People Strategy 2021-2026 - Council Workforce Demographics and People Metrics
Renfrewshire Council · 11 June 2026
Back to Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board — 11 June 2026 and its agenda
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PUBLIC ___________________________________________________________________ To: Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board On: 11 June 2026 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Finance and Resources ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: ‘People Strategy 2021-2026’ – Council Workforce Demographics and People Metrics (1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026). ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 The purpose of this report is to provide Elected Members with an overview of the Council’s workforce demographics and key people metrics for the period 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026. It presents information on workforce composition, trends, and indicators to support strategic oversight, workforce planning and service delivery. Where available, additional historical data, typically covering the last two years, is included to allow Members to identify trends and changes over time and support more informed scrutiny. 1.2 While Council managers have access to detailed workforce data in real time through the Council’s Business World ERP system, this report consolidates the key information in an accessible format to provide assurance to Members on the profile and management of the Council’s workforce. 1.3 This report builds on the findings and analysis previously presented to Members on 12 June 2025 and the mid-year update of 20 November 2025. It provides updated analysis, identifies trends over time, and supports a focus on continuous improvement. 1.4 An overview of the current workforce profile is included at section 3.3, highlighting the importance of using people metrics to support evidence-based approaches. A clear understanding of the workforce remains essential to effective planning and the delivery of high-quality services.
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PUBLIC 1.5 The Council’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion metrics and Health and Safety metrics are reported separately and are therefore not included within this report. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 Members are asked to note: • The contents of this report. • The next report will be submitted on 19 November 2026. This will detail quarter by quarter comparison data, with targeted interventions to drive improvements where necessary. ___________________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 Workforce data plays a key role in providing assurance on organisational performance and capacity. It supports the Council in workforce planning, the effective allocation of resources, and the development and wellbeing of employees, contributing to a skilled, resilient, and high-performing workforce. 3.2 Analysis of workforce data enables the Council to identify areas of service demand and ensures that the right skills and resources are aligned to operational priorities. Ongoing monitoring also supports the delivery of the Council’s equality, diversity, and inclusion ambitions by identifying trends and helping to target appropriate interventions, promoting a supportive and inclusive working environment. 3.3 The dashboard below provides Members with a snapshot of the Council’s workforce profile as of 31 March 2026.
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PUBLIC 3.4 As the dashboard above highlights, the Council’s headcount is 8,677 employees, representing a modest increase from 8,532 reported to Members in June 2025. Of the current workforce, 70.51% are female (a decrease from 73.70% at March 2025) and 29.49% are male (an increase from 26.21% at March 2025). 3.5 The overall increase in headcount is attributable to a rise in temporary employees, which has increased from 12.21% in March 2025 to 13.41% at March 2026. This reflects the recruitment of seasonal workers to support service demand. 3.6 Around 70% of employees live within the Renfrewshire area, consistent with previously reported data. Most of the workforce are employed on permanent contracts, with an average length of service of 10 years. This level of stability provides assurance of a loyal, experienced, and committed workforce, supporting continuity in service delivery and reinforcing the Council’s position as an employer of choice. 3.7 Current data, consistent with previous reports to Members, shows that the Council’s workforce remains predominantly female, with an average age of approximately 45. Around 39% of employees are aged 50 or over, representing a marginal decrease of less than 1% from a year ago. 3.8 This age profile highlights a maturing, experienced workforce and presents important considerations for future workforce planning, particularly in relation to succession and the retention of critical skills and knowledge. At the same time, it provides an opportunity to attract new talent and develop skills in emerging areas. 3.9 Maintaining an appropriate balance is important to ensure the Council can continue to meet future service demands, sustain organisational knowledge, and remain an attractive employer within a competitive labour market. 3.10 As previously reported to Members in June 2025, the Council achieved a significant milestone in closing its gender pay gap for the first time. The latest position, as of 31 March 2026, shows a mean gender pay gap of 0.81% in favour of female employees, compared to 0.52% previously reported. This reflects sustained progress since 2018, when the gap stood at 4.59% in favour of male employees. 3.11 As the pay gap reaches parity and moves marginally in favour of female employees, further movement is increasingly influenced by factors beyond the direct control of the Council. Gender pay outcomes are not determined solely by organisational policy but are also shaped by wider societal norms and individual household decisions, particularly in relation to caring responsibilities, working patterns and career choices. While the Council provides an extensive range of flexible and family-friendly policies, development opportunities, how these are used in practice reflects personal choice as well as organisational design.
