Issue - meetings

To consider an update on HR matters impacting on the performance of the organisation.

The Committee received and noted the report for Quarter 4 Human Resources (HR) matters impacting on the performance of the Council during the period 2nd December 2025 to 31st March 2026.  The report included the latest position and trends relating to employee numbers, salary costs and sickness absence. A copy of the report is appended in the Minute Book.

The Committee heard that the workforce totalled 723, with the fulltime equivalent (FTE) working out at 669.09 Officers in Quarter 4. The figure represented a decrease from the previous Quarter. The period ended with an underspend of £2 million and an overspend of £1.92 million on Contractor and Agency costs.

It was confirmed that 32 individuals left the Council in Quarter 4, which was a slight decrease from the previous Quarter. The overall turnover was 16.95% in Quarter 4. Of these, six were retirements with a combined service period of 107 years. Measures to reduce turnover included enhanced exit interview arrangements better to understand reasons for leaving, regular one-to-one meetings between managers and employees, and the reintroduction of a formal incremental progression process linked to performance discussions. Consideration would be given to providing the Committee with anonymised information from exit interviews on the principal reasons for employees leaving the organisation.

Advertised vacancies decreased slightly from 72 to 67 in Quarter 4, following the significant recruitment activity undertaken in Quarter 3 to support the Food Waste Service launch. Most vacancies were within One Leisure, reflecting the transfer of Sawtry Leisure Centre and seasonal staffing requirements. Application levels remained strong, although targeted recruitment campaigns continued for hard-to-fill roles, including Planning and ICT.

No new apprenticeships commenced during the Quarter. However, apprenticeship activity continued through course completions and the hosting of an apprenticeship event at Burgess Hall. The Leadership Development Programme had been successfully completed and had now moved into business-as-usual delivery. Following the success of a previous graduate placement, recruitment activity for a new graduate placement took place during April.

The Committee discussed the low balance of the Council's Apprenticeship Levy, whether any levy funding had expired, the proportion of funds utilised, and how apprenticeship programmes contributed to longer-term recruitment and retention. While no levy funding had expired, available funds had been fully utilised to support apprenticeship and management development programmes, including Level 5 and Level 7 qualifications. Levy funds were being rebuilt to provide future apprenticeship opportunities. Additional levy funding had been secured from other councils where required. All apprentices had either been existing employees undertaking development programmes or had progressed into permanent roles within the Council. ICT apprenticeships had proved highly popular and a significant proportion of apprenticeship funding has been utilised within the ICT service. The apprenticeship scheme would not be affected by Local Government Reorganisation (LGR).

The HR caseload remained stable at 91 active cases, with absence management continuing to account for the majority of casework.

Average sickness absence increased slightly from 9.6 to 10.0 days per FTE. Long-term sickness cases reduced from 24 to 23 employees, while short-term  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6