To engage Local Government East (LGE) (on a draw down basis) to provide additional support, via specialist resource, to support the delivery of the Housing Repairs Service.

Regulatory expectations for housing services have increased, at the same time as a well?documented national skills shortage in specialist local government roles, particularly building surveyors and social housing professionals. This has created a highly competitive recruitment market affecting councils nationally and making it increasingly difficult to recruit and retain skilled staff.

Within this context, two members of the Housing Repairs Service management team have recently secured alternative employment at neighbouring authorities and, together with an existing vacancy, all three management posts will be vacant by 5 March 2026. Previous recruitment exercises have failed to attract suitably qualified candidates, indicating that both the resignations and ongoing vacancies reflect wider national labour?market pressures.

To ensure that sufficient management resource is available as timely as possible to ensure the delivery of the housing repairs service.

To continue with the recruitment process, without having a suitable management structure within the housing repairs team.  Effectively this would maintain the currently unacceptable risk of a suitable candidate being found within an unknown timescale, having had two failed recruitment exercises so far to date.  

Further, the recruitment and retention challenges affecting the Housing Repairs Service reflect wider national labour?market pressures rather than any Tendring?specific issue. Local government nationally is experiencing acute shortages in technical and professional housing roles—particularly building surveyors, housing repairs managers and compliance specialists—due to long?standing skills gaps and a highly competitive market.