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PUBLIC 3.12 In this context, the Council’s approach is not to seek to manage the pay gap to a ‘fixed position’, but to sustain fairness, transparency, and equality of opportunity across the workforce. This includes maintaining equitable pay structures, ensuring access to progression and development for all employees, continuing to promote flexible working across all roles and genders, and actively encouraging shared uptake of family-friendly provisions. 3.13 The Council will continue to monitor pay gap trends closely and act where any disparity arises from organisational factors. However, where variation reflects wider societal patterns or individual choices, maintaining a position close to pay parity represents a balanced and credible outcome, consistent with the Council’s commitment to fairness, inclusion, and a people-centred culture. At this level of variance, the gender pay gap is no longer a meaningful indicator of structural inequality within the Council. To build on this position, and to ensure Members have a fuller understanding of the factors influencing pay outcomes, a more detailed analysis of gender pay, including underlying patterns within the workforce, will be presented in a subsequent report. This will support a deeper understanding of the remaining challenges and inform any targeted actions required. 3.14 The Council continues to maintain a balanced and flexible workforce, with around 41% of employees working part-time as of 31 March 2026, unchanged from the previous year. This reflects a strong and sustained commitment to flexible working, with a range of arrangements in place to support staff wellbeing, help employees balance work and personal responsibilities, and create a family-friendly and inclusive working environment, while continuing to deliver reliable and responsive services to our communities. 3.15 Employee turnover levels, as set out in this report and in annual reporting, remain broadly in line with the typical range for Scottish local authorities, as referenced within workforce planning guidance published by the Improvement Service. 3.16 Turnover varies across the Council, with higher levels in some front-line and operational roles, where recruitment can also be more challenging. This reflects wider labour market conditions and the nature of these roles. While this can create short-term resourcing pressures in specific services, overall turnover remains stable and proportionate, supporting the retention of experience and organisational knowledge while creating opportunities to bring in new skills and respond to changing service needs. 3.17 The Council’s retention rate for the year ending 31 March 2026 is 91.45%, an increase from 90.37% in 2024/25, indicating continued improvement in retaining employees. During the year, 807 employees joined the organisation and 729 left, compared with 812 joiners and 802 leavers in the previous year. This represents a reduction in overall turnover, with 73 fewer employees leaving the Council.
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PUBLIC 3.18 Resignation, where employees move to other job opportunities out with the Council, remains the most common reason for leaving, accounting for 31.82% of all leavers. This is followed by the end of fixed-term or temporary contracts (10.70%) and retirement (9.19%). A smaller proportion of leavers relates to ill health and medical capability, with all other reasons making up only a small share. 4. Employee Relations Information (Absence, Disciplines, Grievances, Overtime, Mandatory Training, Job evaluations, ill-Health Retirals, Voluntary Redundancy, and Voluntary Early Retirements). 4.1 Absence 4.2 In line with the reporting requirements for Scottish Councils, absence is expressed as the number of ‘Workdays lost per full time equivalent (FTE) employee’. The table below provides a breakdown of absence by each Council service, by quarter, with overall Environmental, Housing and Infrastructure and Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership continuing to experience higher levels of absence than the Council’s internal targets. 4.3 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Absence Days Lost Per Employee 4.4 The line graphs and accompanying table below sets out absence levels across all Council services over the two years (2024/25 and 2025/26). Members will note that overall absence has reduced from 13.38 days per FTE in 2024/25 to 12.88 days in 2025/26, representing a modest decrease of 0.50 days lost per employee. 4.5 Reductions have been recorded across services, including Children’s Services, Environmental, Housing and Infrastructure, and Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership, with the latter showing a notable decrease from 22.05 to 20.33 days per FTE. 4.6 Increases can be seen in the Chief Executive’s Service and Finance and Resources; however, despite some overall progress, absence levels remain high and continue to present a significant organisational challenge. 4.7 In response, the Council recognises that further and sustained improvement is required, and this has been identified as a key organisational priority for the year ahead. Variation across services reflects differing operational demands and workforce pressures within each area, with targeted actions being progressed with services to address the underlying causes of absence and drive sustained improvement.
