Item 13 - Appendix 2
West Dunbartonshire Council · 27 May 2026
Back to Corporate Services Committee — 27 May 2026 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Official Appendix 2 – Workforce Profile and Monitoring Report – 31st March 2026 This appendix provides information on the workforce demographic, allowing for monitoring of trends and consideration of workforce impacts and includes headcount, contract status, grade, sex and gender profiles, length of service, new starts, turnover and leavers and analysis of employees released through early retirement and voluntary severance. Also included is information relating to redeployment through the SWITCH process and sickness absence. 1. Headcount Table 1.1 below relates to the year-end workforce profile as of 31st March 2026 and examines changes in that profile over time. Table 1.1 When compared to the same period last year the council wide total headcount has decreased by 220 overall. This is due to reductions of 166 permanent contracts, 10 apprenticeships and 44 fixed term contracts. The casual headcount has decreased by 100 compared to the previous year, mainly due to a reduction of 128 casual teachers. This will be due to auditing the casual pool and placements in other contracts. ITEM 13 - APPENDIX 2
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Official Table 1.2 below shows this year’s figures compared to the last 4 years and illustrates a reduction in apprenticeship roles since 2025, after seeing an increase between 2023 – 2024. It also captures the steady decline in the workforce; -7.89% in the fixed term headcount and -3.34% in the permanent headcount. Table 1.2 Headcount Variance Overall Headcount Variance Apprentices Fixed Term Permanent Total 31/03/2022 - 31/03/2026 No. % of Total Yrly Var No. % of Total Yrly Var No. % of Total Yrly Var No. Yrly Var 31/03/2022 54 0.91% -7.00% 527 8.91% -1.00% 5335 90.18% 1% 5916 -1.00% 31/03/2023 62 1.06% 14.81% 485 8.26% -7.97% 5326 90.69% -0.17% 5873 -0.73% 31/03/2024 69 1.17% 11.29% 509 8.92% 4.95% 5123 91.44% -3.81% 5701 -2.93% 31/03/2025 59 1.05% -14.49% 558 9.98% 9.63% 4974 88.96% -2.91% 5591 -1.93% 31/03/2026 49 0.91% -16.95% 514 9.57% -7.89% 4808 89.52% -3.34% 5371 -3.93%
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Official Table 1.3 below provides more information on the variance across all services with the comparison data illustrating the steady reduction of the workforce. Table 1.3 Variance across services (in headcount) 2026 compared to 2025 Apprentice Fixed-Term Permanent Total Citizen Culture & Facilities 0 0 16 -37 605 20 621 -17 Education 4 -1 126 7 895 -30 1025 -24 Housing 34 -2 27 -2 478 -24 539 -28 People & Technology 1 0 15 -4 181 -10 197 -14 Regulatory & Regeneration 0 0 3 -1 107 2 110 1 Resources 0 0 4 -2 164 0 168 -2 Roads & Neighbourhood 10 -7 54 6 340 -26 404 -27 Chief Exec Office 49 -10 245 -33 2770 -68 3064 -111 Child Health Care & Criminal Justice 0 0 25 2 226 -3 251 -1 Community Health & Care 0 0 82 -15 784 -75 866 -90 Finance & Resources 0 0 1 0 5 0 6 0 Mental Health Addiction & Learning Disabilities 0 0 5 3 110 -18 115 -15 Strategy, Planning & Health Improvement 0 0 1 0 28 -5 29 -5 Health & Social Care Partnership 0 0 114 -10 1153 -101 1267 -111 Strategic Management 0 0 0 0 12 0 12 0 Local Government Employees Total 49 -10 359 -43 3935 -169 4343 -222 Education (Teachers) 0 0 155 -1 873 3 1028 2 Council Wide Total 49 -10 514 -44 4808 -166 5371 -220 During the reporting period 2025/26 Community Health and Care had the most significant reduction in headcount, this is influenced by Care at Home service re-design.
