Slough Borough Council to cut £15m agency staff spend

Restructures at the council should mean that some departments spend less on agency staff in the future

A troubled council that spent more than £15m on agency staff in a year said it had restructured departments to cut down on their use.

Slough Borough Council was forced to declare bankruptcy last year, having accrued £760m of borrowed debt.

Staff left "as a direct consequence" of the resulting transformation programme, or due to uncertainty over its future, council papers state.

But it said restructures in its finance and IT departments should cut spending.

The council said staff turnover "continues to be a cause of concern as this is affecting services with key specialist skills and knowledge requirements".

Government commissioners were put in charge of the council in October and its former chief executive, Josie Wragg, was sacked for gross misconduct in March.

Its £15.1m spend on agency workers between April 2021 and March 2022 was a reduction on £15.5m the year before.

The council said imminent restructures "should contribute to [a] reduction in agency spend" as new permanent structures are confirmed.

The report's findings will be discussed by the council's employment and appeals committee on 14 June.