Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Director of Culture, Communities and Business Services providing an update on recruitment and retention.

The Committee received a report of the Director of Culture, Communities and Business Services providing an update on recruitment and retention within Culture, Communities and Business Services (Item 8 in the Minute Book).  This update had been requested for the work programme at a previous meeting by Councillor Chegwyn.

The report was presented to the Committee and key areas were explained, which included national drivers such as more organisations offering flexible working.

Changes to recruitment which have been made both by the department and across the organisation were detailed, which included highlighting the benefits of working for the service/organisation, analysing role profiles and providing guidance to managers.  It was heard that in some areas there has been improvement, but in others such as the coroner’s office, vacancies have been harder to fill.  The impact of Brexit and the Covid pandemic on recruitment and retention was also discussed.

Councillor Chegwyn thanked officers for a good report.  He highlighted that a lot of County Council staff love their jobs, but there were pressures across the job market and many roles were hard to recruit to.  He also highlighted the cost of living in a county such as Hampshire. 

In response to Members’ questions it was confirmed that:

·         Officers have responded quickly to recruitment pressures overall, and this is an issue across the organisation which has been taken seriously, and different ways to recruit have been explored.

·         Some people have a certain perception of working for local government, and some may be wary of joining an organisation where they’re not aware of the longevity of a role.

Councillor Briggs left at this point in the proceedings.

·         In relation to recruitment pressures in the coroners service, there were also a number of other factors to take into consideration such as an increase in referrals and a number of complex deaths.  Funding was received during the Covid pandemic to increase staffing in this area, but there were still pressures.

·         Within the library service there had been recent pressures over the summer due to staff accrued annual leave and sickness.  Temporary closures were a last resort but the situation has now improved.

The Chairman thanked officers and welcomed the report, and highlighted that this would be helpful to have as a regular update report to the Committee.

RESOLVED:

i.              That the Countryside, Culture and Communities Select Committee noted the current situation regarding recruitment and retention of staff in CCBS Services and the impact this is having on staff in post and on service delivery.

ii.            That the Countryside, Culture and Communities Select Committee supported the programme of activity and measures to improve recruitment and retention for services in the Department.

To consider a report of the Director of Culture, Communities and Business Services providing an update on recruitment and retention.