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Official Table 1.4 shows the casual variance headcount compared to last year and shows a decrease of 128 casual workers registered for work with the Council. Invigilators were previously reported in this category but have been separated as they are not covered by any bargaining group (Local Government or Teachers) and their pay is reclaimed from SQA. Table 1.4 Casual Variance Casual Invigilators Citizen Culture & Facilities 51 22 0 0 Education 45 4 81 2 Housing 2 0 0 0 People & Technology 0 0 0 0 Regulatory & Regeneration 5 0 0 0 Resources 0 0 0 0 Roads & Neighbourhood 3 -25 0 0 Chief Exec Office 106 1 81 2 Child Health Care & Criminal Justice 24 -2 0 0 Community Health & Care 85 29 0 0 Finance & Resources 0 0 0 0 Mental Health Addiction & Learning Disabilities 0 0 0 0 Strategy, Planning & Health Improvement 0 0 0 0 Health & Social Care Partnership 109 27 0 0 Strategic Management 0 0 0 0 Local Government Employees Total 215 28 81 2 Education (Teachers) 310 -128 0 0 Council Wide Total 525 -100 81 2
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Official 2. Full time Equivalent Table 2.1 Apprentice Fixed-Term Permanent Total Citizen Culture & Facilities 0.00 11.03 447.41 458.44 Education 4.00 84.91 724.55 813.46 Housing 34.00 24.98 454.52 513.50 People & Technology 1.00 13.69 167.64 182.32 Regulatory & Regeneration 0.00 2.60 100.60 103.20 Resources 0.00 4.00 149.72 153.72 Roads & Neighbourhood 10.00 49.49 328.56 388.05 Chief Exec Office 49.00 190.69 2373.00 2612.69 Child Health Care & Criminal Justice 0.00 22.70 202.43 225.13 Community Health & Care 0.00 57.32 587.97 645.30 Finance & Resources 0.00 1.00 4.80 5.80 Mental Health Addiction & Learning Disabilities 0.00 4.48 96.04 100.52 Strategy, Planning & Health Improvement 0.00 1.00 25.04 26.04 Health & Social Care Partnership 0.00 86.50 916.28 1002.79 Strategic Management 0.00 0.00 11.80 11.80 Local Government Employees Total 49.00 277.20 3301.08 3627.28 Education (Teachers) 0.00 144.60 786.20 930.80 Council Wide Total 49.00 421.80 4087.28 4558.08
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Official Table 2.2 Overall FTE Variance Overall FTE Variance 31/03/2022 - 31/03/2026 Apprentices Fixed Term Permanent Total No. % of Total Yrly Var No. % of Total Yrly Var No. % of Total Yrly Var No. Yrly Var 31/03/2022 54 1.09% -35.00% 439 8.88% -6.000% 4453 90.03% 0.00% 4947 -1.00% 31/03/2023 61 1.24% 12.96% 414 8.43% -5.69% 4433 90.33% -0.45% 4908 -0.79% 31/03/2024 68 1.00% 11.48% 423 8.80% 2.17% 4269 89.68% -3.70% 4760 -3.02% 31/03/2025 59 1.26% -13.24% 448 9.61% 5.91% 4153 89.14% -2.72% 4659 -2.12% 31/03/2026 49 1.08% -16.95% 421 9.24% -6.03% 4087 89.67% -1.59% 4558 -2.17% Trends indicate a reduction across apprentices, fixed term and permanent contracts in 2025/26.
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Official 3. Fixed Term Contracts There are 514 employees working on a fixed term basis and 121 of these hold fixed term contracts which have a duration exceeding 2 years (relevant for various employment rights). This is a decrease from the previous year. The table below illustrates the location of these employees and compares to last year. Table 3.1 2025 2026 Citizen Culture & Facilities 2 4 Education 31 22 Housing 24 11 People & Technology 4 6 Regulatory & Regeneration 4 1 Resources 2 1 Roads & Neighbourhood 39 41 Chief Exec Office 106 86 Child Health Care & Criminal Justice 7 11 Community Health & Care 4 14 Finance & Resources 0 0 Mental Health Addiction & Learning Disabilities 0 1 Strategy, Planning & Health Improvement 0 0 Health & Social Care Partnership 11 26 Strategic Management 0 0 Local Government Employees Total 117 112 Education (Teachers) 26 9 Council Wide Total 143 121
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Official 4. Full time / Part time Split Table 4.1 Full-Time Part-Time Citizen Culture & Facilities 177 444 Education 367 658 Housing 459 80 People & Technology 156 41 Regulatory & Regeneration 87 23 Resources 117 51 Roads & Neighbourhood 356 48 Chief Exec Office 1719 1345 Child Health Care & Criminal Justice 189 62 Community Health & Care 159 707 Finance & Resources 5 1 Mental Health Addiction & Learning Disabilities 59 56 Strategy, Planning & Health Improvement 21 8 Health & Social Care Partnership 433 834 Strategic Management 11 1 Local Government Employees Total 2163 2180 Education (Teachers) 713 315 Council Wide Total 2876 2495 The number of full time contracts has reduced this year by 37 and the number of part time contracts has also decreased by 183, reflective of the drop in headcount.
