Oxford City Council's workforce quality at 'significant risk', report says

The report's findings and action steps will be discussed later today

Concerns have been raised over the high level of staff turnover at a council.

A review found Oxford City Council was facing a "significant risk" when it came to retaining its workforce.

Difficulty offering competitive salaries and recruiting for certain roles were found to be factors, according to the Workforce Sustainability Progress Report.

It suggested the issue could result in increased workloads and may have an impact on services.

Other areas of concern included the number of staff absences due to stress, anxiety or depression, which accounted for 27% of all sick days taken between January 2023 and January 2024.

The report said nationally the sector was generally struggling to recruit, and locally the authority had struggled to find surveyors, lawyers and environmental health officers.

It noted that some steps were being taken to address the issues, such as union-agreed pay rises for about 80% of staff, a continued focus on aspiring managers and mental health support.

It also said there was a desire to have a "smaller and better paid workforce".

"If these risk factors are left unaddressed this may result in increased workloads, low morale, an impact on wellbeing and absence levels, increased levels of turnover, and ultimately an impact on service delivery," the report added.

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