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PUBLIC Table 1 (FTE Absence Days Lost per FTE Employee (2024/25 to 2025/26) Table 2 (FTE Absence Days Lost per FTE Employee by Service (2024/25 to 2025/26) 4.8 Table 4 below shows that, between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026, a total of 92,249.10 FTE working days were lost due to absence across the Council. 4.9 Environmental, Housing & Infrastructure and the Renfrewshire Health & Social Care Partnership account for a considerable proportion of these absences. The highest number of days lost was recorded within Children’s Services, totalling 39,991.04 FTE days. This reflects the scale of the service, which represents approximately 48% of the Council’s overall workforce. 4.10 Overall, absence levels across the Council broadly correspond to workforce size and service demand, although variation between services reflects the differing operational demands and workforce pressures within each area. 4.11 Total Full-time Equivalent (FTE) Absence Days Lost 4.12 The line graphs and accompanying table below sets out the total FTE absence days lost across Council services over the two years (2024/25 and 2025/26). As shown in Table 4 below, Members will note that total absence days have reduced from 95,389.25 in 2024/25 to 92,249.10 in 2025/26, a decrease of 3,140.15 days. This reflects a year-on-year reduction in absence days; however, overall levels remain high and continued improvement is required.
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PUBLIC Table 3 (Total FTE Absence Days Lost 2024/25 to 2025/26) Table 4 (Total FTE Absence Days Lost by Service 2024/25 to 2025/26) 4.13 During the reporting period, the four most common causes of sickness absence, in order of frequency, were: 1. Psychological (34.15%) 2. Musculoskeletal and joint disorders (20.41%) 3. Stomach, bowel, blood, and metabolic conditions (13.85%) 4. Respiratory conditions (13.47%) 4.14 These causes are consistent with patterns seen nationally and together account for 81.88% of all recorded absences. 4.15 To support employees to remain in, or return to work following periods of absence, the Council continues to provide a range of early intervention and support services. This includes access to supportive HR policies and specialist provision such as the Council’s Occupational Health provider, People Asset Management Ltd (PAM).
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PUBLIC During the reporting period, a total of 4,168 Occupational Health appointments were arranged for employees through PAM, compared to 3,171 in 2024/25, an increase of 997 appointments (approximately 32%). In addition, the Council’s Employee Assistance Programme provider, Time for Thriving (TFT), delivered 1,453 support appointments, compared to 1,550 in 2024/25, a decrease of 97 appointments (approximately 6%). These services play a key role in supporting employee wellbeing, promoting earlier interventions, and helping to facilitate a timely and sustained return to work. 4.16 Since the implementation of the Council’s revised Managing Absence Policy, Council officers have made full use of the support available through both Occupational Health (PAM) and the Employee Assistance Programme (TFT). As a result, additional investment has been directed towards targeted interventions in identified hotspot areas across services, particularly in relation to physiotherapy, mental health support, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), and cancer-related support. 4.17 Mental Health First Aiders (MHFAs) play a vital role in supporting the workforce by providing an initial point of contact and a safe, confidential space for employees to discuss mental health concerns, alongside signposting to specialist financial and psychological wellbeing services. 4.18 Members will recall approving the revised Health and Wellbeing Plan in February 2024, which supports improved attendance and employee wellbeing. Under this plan, the number of trained MHFAs across the Council has increased from 91 to 109. The People & Organisational Development team continues to work closely with MHFAs to identify emerging issues and trends, enabling a more targeted and responsive approach to support. The Council will also continue to review the distribution of MHFAs across services to ensure appropriate coverage and representation across all areas of the organisation. 4.19 Council officers are continuing to work with subject matter experts to deliver a programme of REN Talks, supporting employee wellbeing and development. Building on topics previously reported to Members in September 2025, recent sessions have included ‘Neurodiversity Awareness’ and ‘Neurodiversity in Action’, delivered in partnership with Time for Thriving. 4.20 Further development is underway, with a new series of absence-focused REN Talks being prepared for managers. These will include sessions on Return to Work and managing Mental Health-related absence, again in collaboration with Time for Thriving. Where appropriate, tailored “toolbox talk” versions will be made available to support frontline service managers. Additional sessions will be rolled out throughout the year as part of the Council’s wider wellbeing programme. 4.21 To maximise accessibility, all REN Talks are recorded and made available to employees through the Council’s iLearn platform, either as formal training or as shorter toolbox talk resources.