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Official 5. Grade Profile Table 5.1 As shown above the most prominent grade amongst Local Government Employees remains Grade 4, followed by Grade 5. For teachers the most prominent grade remains a Main Grade Teacher.
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Official 6. Sex Profile Table 6.1 Female Male Headcount % Headcount % Citizen Culture & Facilities 508 81.8% 113 18.2% Education 959 93.6% 66 6.4% Housing 154 28.6% 385 71.4% People & Technology 131 66.5% 66 33.5% Regulatory & Regeneration 68 61.8% 42 38.2% Resources 106 63.1% 62 36.9% Roads & Neighbourhood 77 19.1% 327 80.9% Chief Exec Office 2003 65.4% 1061 34.6% Child Health Care & Criminal Justice 203 80.9% 48 19.1% Community Health & Care 786 90.8% 80 9.2% Finance & Resources 6 100.0% 0 0.0% Mental Health Addiction & Learning Disabilities 76 66.1% 39 33.9% Strategy, Planning & Health Improvement 24 82.8% 5 17.2% Health & Social Care Partnership 1095 86.4% 172 13.6% Strategic Management 8 66.7% 4 33.3% Local Government Employees Total 3106 71.5% 1237 28.5% Education (Teachers) 834 81.1% 194 18.9% Council Wide Total 3940 73.4% 1431 26.6% The sex profile remains consistent with 73.4% of the workforce female and 26.6% male. There are no significant changes across the workforce with female predominance in Education and HSCP and male predominance in Roads and Neighbourhood and Housing & Employability.
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Official 7. Age Profile Table 7.1 16-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65+ Citizen Culture & Facilities 1.1% 2.7% 4.2% 8.2% 12.4% 13.4% 11.0% 9.0% 13.8% 17.1% 7.1% Education 0.5% 3.5% 5.7% 7.4% 5.7% 11.1% 13.6% 12.4% 19.6% 14.1% 6.4% Housing 0.9% 3.4% 5.5% 9.1% 10.5% 12.7% 12.5% 12.1% 15.4% 13.3% 4.6% People & Technology 0.9% 3.4% 5.5% 9.1% 10.5% 12.7% 12.5% 12.1% 15.4% 13.3% 4.6% Regulatory & Regeneration 0.0% 1.2% 8.0% 8.8% 12.7% 15.9% 11.2% 14.7% 13.9% 9.2% 4.4% Resources 0.1% 2.4% 3.7% 8.4% 11.4% 8.7% 9.4% 12.0% 19.2% 18.2% 6.5% Roads & Neighbourhood 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 16.7% 0.0% 0.0% 16.7% 33.3% 16.7% 16.7% 0.0% Chief Exec Office 0.9% 3.4% 5.5% 9.1% 10.5% 12.7% 12.5% 12.1% 15.4% 13.3% 4.6% Child Health Care & Criminal Justice 0.0% 1.2% 8.0% 8.8% 12.7% 15.9% 11.2% 14.7% 13.9% 9.2% 4.4% Community Health & Care 0.1% 2.4% 3.7% 8.4% 11.4% 8.7% 9.4% 12.0% 19.2% 18.2% 6.5% Finance & Resources 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 16.7% 0.0% 0.0% 16.7% 33.3% 16.7% 16.7% 0.0% Mental Health Addiction & Learning Disabilities 0.0% 0.9% 4.3% 9.6% 9.6% 13.9% 8.7% 21.7% 16.5% 12.2% 2.6% Strategy, Planning & Health Improvement 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 3.4% 10.3% 13.8% 27.6% 13.8% 10.3% 13.8% 6.9% Health & Social Care Partnership 0.1% 2.0% 4.5% 8.5% 11.4% 10.7% 10.1% 13.6% 17.7% 15.8% 5.7% Strategic Management 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 8.3% 50.0% 16.7% 25.0% 0.0% Local Government Employees Total 0.7% 3.0% 5.2% 8.9% 10.7% 12.0% 11.8% 12.6% 16.1% 14.0% 4.9% Education (Teachers) 0.0% 2.4% 9.3% 16.5% 16.3% 16.1% 15.5% 9.9% 9.6% 2.5% 1.7% Council Wide Total 0.5% 2.9% 6.0% 10.4% 11.8% 12.8% 12.5% 12.1% 14.8% 11.8% 4.3% The distribution curve for the age demographic across the council remains consistent with previous years. The highest proportion of people are in the 55-59 age group, with age groups 60-64, 50-54 and then 40-44, being the next age groups with the highest proportion. This has changed slightly as there the number of 60-64 year old’s percentage has increased into the top 3 highest percentages although the percentage has remained the same other age groups have more lost headcount. The percentage of employees working past 65 across the council has remained consistent since the previous period at 4.3% compared to 4.6% last year.
