The Richmond and Wandsworth Joint Staffing Committee met to discuss workforce trends, decision-making accountability, skills and apprenticeships, and senior leadership. Councillor Roberts chaired the meeting, which included a discussion of confidential information relating to corporate capacity and senior structures.

Corporate Capacity and Senior Structures

The committee was scheduled to discuss a report from Andrew Travers, Chief Executive, regarding corporate capacity and senior structures, specifically the leadership of growth. Due to the confidential nature of the information, the press and public were excluded from this part of the meeting.

Workforce Indicators and Trends

The committee was scheduled to consider a report on workforce indicators and trends. The report noted a slight increase in the number of full-time employees and an improvement in workforce diversity, with higher representation of minority groups and women in leadership.

The report also included the following data:

• The Full Time Equivalent (FTE) for permanent and fixed-term employees was 3594.3 as of 31 March 2025, an increase of over 110 in the past 12 months. The report attributed this to the transfer of the Refugee Resettlement service, investment in early entry programmes, new initiatives in Environment and Community Services (ECS), and successful recruitment in Finance.
• Agency usage through Adecco has remained stable for the past two quarters but has increased by approximately £1 million in the past year.
• High levels of off-framework (non-Adecco) agency expenditure were recorded up to the end of March 2025, and a detailed review was in progress to reduce the cost and usage of off-framework agency spend.
• The staff turnover rate was 11.8%, which the report said was largely due to retirements.
• The average time to recruit was seven weeks, with an average of eight weeks for the past 12 months.
• The sickness absence rate was stable at 8.0 days.
• Mental health-related issues continue to be the leading cause of long-term and overall absence, accounting for over 25% of all absences.
• Employee relations cases were at their lowest level in the last six years.

The report mentioned employee benefits such as Wagestream, a salary advance tool used by 10% of the workforce, and Additional Voluntary Contributions with My Money Matters, with approximately £1.7 million contributed in 2024-25.

The report stated that over one quarter of employees are aged 55 to 64 (27%) and a relatively high proportion of employees are leaving with less than two years' service (37%), emphasising the importance of attracting and retaining talent, succession planning and career progression, as well as the need for workforce planning. It also said that a proposed People Strategy would be brought forward for review by the end of the year.

Decision-Making Accountability (DMA) Update

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the Decision-Making Accountability (DMA) Rollout Project, which aims to create efficient and effective structures. The DMA is an organisational tool used by the Local Government Association (LGA). The LGA recommends five levels of management, from the Chief Executive to the frontline, resulting in six layers in total.

The report stated that Children's Services piloted the DMA tool in October 2023, leading to management delayering and function consolidation. Following this success, the DMA methodology was rolled out across all directorates in February 2024.

Wandsworth Skills Offer and Apprenticeships Delivery Update

The committee was scheduled to discuss a report summarising key achievements, progress, challenges, and risks related to the Wandsworth Skills Offer and apprenticeship delivery.

Since 2022, there have been 404 apprenticeship starts across the organisation and related services, including:

• 210 Richmond and Wandsworth Council employer apprenticeships
• 92 apprenticeships across Richmond and Wandsworth schools
• 18 apprenticeships funded via the Richmond and Wandsworth levy to local businesses and residents (funding contribution £146,513)
• 51 apprenticeships via Workmatch[^1] [^1]: Workmatch is a service run by Wandsworth Council that helps local residents find jobs and training opportunities.
• 33 apprenticeships via Wandsworth Lifelong Learning

The report stated that an internal early careers strategy is established, focusing on apprenticeships, graduate programmes, and internship programmes across the two councils. It also noted that changes to the apprenticeship levy from the Labour election manifesto may offer more flexibility, allowing part of the levy to fund government-approved training based on skills shortages.

The Wandsworth Skills and Opportunities Group (WSOG) will oversee the Wandsworth Skills Offer, uniting stakeholders like South Thames College Group, Roehampton University¹, VCS², businesses, and local authorities to boost apprenticeship and skills provision uptake.

Other Business

The committee was also scheduled to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 24th February 2025.