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PUBLIC 4.22 The Council’s Menopause Champion has introduced a dedicated forum, ‘Let’s Pause’, providing monthly sessions where employees can access a supportive and informal space to share experiences and connect with others. This activity forms part of a wider programme of support, which has contributed to the Council achieving accreditation as a Menopause Friendly Employer. This recognises the Council’s commitment to supporting employees experiencing menopause and is underpinned by a year-round programme of activity, including ongoing support, a menopause cafe-style network, dedicated REN Talks on menopause awareness, promotion of relevant training, and signposting to additional services. 4.23 The direct salary cost of statutory and occupational sick pay for the year ending 31 March 2026 is approximately £15.2 million, compared to £14.6 million in 2024/25. These costs are not additional, as provision for sick pay is incorporated within existing staffing budgets. While Section 4.12 above reports a modest performance improvement in absence levels, Members should note that the overall cost of absence has nevertheless increased over the same period. This is primarily due to pay inflation, reflecting national pay awards and increases in salary levels which have raised the cost associated with each day of absence. The figures presented relate solely to direct salary costs and demonstrate the cost to the Council of lost productivity arising from employee absence. Table 5 below sets out a breakdown of these costs by Council service for the current year, alongside a comparison with the previous year. Table 5 (Direct Salary Costs of Absence 2024/25 to 2025/26) 4.24 As previously reported to Members, absence levels continue to be influenced by delays in NHS treatment, medical interventions, and waiting times for specialist assessments and reports. 4.25 Members are advised that the Council’s Local Government Benchmarking Framework (LGBF) outturn for 2025/26 is not yet formally reported and will be presented through the appropriate governance route later in the reporting cycle. Current internal data indicates that teacher absence has reduced from 8.41 days in 2024/25 to 7.78 days in 2025/26, while non-teaching absence has decreased from 15.13 days to 14.67 days. Although national benchmarking positions are not yet available, these early figures suggest continued improvement across both groups. 4.26 Members may recall that, in November 2025, an officer-led Absence Performance Board was established, chaired by the Director of Environment, Housing & Infrastructure, with senior representation from across all services.