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Official 8. Length of Service Table 8.1 Less than 1 year 1 to 9 years 10 or more years Headcount Percentage Headcount Percentage Headcount Percentage Citizen Culture & Facilities 61 9.8% 292 47.0% 268 43.2% Education 73 7.1% 522 50.9% 430 42.0% Housing 14 2.6% 222 41.2% 303 56.2% People & Technology 9 4.6% 94 47.7% 94 47.7% Regulatory & Regeneration 10 9.1% 44 40.0% 56 50.9% Resources 6 3.6% 41 24.4% 121 72.0% Roads & Neighbourhood 24 5.9% 176 43.6% 204 50.5% Chief Exec Office 197 6.4% 1391 45.4% 1476 48.2% Child Health Care & Criminal Justice 27 10.8% 99 39.4% 125 49.8% Community Health & Care 43 5.0% 457 52.8% 366 42.3% Finance & Resources 0 0.0% 1 16.7% 5 83.3% Mental Health Addiction & Learning Disabilities 7 6.1% 41 35.7% 67 58.3% Strategy, Planning & Health Improvement 0 0.0% 10 34.5% 19 65.5% Health & Social Care Partnership 77 6.1% 608 48.0% 582 45.9% Strategic Management 1 8.3% 6 50.0% 5 41.7% Local Government Employees Total 275 6.3% 2005 46.2% 2063 47.5% Education (Teachers) 66 6.4% 411 40.0% 551 53.6% Council Wide Total 341 6.3% 2416 45.0% 2614 48.7% The distribution of Length of service has remained consistent, with the highest percentage remaining within 10 years or more. *Above data pertains to West Dunbartonshire Council service only (excluding continuous service with any other public authority to which the redundancy Payments Modification Order (Local Government) 1983 (as amended applies).
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Official 9. New Starts Table 9.1 Apprentice Fixed-Term Permanent Total Citizen Culture & Facilities 0 5 56 61 Education 2 50 21 73 Housing 4 2 8 14 People & Technology 0 5 4 9 Regulatory & Regeneration 0 2 8 10 Resources 0 1 5 6 Roads & Neighbourhood 0 3 21 24 Chief Exec Office 6 68 123 197 Child Health Care & Criminal Justice 0 7 20 27 Community Health & Care 0 9 34 43 Finance & Resources 0 0 0 0 Mental Health Addiction & Learning Disabilities 0 3 4 7 Strategy, Planning & Health Improvement 0 0 0 0 Health & Social Care Partnership 0 19 58 77 Strategic Management 0 0 1 1 Local Government Employees Total 6.0 87.0 182.0 275 Education (Teachers) 0 51 15 66 Council Wide Total 6 138 197 341 341 new employees joined the council in 2025/26 which is a decrease of 58 from last year. The table above shows this information by service and contract type.
