than half the workforce is on at least £25,000. Staff say they are paid fairly for the work they do relative to people in other councils (63%, the seventh best mid-sized result) and are happy with their pay and benefits (66%, and 10th). They say they are paid fairly considering their duties (60%). There is a strong sense of family in teams (70%), work is fun (76%) and people care about each other (also 76%). www.stratford.gov.uk