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PUBLIC The Board continues to play a key role in providing oversight and driving improvement activity at both corporate and service level. 4.27 The four agreed absence workstreams, ‘Training and Culture’; ‘Policy and Processes’; ‘Data and Targets’; and ‘Health and Wellbeing Supports’ are progressing their action plans at pace, with a focus on strengthening management capability, improving consistency in approach, enhancing the use of data and insight, and supporting employee wellbeing. Together, these workstreams are contributing to a more initiative-taking and consistent approach to managing absence across the Council. 4.28 Overtime Working 4.29 Overtime continues to be used to maintain essential Council services and respond flexibly to changing service demand. It supports short-term pressures such as seasonal peaks, events and emergency situations requiring specialist skills, while avoiding the need for permanent recruitment. With effective workforce planning, overtime can deliver these benefits while managing risks such as fatigue. 4.30 For the year ending 31 March 2026, overall overtime hours claimed has reduced by approximately 13,891 hours (4.5%) compared to 2024/25, demonstrating improved management and control of additional hours. While the cost of overtime has increased over the same period, this reflects pay inflation rather than increased levels of overtime activity and should therefore be viewed in that context. This overall reduction is evident across services, although some variation remains reflecting differing operational demands. Members are asked to note that, when considered against total established hours, overtime represents a small proportion of overall working time (2.37% in 2024/25 reducing to 2.25% in 2025/26), indicating that reliance on overtime remains limited and stable year-on-year. 4.31 It should be noted that, as part of a review of overtime, greater clarity has been identified in how certain payments are recorded. A proportion of payments currently included within the cost of overtime reflect enhanced payments which can be claimed through terms and conditions rather than additional hours worked, particularly in relation to employees on four on/four off working patterns where enhanced rates apply when scheduled working days fall on public holidays within essential services. As a result, the reported cost of overtime reflects a combination of genuine overtime activity and these enhanced payments. Work is ongoing with service managers to further refine the distinction between enhanced payments and genuine overtime hours worked above contracted levels, to improve transparency and consistency in reporting. 4.32 With the above in mind, Table 6 below sets out overtime hours worked beyond established contracted hours, recorded as overtime across services, for the years ending 31 March 2025 and 31 March 2026. Overall, this demonstrates a reduction in overtime activity across the Council, indicating improved management and control of additional hours.
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PUBLIC Environmental, Housing and Infrastructure and Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership continue to account for the highest levels of overtime activity; however, this reflects the nature of these services, which operate on a frontline basis and rely more heavily on flexible staffing arrangements to respond to fluctuating demand and maintain service delivery. 4.33 Further analysis confirms that approximately 64% of overtime hours worked relate to operational requirements, including covering annual leave, managing increased workload, filling vacancies, and providing sickness absence cover. The People and Organisational Development team will continue to work with services to identify opportunities to reduce reliance on overtime. This includes strengthening workforce planning, improving the use of management information, and reviewing current public holiday arrangements. Table 6 (Overtime Hours Worked 2024/25 to 2025/26) 4.34 Disciplinary Cases 4.35 Table 7 below sets out, by Council service, the number of live disciplinary investigations under the Council’s Disciplinary Policy for each quarter from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026. During this period, an average of 49 cases were in progress at any one time, representing 0.56% of the Council’s workforce. Of these, an average of 16 cases, approximately 33%, required precautionary suspension. 4.36 All cases are progressed as promptly as possible in line with Council policy. Members will recall that the revised Disciplinary Policy, approved in June 2024, provides a robust framework to ensure fairness, consistency, and efficiency. The People and Organisational Development team will continue to work closely with services and trade union colleagues to reduce the number of live cases and support timely resolution. As this is a new performance measure, reporting will continue to develop to support more meaningful year-on-year comparison for Members.
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PUBLIC Table 7 (Number of Live Disciplinary Cases by Service for 2025/26) 4.37 Grievance Cases 4.38 Table 8 below sets out, by Council service, the number of live Council grievance cases for each quarter over the period 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026. During this time, there was an average of 14 grievance cases being progressed across the Council at any one time, representing approximately 0.16% of the overall workforce and in line with Council policy. As with the disciplinary process, all grievances are fully investigated in strict confidence and managed in accordance with the Council’s fair, inclusive and consistent procedures. Table 8 (Number of Live Grievance Cases by Service for 2025/26) 4.39 Where appropriate, the Council uses its accredited ACAS-trained mediators to support early intervention in workplace issues. Mediation provides an informal route to resolution, helping to address concerns at an early stage and reduce reliance on formal grievance or disciplinary procedures. In addition to the formal grievance cases outlined above, the Council’s mediators successfully resolved a further 11 cases informally, preventing or mitigating the need for these matters to progress through the formal grievance process. 4.40 Mandatory Training 4.41 Members will be aware that learning is one of the Council’s core values. Investment in workforce development remains a central element of the Council’s People Strategy, supporting a collaborative learning culture and the delivery of best value outcomes.