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Official 10. Turnover Table 10.1 Staff at 1 April 2025 Staff at 1 April 2026 Average Leavers in Last 12 Months Turnover % Citizen Culture & Facilities 638 621 630 217 34.5% Education 1049 1025 1037 178 17.2% Housing 567 539 553 46 8.3% People & Technology 211 197 204 18 8.8% Regulatory & Regeneration 109 110 110 11 10.0% Resources 170 168 169 15 8.9% Roads & Neighbourhood 431 404 418 56 13.4% Chief Exec Office 3175 3064 3120 541 17.3% Child Health Care & Criminal Justice 252 251 252 33 13.1% Community Health & Care 956 866 911 149 16.4% Finance & Resources 6 6 6 1 16.7% Mental Health Addiction & Learning Disabilities 130 115 123 17 13.9% Strategy, Planning & Health Improvement 34 29 32 5 15.9% Health & Social Care Partnership 1378 1267 1323 205 15.5% Strategic Management 12 12 12 1 8.3% Local Government Employees Total 4565 4343 4454 747 16.8% Education (Teachers) 1026 1028 1027 114 11.1% Council Wide Total 5591 5371 5481 861 15.7% The information above presents an increase in turnover of 3.5% since the previous period. The leaver’s information in section 11 outlines that the vast majority of leavers remain as resignations and age retirals.
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Official 11. Leavers The numbers of leavers has increased in 2026 by 233 in comparison to 2025’s 688 leavers. 2026 has seen an increase in comparison to other previous years of 855 employees leaving in 2023, 795 in 2022, 490 in 2021, and 457 in 2020. This section will also detail employees who have accepted Early Retirement – Efficiencies / Redundancy, Flexible Retirement and Retirement between 55 – 59 years of age during the reporting period. It also notes the employees who have been added to the SWITCH Register. Table 11.1 Leavers Death in Service Dismissal - End of Cont Dismissal - Ill Heath Dismissal - Summary Dismissal - W ith Notice Employee Not Started Incorrect Entry MPO to Main Redundancy Resignation Retiral - Age Retiral - Efficiency Retiral - Ill Health Retiral on Option (60+) Severance - Efficiency Teacher - End Fixed Term Teacher - Ill Health Teacher - Other Teacher - Retirement Age Teacher - Retirement Oth Teacher - Vol Resign Oth TUPE Transfer Unused Casual Total Citizen Culture & Facilities * * 6 0 * * 0 71 6 88 19 0 6 * 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 217 Education * 13 * 0 * * * 9 0 97 27 0 * * * * 0 0 * 0 0 0 9 178 Housing 0 * * * 0 0 0 0 * 22 10 0 * * 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 * * 46 People & Technology * * 0 0 0 0 0 * 0 7 * * 0 * 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 Regulatory & Regeneration 0 * 0 0 0 * 0 0 * 6 * * 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 Resources 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 * 7 * * 0 * * 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 15 Roads & Neighbourhood * 6 * 0 0 0 0 * 5 12 17 * 0 * 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 56 Chief Exec Office 5 26 11 * 5 * * 82 16 239 80 9 13 11 16 * 0 0 * 0 0 * 18 541 Child Health Care & Criminal Justice 0 0 * 0 0 * 0 0 0 22 6 0 * * 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 * 33 Community Health & Care 0 0 14 * * * 0 * 7 63 32 0 9 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 149 Finance & Resources 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 * 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 *
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Official Mental Health Addiction & Learning Disabilities 0 0 0 * * 0 0 0 * 6 * * 0 * * 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 * 17 Strategy, Planning & Health Improvement 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 * * 0 0 * 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 Health & Social Care Partnership 0 0 15 * * * 0 * 9 94 41 * 10 12 * 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 205 Strategic Management 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 * Local Government Employees Total 5 26 26 * 9 6 * 83 25 333 121 11 23 24 17 * 0 0 * 0 0 * 29 747 Education (Teachers) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 * * 0 0 * * 53 0 * 22 7 25 0 0 114 Council Wide Total 5 26 26 * 9 6 * 83 25 334 123 11 23 26 18 55 0 * 23 7 25 * 29 861 * Figures of under 5 have been removed and replaced with a * due to the possible identification of individuals. Table 11.2 Retirements 55-59 55-59 01/04 - 30/09 01/10 - 31/03 Annual Council Wide Total 31/03/2022 0 5 5 31/03/2023 6 4 10 31/03/2024 10 3 13 31/03/2025 8 8 16 31/03/2026 3 6 9 The Local Government Pension Scheme allows scheme members to retire from age 55 without employer consent. The terms of this provision allow members to access their pension benefits with an actuarial reduction applied (to compensate the fund for the member taking their benefits early) with no consequential costs for the council. There has been a decrease in the number of employees retiring and accessing their pension benefits compared to the previous 3 years.
