Hello PPMA members and friends

Earlier this month, our President Pam Parkes shared her thoughts on the impact for HR and local government following the election. In this new post we hear from Terry McDougall, Group Director at Solace about the work they are undertaking, particularly around workforce issues.


As Elections teams up and down the country have a short respite from the pressures of running and delivering elections, they and other colleagues are already responding and gearing up to whatever the new government can offer and expect of Local Government.

The King’s Speech and early government announcements have given the local government sector a renewed hope that it may feature more on the government’s forward agenda. Early indications are positive. A recent LGA meeting saw Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Angela Rayner MP in attendance, where she said “You have  from me an absolute commitment to reset the relationship between central and local government.”  

A promising start. Whatever materialises in terms of additional resources and/or freedoms and powers that may be bestowed on councils in the future, it is clear that we will need a skilled workforce to deliver effectively for our communities.

At Solace, we have been actively engaging with our membership for some time to understand and articulate the sector’s concerns about the Local Government workforce of today and tomorrow. Our ‘Voice Surveys’ have played a key part of our engagement strategy, with the findings featured in a series of three reports published as part of Solace’s 50th Anniversary celebrations – Rewind, Play and Fast Forward (the latter to be published in Autumn 2024).

The latest report – Play – takes a snapshot at the here and now and has some clear findings on the current local government workforce picture, including:

  • An aging workforce where 11% of respondents see themselves retiring in the next 2 years.
  • Public sector pay not competitive with the private sector, with 76% of respondents telling us that this is problem when recruiting, while 36% say it’s also an issue with retaining staff.
  • Shortages of skilled candidates in key technical professions such as social care, finance, legal, housing, planning, environment, and technology.
  • Lack of support for training and development of local government staff.
  • Low profile of the local government sector as an employer of choice.

You can read the full report, along with our recommendations to Government here.

So, what can be done?

Solace have been delivering a number of leadership programs for many years now, whether as standalone or in partnership with the LGA and Collaborate. We are proud and excited to share that the most recent development has been that of a new Chief Executive program (in partnership with LGA). But we’re not stopping there.  We must ensure that the talent pipeline into a number of other roles and professions is also a priority. From apprentices, Heads of Service and beyond, developing and retaining good people is the heart of how local government delivers its services to our communities. More attention and investments also needs to be had around developing a more diverse workforce . Solaces Amplify programmes aimed at staff form diverse backgrounds is only one of many needed initiatives .

HR colleagues throughout local Government have developed workforce strategies, aiming at addressing ‘pipeline and talent management’ gaps. Creative recruitment initiatives and good employee benefits can only go so far. The importance of identifying in-house talent, nurturing it and growing an in-house talent pipeline has never been more important. To achieve this, there is clearly a need for more resources for effective and impactful training and development akin to that of other Public Sector workers. As part of our recommendations to Government, we are proposing that both Central and Local Government work together to co-produce a national Workforce Strategy, including career frameworks for key professional disciplines.

As the workforce crisis for Local Government risks getting worse, a proactive set of measures that seek to provide well resourced, joined up and impactful interventions will be critical if we are to ensure we attract and retain the best talent. Our communities deserve nothing less.

Terry McDougall, Group Director, Solace in Business