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PUBLIC Continuous professional development is essential to organisational success and brings a range of benefits, including improved performance, greater consistency in service delivery, higher employee satisfaction and retention, strengthened compliance, and enhanced capacity for innovation and adaptability. 4.42 The Council currently requires all employees to complete six mandatory training courses, as set out in the table below. As of 31 March 2026, the average completion rate across these courses is 84%, representing an improvement from 73% reported in November 2025 and 58% reported to Members in June 2025. Completion rates are highest within the Chief Executive’s Service, Finance and Resources, and the Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership, reflecting improved accessibility and a continued organisational focus on mandatory learning. 4.43 In addition, four mandatory training courses are required for employees who access the Council’s ICT network. As of 31 March 2026, the average completion rate across these courses is 87%, up from 69% previously reported in November 2025 and 55% reported to Members in June 2025. Completion rates again remain highest within the Chief Executive’s Service, Finance and Resources, and the Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership, demonstrating sustained progress in this area. Table 9 (Mandatory Training Completion Rates for 2025/26) 4.44 To support further improvement in completion rates, Council officers are progressing a range of targeted actions agreed by Members in November 2025. Progress will continue to be closely monitored by individual service senior management teams and the Corporate Management Team (CMT). As this is a new performance measure, reporting will continue to develop to support more meaningful year-on-year comparison for Members. Course Name CE CS EH&I FARS RHSCP Council Equality Diversity and Inclusion Awareness 97% 88% 78% 100% 95% 86% Information Governance Annual Refresher 2025 97% 85% 78% 100% 95% 85% Intro to Data Protection 97% 86% 78% 100% 97% 86% Introduction to Freedom of Information (FOI) 97% 86% 78% 99% 95% 85% Living Our Values 97% 87% 79% 100% 96% 86% Prevent Duty: Awareness 94% 81% 64% 97% 88% 76% Average 96% 85% 75% 99% 94% 84% Mandatory course completions for all employees Course Name CE CS EH&I FARS RHSCP Council Cyber Security 98% 95% 77% 100% 97% 88% Display Screen Awareness DSE 95% 93% 76% 100% 93% 87% Information classification 98% 86% 72% 99% 88% 83% Information Security Awareness 97% 93% 79% 100% 96% 89% Average 97% 92% 76% 99% 93% 87% Mandatory course completions for networked employees
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PUBLIC 4.45 Job Evaluations 4.46 Members will be aware that the Council uses the Scottish Joint Council (SJC) Job Evaluation Scheme to assess the relative size and value of job roles in a consistent and objective way. The scheme looks at the demands of each role, such as the level of knowledge and skills required, responsibilities, decision- making, and working conditions, and applies a standard set of factors to determine how roles compare to one another. This allows jobs to be placed fairly within the Council’s pay and grading structure. By using this nationally agreed approach, the Council supports transparency, consistency, and fairness in pay, and helps ensure compliance with equal pay legislation. 4.47 Table 10 below sets out, by Council service, the number of completed job evaluations for each quarter over the period 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026. During this time, a total of 107 job evaluations were completed across the Council, with quarterly totals ranging from 17 in quarter 1 to a peak of 35 in quarter 3, before reducing to 28 in quarter 4. This reflects sustained activity throughout the year in reviewing roles and ensuring they are appropriately evaluated, supporting fairness and consistency in grading arrangements across services. Table 10 (Completed Job Evaluations for 2025/26) 4.48 ill Health Retirals 4.49 Members will be aware that ill health retirement is available where an employee’s medical condition permanently prevents them from continuing in their role and is considered in line with pension scheme criteria following an appropriate independent medical assessment. As set out in the Council’s annual reporting to this Board, the table below provides an overview of the number of employees leaving the organisation through ill health retirement within the reporting period. 4.50 As shown in Table 11 below, ill health retirals have reduced overall across the year, falling from 17 cases in quarter 1 to 6 in quarter 4, with a notable dip in quarter 3. Activity is concentrated within Children’s Services, Environment, Housing & Infrastructure, and Renfrewshire Health & Social Care Partnership with HSCP consistently accounting for the highest number of cases. All other services record low levels. This profile reflects the case-by-case nature of ill health retirement, with numbers fluctuating across the year and by service.
