Best for Training and Development
Wychavon District Council
Wychavon makes time to discuss individuals’ hopes and fears while encouraging
excellent performance in their work.
Performance-development reviews are held three times a year to identify
personal development needs. The council actively encourages staff to
undertake personal development. Budgets are available for managers to use to
support their staff who wish to undertake postentry training.
Approximately 1.5 per cent of the staffing budget is allocated to each service
unit to support this aim and to encourage continuous professional
development.
The Worcestershire-based council runs training opportunities such as time
management, men’s health week and learning-at-work week.
It allows individuals to pursue secondments both within the council and to
other organisations, and allows individuals to take sabbaticals. Wychavon
District Council also offers opportunities for staff to get involved by
representing their service unit at staff sounding-board meetings. The
representatives are asked for their views on key issues and these are taken
into account in the decision-making process.
Best for Wellbeing
Chorley Borough Council
The health and wellbeing section on the council intranet incorporates many
topics including stress, musculoskeletal disorders, smoking cessation and
alcohol and substance misuse.
Recent activities have included a men’s health week and golf lessons. A
workplace listeners’ scheme is being introduced to offer a listening ear to
anyone who needs it. A room is also available for both prayer and quiet
moments to ensure the staff’s total wellbeing.
More than half the workforce took part in the pedometer challenge with 25
teams competing. Prizes of £500, £200 and £100 were made to the teams with
the most steps over the four-week period. Prizes where also awarded to
individuals who had made the most improvement over the month.
Lunchtime walks were organised and have continued. Physiotherapy, counselling
and eyesight testing are all available. Discounted alternative therapies are
provided on site regularly.
Discounted gym membership, private healthcare and golf have also been
negotiated. Fresh fruit will soon be provided to everyone and water is
provided in offices and also to employees who work outdoors.
Best for Work and Home Balance
Broadland District Council
The work-life balance policy includes initiatives such as having no core times
when staff have to be in work. Many flexitime policies specify that staff
must begin work by a certain time and cannot leave before a set time.
If staff at Broadland want to work a short day they can do a minimum of five
hours without taking leave. These flexibilities need to be agreed with line
managers and take into account the needs of the services.
The council employs two part-time caretakers whose duties include securing the
building at the beginning and end of the day. This means that staff cannot
start work until 7.45am and need to leave by 6.30pm. This ensures that a
culture of long working hours does not develop or become expected.
The council also offers a range of working patterns including part-time,
job-share, compressed hours and annualised hours.
It does not offer term-time working to all staff, but runs a holiday
activities club that means parents can bring children into work and collect
them at the end of the day during school holidays.
Best for Environment and Local Community
Castle Morpeth Borough Council
The council contributes financially to the Northumberland Warm Zone programme,
which conducts home-energy efficiency assessments and installation of energy
efficiency measures in publicly and privately owned houses in Castle
Morpeth.
These measures include cavity wall insulation, loft insulation, hot-water tank
jackets and draft proofing. These measures are free to qualifying households
(the elderly and households in receipt of certain benefits) and offered at a
substantial discount to nonqualifying households. Agencies have also
distributed energy-saving lightbulbs.
The council is already offsetting its carbon emissions and reducing its carbon
footprint in the management of its green spaces. The council produced 33.78
tonnes of CO2 as a result of staff travel at work in the last financial
year. This is to be offset by long-term planned tree planting, with the
proviso that the trees or areas of trees planted remain in place for at
least 80 years.
In order to absorb the carbon dioxide output from cars generated by staff
travel at work the council will have to plant a minimum of 116 additional
trees every year. The trees will provide additional benefits in terms of
amenity, landscape and biodiversity.
The Wheels to Work project is specifically designed to break down barriers to
employment and training by offering advice on transport options to allow
individuals to consider job opportunities over a wider area. The project
provides support on specific transport planning to allow someone to get to
work, and when a viable route has been identified will help with a rehearsal
for using the route.
The scheme can even provide short-term loans (usually up to nine months) of
motor-scooters or cars to allow someone to take up work or learning in cases
where public transport is unable to provide a solution.
Best Leader
Wychavon District Council - Jack Hagarty
Best Improver
Chorley Council
Best Small Council to Work For
Wychavon District Council
Best Mid-sized Council to Work For
Test Valley Borough Council
Best Large Council to Work For
Aberdeenshire Council
Higher earners
Percentage of staff earning more than £35,000 a year
South Oxfordshire 24, East Hampshire 22, Kingston upon Thames 19, Waverley 18, Broadland
18, Aylesbury Vale 18, Malvern Hills 16, Chiltern 14, Rother 14, West
Oxfordshire 13, Runnymede 13, Epsom & Ewell 13, East Northamptonshire
12, Stratford 12, Test Valley 12, Castle Point 10, Wychavon District 9,Castle
Morpeth 9, South Norfolk 8,North Lincolnshire 7, Eden 6, Warwick 6, Blyth
Valley 6, Aberdeenshire 5, Chorley 5
Gender balance
Staff ratios in the best councils (% male/female)
Kingston upon Thames 31/69, Aberdeenshire 32/68, East Northamptonshire 32/68, North
Lincolnshire 33/67, Waverley 34/66, Wychavon 34/66, Eden 35/65, Broadland
36/64, East Hampshire 38/62, Stratford 38/62, Chiltern 39/61, West
Oxfordshire 40/60, Castle Point 41/59, Rother 41/59, South Oxfordshire
41/59, Runnymede 43/57, South Norfolk 44/56, Warwick 46/54, Aylesbury Vale
48/52, Epsom & Ewell 49/51, Malvern Hills 49/51, Test Valley 50/50, Chorley
51/49, Castle Morpeth 52/48, Blyth Valley 59/41