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Official Table 11.3 Flexible Retirement Flexible 01/04 - 30/09 01/10 - 31/03 Annual Council Wide Total 31/03/2022 10 28 38 31/03/2023 19 26 45 31/03/2024 23 39 62 31/03/2025 26 12 38 31/03/2026 26 5 31 Flexible retirement is available to members of the Local Government Pension Scheme, excluding teachers. The approval of those employees granted flexible retirement is monitored by the Chief Officer, People and Technology, and the Chief Officer, Resources. Every effort is being made to support flexible retirement requests where possible, and services regularly revisit applications with a view to release. Table 11.3 above shows the number of flexible retirements released in the period for this year and four previous reporting periods for comparison purposes. There has been a decrease this year for flexible retirement with this year’s figure showing the lowest figure since pre-2022. While flexible retirement requests that result in a strain on the fund will not normally be granted, consideration will be given to cases where these costs can be mitigated or where exceptional circumstances exist. It is anticipated that Flexible Retirement will continue to be a popular option for employees who wish to work in a reduced capacity and access their pension whilst enabling the Council to retain their skills and experience, however the trend of a reduction in those released may continue due to the costs associated. 12. SWITCH (Redeployment) Redeployment is monitored and delivered centrally by Strategic HR. Employees are added to the SWITCH register for a number of different reasons:- • Through organisational change employees may be displaced, at risk of redundancy or placed in lower graded posts; • Due to ill-health, they may become unable to continue in their substantive post; • Through Job Evaluation where a post is evaluated lower than the current grade; • Or where an employee is coming to the end of a fixed term contract and has more than 2 years’ service. To support employees to return to their previous rate of pay all employees who have been matched but remain on pay protection are also retained on the register.
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Official Table 12.1 below details the number of employees who were on the redeployment register at the start of the reporting period (01/04/2025), the number who joined the register in the 6 months up to 30/09/2025 and 31/03/2026 and the number who remain on the register at the end of the reporting period (31/03/2026). Table 12.1 SWITCH Reason Number of employees on the Register at the start of the period (01/04/2025) Number of employees added during the period Number of employees removed during the period Number of Employees on the register at the end of the period (30/09/2025) Number of employees added during the period Number of employees removed during the period Number of Employees on the register at the end of the period (31/03/2026) Ill Health (Capability) 3 2 1 4 3 2 5 Ill health (Disability) 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 Organisational Change 5 23 8 20 19 18 21 Other Process (FTA end, Job Evaluation, Performance) 2 0 1 1 0 0 1 TOTALS 10 26 10 26 22 21 27 Pay Protection 2 1 1 2 0 1 1 There has been a significant increase in the number of employees being added to the Redeployment (SWITCH) Register between 1st April 2025 and 31st March 2026 and from 2024/5. Discussions continues to be held in relation to the benefits of SWITCH and within consultations for service re-designs. The Council holds a duty of care towards individuals and they will be automatically listed on SWITCH going forward where their roles are at risk.
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Official 13. Apprentices Table 13.1 Level 2 Level 3 Total Citizen Culture & Facilities 0 0 0 Education 0 4 4 Housing 0 34 34 People & Technology 0 1 1 Regulatory & Regeneration 0 0 0 Resources 0 0 0 Roads & Neighbourhood 0 10 10 Chief Exec Office 0 49 49 Child Health Care & Criminal Justice 0 0 0 Community Health & Care 0 0 0 Finance & Resources 0 0 0 Mental Health Addiction & Learning Disabilities 0 0 0 Strategy, Planning & Health Improvement 0 0 0 Health & Social Care Partnership 0 0 0 Strategic Management 0 0 0 Local Government Employees Total 0 49 49 Education (Teachers) 0 0 0 Council Wide Total 0 49 49 The number of apprenticeships supported by the council in Level 2 and Level 3 has decreased by 10. A reduction has been seen across Education, Housing and Roads & Neighbourhood. There are currently no level 2 apprentices across any service areas.
