Northampton Borough Council 'still has risks' over staff retention

A councillor believes that Northampton Borough Council needs to be thinking about how it can keep hold of its workers.
By The Newsroom
Published 19th Oct 2018, 17:33 BST
Updated 19th Oct 2018, 18:40 BST
Retaining staff at the council offices in the town centre is hugely important according to Councillor Jane BirchRetaining staff at the council offices in the town centre is hugely important according to Councillor Jane Birch
Retaining staff at the council offices in the town centre is hugely important according to Councillor Jane Birch

The corporate risk register is a strategic document, which analyses risks that prove a barrier to the council achieving its objectives.

The latest risk register finds that staff retention is still a problem at the authority, although it has been downgraded from a red (major) risk to an amber (moderate) risk for the latest yearly quarter.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Councillor Jane Birch told the council’s cabinet: “We need to be careful about our staff, they are the people that make this whole authority work. There are still risks around retention and recruitment and recruiting the right kind of people.

“There are problems with keeping the people that we need with the knowledge that they have picked up over the years, and we need to keep that within the borough.”

The document implies that a review of staff terms and conditions is likely to be held in December, in a bid to make the council a more attractive place to work and reduce the retention risk even further.

The report found that the most major risks to obstructing the council were the possibility of failing to deliver a balanced budget in future, insufficient clarity around member and officer roles, and impropriety or improper business activities leading to fraudulent activity or malpractice.