LGR update: recruitment activity at a District level. How to deliver and keep costs down.

Local Government Reorganisation is well under way and we are beginning to see the causational effects on the recruitment trends at a District level. There is no getting away from it, it is becomingly increasingly hard to recruit to permanent and fixed term contract roles due to the uncertainty around LGR. This was to be expected, I don’t think anyone would have predicted that recruitment was going to get easier.

But what does this mean for District Councils in what we can expect in recruitment?

District councils are most likely going to have to utilise interims now more frequently to deal with gaps. This will invariably be more expensive.

But, there are ways to reduce costs and to ensure that you get value for money.

Firstly, if you do not use a Managed or Neutral Service Provider to provide your recruitment services, then you have got to use a framework. The most commonly utilised are either ESPO or CCS, both of which have fixed pricing. Now the pricing will vary from supplier to supplier, but it will be far more cost efficient than doing a direct agreement.

I here you asking, but why?

Recruitment agencies not on fixed terms will provide with you a total daily or hourly rate cost for a candidate. Their profit is the charge rate minus the pay rate. Now I know that recruiters are sometimes deemed blood sucking vampires, I gest, but they are set up to make profit. So protect yourself work with a recruiter on a framework and if you have to work with a recruiter on direct terms, please ensure that you ask them to give you a break down of their mark up (also referred to as an agency fee).

The other lever that you can pull is being flexible and creative with the scope of the role. Really work with procurement to explore the IR35 status of a role and look at whether you can explore utilising interims on a part time basis.

You also need to help the consultant coming in to ensure that you have a really clear understanding as to what success looks like. What do you need to be achieved. Have regular checks in place around what is being achieved. Get them to report back on the progress.

If you can provide flexible working arrangements, with sensible home working alongside an outside of IR35 status and you can give a clear outline as to what you want achieved, the consultant, you and the recruiter will be happy. We will keep costs down, we will achieve what we need to going into LGR and we will provide value for money for the tax payer.

Where is recruitment spend up?

As you might expect with the impending fight for roles within leadership roles across a C Suite level and within Place and Corporate Services, the members and officers are wanting to be the most forward thinking and successful new body of the council. Also, members are wanting to progress their aspirations ahead of LGR slowing down or indeed halting their plans whilst the new organisations are formed.

We have seen an increase in the funding made availability for regeneration. There continues to be a need for the hard to fill roles within legal, property and finance. The transformation activity that we expected is beginning to ramp up, but mostly it is the senior officers at a Assistant or Executive Director status that are having to juggle the transformation pressures alongside their day job. Is this sustainable? I don’t think that it is, but I am not sure there is the room in the budget to bring in consultants to backfill the roles of those stepping into transformation.

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What I predict is that we will see more resources being brought in at a medium level of seniority, ensuring that the transactional and operational responsibilities are being carried out in a way that will allow the council to close down and then be reborn as part of the new LGR restructure.

We have not as of yet, seen a mass exit from district councils, with the uncertainty of LGR. For me this is testament to the passion and pride that officers have in helping deliver for their community. Senior officers and members are doing incredibly well to continue to maintain a semblance of normality, to create the environment and atmosphere of opportunity that LGR presents for staff, but also being honest and authentic.

If we can maintain this tripartite approach to staff engagement I hope we will not see large number of staff exiting local government for alternative employment.

If that does happen then that would place further strain on an already overstretched system and will require more funds to be made available for interims.

As part of our LGR monthly update, we will continue to update you on the activity and themes that we are seeing across the district council.

You are not alone. We are here to support you on this journey. If you need help all you have to do is reach out.  

This blog post was sponsored by Local Partnerships LLP, who help local authorities to deliver projects and implement changes efficiently. They offer expertise in climate adaptation, energy efficiency, waste management, housing, infrastructure, procurement, and digital transformation, ensuring excellent value for money and meeting key priorities.