How effective workforce planning can help local authorities face future challenges

Every penny counts

Local authorities are no stranger to funding variability; however it does seem like this period of austerity has been particularly protracted. I think the reality is, for the next 10 years at least, local authorities are going to have to plan expenditure carefully, this includes the significant costs attributed to the workforce.

Workforce planning isn’t just about aligning resource to demand or creating recruitment schedules. Workforce planning is about reducing vacancy rates, reducing overtime costs, and investing resource in areas that can return cost-benefits. It’s about returning money back into the local authority and providing value for money to the community.

Workforce planning enable cost savings

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) estimates that the average cost to fill a vacancy is £6,125, but this cost can increase for senior roles. CIPD reported that 37% of UK employers currently have “hard to fill” vacancies (described as a position which remains vacant for a sustained period) and 20% of employers expected “significant problems” in hiring during 2024. Therefore, retention must be a key focus of any workforce strategy.

Effective practices, infusing modelling techniques (such as deterministic, supply, demand, and scenario planning) to the plan can also ensure that local authorities are commissioning the right level of external provider support, whether that be for transport or social care.

Optimising collective commissioning

Collective commissions bring equal amounts of opportunities and responsibility. Scale can unlock greater opportunities to reduce costs through volume commissioning, but there is added pressure to ensure that all budgets are being maximised concurrently; a pressure placed on a shrinking workforce.

The benefit of workforce planning is that it connects interoperable departments and can map workforce interactions and reliance. Pain points become apparent quicker, and authorities can jump on budget sinkholes quickly. The workforce and relevant metrics are always the first to “flash red” on the dashboard if a problem exists.

Local solutions to local issues

Workforce planning helps analyse and target local workforces. Recruiting from local talent is a real community gift provided by local authorities, but many don’t know why, who or how people are finding their way into a career in local services.

Good workforce planning isn’t just about mapping current gaps, it’s predicting what the workforce requirements of the future are and starting to plan and socialise recruitment today. We have seen amazing examples of career recruitment that has been planned, executed and delivered 12 months ahead of requirements, ensuring a seamless transition of skills, experience and a reduction in outsourcing and temporary staffing/overtime costs.

Creating a future proof, future – ready workforce

Skills for Justice are strategic workforce planning experts, helping organisations develop the workforce required to deliver efficient and effective public services. From researching workforce needs, to sharing best practice, developing employer-led qualifications and support with apprenticeships, we are committed to developing a productive and above all sustainable local authority sector.

We are actively working with local authorities across the UK to assimilate strategy, modelling, toolkits and actions into workforce planning. We are advising organisations on future planning, looking at “build, buy, bot” strategies which seek to maximise ever-growing AI functionality and prepare for workforce skillset shifts – redirection from admin tasks to frontline services and care, for example.

Our consultants and technology are unapologetically driven, we aspire to be ‘cost-negative’, meaning our activities will help you reduce operating or workforce costs, by creating the best optimised workforce. We know that ‘every penny counts’ and we want to help you invest for your communities.