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Official 14. Sickness Absence From 1st April 2025 to 31st March 2026, there was a decrease in Council wide sickness absence to 65224.13 FTE days lost compared to 66814.70 in 2024/25 with 14.53 FTE workdays lost per employee being reported, an increase from 14.3 in 2024/25. The highest absence still remains in the front-line employee service areas. Implementation of employee engagement and wellbeing practices continue and hope to bring improvements for future periods. Table 14.1 Annual Absence for Council The table above illustrates the reasons for absence distribution across the year and Minor Illness is the highest category of absence followed by personal stress and acute medical conditions which were the same 3 highest categories in 2024/25. Full details and analysis of sickness absence is covered in the wellbeing report submitted to committee.
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Official Table 14.2 Reasons for Absence Absence Reason Working Days Lost Percentage of Lost Days Minor Illness 23,334.4 21% Back Pain 4,840.7 4% Musculo-skeletal Injuries 13,180.3 12% Stress Personal 20,295.8 19% Recur Medical Condition 4,930.7 5% Injury/Accident (Non Work) 2,639.1 2% Injury/Accident (Work) 2,366.6 2% Mental Health 9,508.3 9% Acute Medical Conditions 17,628.0 16% Pregnancy Related 2,106.4 2% Drink/Drug Related 229.6 0% Stress - Work Related 6,816.9 6% Long Covid 790.0 1% TOTAL 108,666.8 100% The table above illustrates the reasons for absence and the number and percentage of the total days lost during 2025/26. Minor Illness continues to be the reason for absence with the highest number of days followed Acute Medical Conditions and Personal Stress. This reflects the same pattern as 2024/25.
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Official Voluntary Severance/Voluntary Early Retirement VS/VER was one offering available to employees to reduce the workforce as agreed in the budget setting process for 2025/26. Table 15.1 - Notes of Interest Service No of Note of Interest Received Citizen Culture Facilities 39 Education Learning & Attain 6 Housing 5 HSCP 8 People & Technology 2 Regulatory & Regeneration 1 Resources 3 Roads & Neighbourhood 5 TOTAL 69 In total, there were 69 notes of interest submitted during the period 2025/26. This is a significant decrease from the previous year where 452 notes of interest were submitted. Table 15.1 provides a breakdown by Service. Not all notes of interest progressed to offer stage for several reasons, including eligibility criteria not met, interest withdrawn, or an oversubscription in a particular area. Table 15.2 Voluntary Early Retirement and Voluntary Severance (VS/VER - Efficiency/Redundancy) by Year VS/VER 01/04 - 30/09 01/10 - 31/03 Annual Council Wide Total 31/03/2022 0 0 0 31/03/2023 0 9 9 31/03/2024 46 2 48 31/03/2025 13 16 29 31/03/2026 16 18 34 There had been a slight increase in employees being released through VER/VS since March 2025 in line with budget savings required for 2025/26.
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Official Table 15.3 - Released via VS/VER: 1 April 2025 – 31 March 2026 by Service Service No of Employees No of FTE Citizen Culture Facilities 11 7.4 Education Learning & Attainment 2 1.9 Housing 1 1 HSCP 10 5.2 People & Technology 2 2 Regulatory & Regeneration 1 1 Resources 0 0 Roads & Neighbourhood 7 3.7 Total 34 22.2 During the period, a total of 34 employees were granted early retirement on grounds of efficiency of the service, redundancy or released on voluntary severance as shown in table 15.3 above and 15.4 below. Table 15. 4 – Voluntary Early Retirement/Severance (1st April 2025 – 31st March 2026) In line with data protection requirements, the table above shows the data consolidated as a council wide figure which includes employees in the Health & Social Care Partnership. * Net savings take account of annual costs. * One-off costs include provisional capitalisation (strain on the fund) costs. Council wide No. of EE’s *One-Off Costs Annual Costs (Recurring) Net Annual Savings (Recurring) TOTALS* 34 £811,316.61 £6,558.26 £705,466.78
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Official In respect of the 35 employees released, 18 were granted early retirement on efficiency or redundancy grounds and 17 were granted voluntary severance. The number of employees being released through voluntary early retirement/severance has increased from the previous year as detailed in table 15.4 above. The reductions achieved have contributed approximately £705,000 towards on-going savings with initial one-off costs of approximately £811,000. Applications are still in the process of being considered in-line with service re-designs where appropriate.