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PUBLIC Table 11 (ill Health Retirals for 2025/26) 4.51 Capability Dismissals (Dismissals on Medical Grounds) 4.52 Members will be aware that the Council’s Managing Attendance and Capability procedures include provisions to support employees whose health impacts on their ability to fulfil their role, with dismissal on medical grounds applied as a last resort following appropriate support and reasonable adjustments. As set out in the Council’s annual reporting to this Board, the following table provides an overview of the number of employees leaving the organisation through dismissal on medical capability grounds in the most recent reporting period. 4.53 As shown in Table 12 below, dismissals on medical capability grounds have increased over the course of the year, rising from 11 cases in quarter 1 to 17 in quarter 4, with a gradual upward trend across the intervening quarters. Activity is concentrated within Environment, Housing & Infrastructure, which consistently accounts for the highest number of cases, while all other services reflect comparatively low levels. This profile reflects the ongoing and consistent application of capability procedures, with activity focused within operational service areas. Table 12 (Capability Dismissals for 2025/26) 4.54 Voluntary Redundancy (VR) and Voluntary Early Retirement (VER) 4.55 Members will be aware that Voluntary Redundancy (VR) and Voluntary Early Retirement (VER) form part of the Council’s workforce planning arrangements, supporting the delivery of service change and organisational priorities while seeking to minimise compulsory measures. As set out in the Council’s annual reporting to this Board, the following table provides an overview of the number of employees who have left the organisation through VR/VER in the most recent reporting period.
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PUBLIC 4.56 Table 13 below sets out, by Council service, the number of employees leaving through Voluntary Redundancy (VR) and Voluntary Early Retirement (VER) remains low overall, with 10 leavers recorded across 2025/26. Activity was concentrated at the beginning and end of the year, peaking in quarter 1 before reducing to minimal levels in the intervening quarters and rising slightly again in quarter 4. Departures were primarily within the Chief Executive’s service, with some activity in Environment, Housing & Infrastructure, while all other services recorded little or no movement. This profile reflects the targeted and planned use of VR/VER to support specific service redesign activity, rather than a wider organisational approach. Table 13 (VR/VER Releases for 2025/26) 5. Next Steps 5.1 This report will continue to evolve to support Members in their scrutiny role, with the inclusion of comparative performance data on a quarterly and year-on-year basis. It will also support the Council to better use resources in the areas where our performance requires to improve. ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – The report highlights the financial impact of workforce factors including absence and overtime. While these costs are maintained within existing budgets, pressures remain due to pay inflation and service demand. Continued focus on workforce management and planning is required to maintain financial sustainability and support efficient service delivery. 2. People & Organisational Development –The report provides key workforce metrics which inform organisational development activity, including absence management, workforce planning, retention, and wellbeing initiatives. Ongoing engagement with services and trade unions will support targeted interventions to improve performance and build workforce resilience. 3. Community/Council Planning –The effective management of the Council’s workforce supports the delivery of services to communities and contributes to wider community planning objectives.
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PUBLIC 4. Legal – Workforce data and associated management practices must comply with employment legislation and equality requirements. The report supports oversight of compliance with policies including absence, disciplinary and grievance procedures. 5. Property/Assets - None. 6. Information Technology – The report draws on data from the Council’s Business World system and associated reporting tools. Continued development of management information supports improved decision making and performance monitoring. 7. Equality & Human Rights The Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report because it is for noting only. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website. 8. Health & Safety - Effective management of absence and overtime supports employee health, safety and wellbeing, including mitigating risks associated with fatigue and workplace stress. 9. Procurement – None. 10. Risk - Failure to effectively manage workforce performance indicators such as absence and overtime presents a risk to service delivery, financial sustainability, and employee wellbeing. Continued oversight and targeted intervention are required to mitigate these risks. 11. Privacy Impact – None. 12. Climate Risk - None. 13. Children’s Rights - None. 14. Cosla Policy Position – None. ___________________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers - None ___________________________________________________________________ Authors: Andrew Brown, andrew.brown@renfrewshire.gov.uk Eddie Simpson, eddie.simpson@renfrewshire.gov.uk