Concerns raised over size of Nottingham City Council workforce as reports says action must be taken

A report into Nottingham City Council's performance says it employs 500 more people than similar authorities and says action must be taken. The Improvement and Assurance Board was appointed by the government three years ago to work with the council following the collapse of Robin Hood Energy.

The board was responsible for overseeing, monitoring and guiding the council in the delivery of its improvement and recovery plan. Despite this the council still effectively declared bankruptcy last year, leading to widespread cuts.

The IAB, headed by independent troubleshooter Sir Tony Redmond, had been working over the past few years to oversee, monitor, guide, advise and – more recently – instruct the council to make urgent changes. However, owing to the significance of the financial challenge the authority is facing, with an anticipated budget gap of £172m over the next four years, the Government decided to appoint commissioners in February.

Lead commissioner Tony McArdle, finance commissioner Margaret Lee and transformation commissioner Sharon Kemp have now take over from the IAB to see about rapid improvements. A final report into the council's finances was published on Thursday, May 16, and stated that the authority still has "not fully accepted the gravity of the situation." One of several concerns raised in the report relates to the size of the workforce.

The report states: "The council has been continuously challenged on the size of its workforce relative to other local authorities of similar size and responsibilities. Equally, the IAB remains concerned that the underlying culture of the organisation was unacceptable."

It goes on to state that the working practices are "inefficient" and there is a "significant challenge in tackling a training programme" with the skills and expertise needed to modernise the workforce. The report continued: "It is unfortunate that, after three years, this issue remains unresolved and this requires urgent attention.

"Alongside this challenge sits the workforce which has had more than 500 people greater than comparable authorities. The IAB has also continuously highlighted weak performance management and accountability. The appraisal system is under review, but addressing underperformance remains a significant weakness in Nottingham."

The IAB warns that "appropriate action" needs to be taken to ensure that the workforce can deliver efficient and effective outcomes to the citizens of Nottingham. The conclusion of the report later adds: "Fundamental to the Council's success in the future is a workforce culture which fully embraces its need to deliver quality and cost-effective services to the citizens."

A Nottingham City Council spokesperson said: “The Improvement and Assurance Board’s final report has informed the council’s work with Commissioners on the further improvements that are needed in order to build on the progress already made.”