To provide Members of the Human Resources and Council Tax Committee with an update on current workforce statistics, including key trends in staffing levels, recruitment, retention, and diversity. This update supports the Committee’s ongoing oversight of workforce matters and reflects the Council’s commitment to transparency and continuous improvement in its employment practices.

The Committee heard that the Officer report (A.1) provided Members with an overview of the Council’s workforce profile, which drew on current data and compared it with both local and national benchmarks. It formed part of the standard reporting cycle to the Human Resources and Council Tax Committee.

Members were told that, as at the 31 May 2026, the reporting date used for the data collation, Tendring District Council (TDC) employed 783 individuals, including casual workers and apprentices, which equated to 501.2 full-time equivalent (FTE) roles. That comprised of 427 full-time and 149 part-time staff, alongside 18 apprentices and 189 casual workers. The number of casual staff reflected seasonal appointments including Seafront Staff, Leisure Attendants and Theatre Staff.

Officers informed the Committee that recruitment and retention remained stable, with no significant impact currently being seen from the forthcoming Local Government Reorganisation (LGR). The Council continued to attract strong levels of interest in vacancies, and recruitment and turnover trends were being closely monitored to ensure that any emerging workforce risks or changes in workforce trends could be identified and addressed at an early stage.

The Committee was made aware that, despite ongoing national recruitment challenges, as highlighted by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s (CIPD) Labour Market Outlook, which had reported that 34% of public sector employers experienced hard-to-fill vacancies, the Council had continued to recruit successfully to a number of roles that had historically been difficult to fill. Recent appointments had been secured across key professional and operational areas, including accountancy, project management and leisure management, demonstrating the Council’s ability to attract and retain skilled employees in a competitive labour market.

Members noted that the Council’s workforce spanned a broad range, from ages 16 to 81. Whilst retention levels remained strong across the organisation, effective workforce planning remained important to ensure that skills, knowledge and experience were retained, succession risks were managed, and service resilience was maintained over the longer term.

The Committee was also told that there had been no change in the reported workforce diversity since the last reporting period. Currently, 1.3% of contracted staff identified as being from an ethnic minority background, compared to 3.8% within the wider Tendring population. Similarly, 13 employees had declared a disability, which was slightly higher than previously reported, although those figures might be under-represented due to the voluntary nature of disclosure.

The Council maintained a broadly balanced gender profile. Among full-time employees, 47.5% identified as male and 52.5% as female. At senior management level, gender representation was currently evenly balanced, with 50% of posts held by men and 50% by women, compared with 55.1% male and 44.9% female when previously reported.

As part of its commitment to meeting its equality obligations and maintaining an inclusive workplace, the Council was exploring a partnership arrangement with Colchester City Council and Braintree District Council to share a dedicated Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Lead Officer. Subject to agreement, the shared resource would provide additional capacity and specialist expertise to support the Council’s Equality Ambassador network, promote inclusive employment practices, and help ensure compliance with statutory responsibilities, whilst sharing costs and resources across the three authorities.

It was moved by Councillor Guglielmi, seconded by Councillor G Stephenson and unanimously:-

RESOLVED that the Committee noted the Workforce Update Report.