Lancaster City Council awarded silver accreditation for people management

Investors in People is the international standard for people management, defining what it takes to lead, support and manage people effectively.

It enables organisations to benchmark themselves against the best in the business. Silver is a fantastic achievement and something that only 15% of organisations assessed are able to achieve.

The term 'Established' recognises the fact that the right principles are in place to improve the workplace and there is evidence that leaders are making active efforts to drive cultural change.

To achieve the award, staff were asked to complete a survey to be submitted to Investors in People. One to one interviews were also conducted with randomly selected members of staff from across all of the council’s services.

Feedback from staff included that the council is a great place to work, and engagement, communications and collaboration has improved since the last assessment.

Coun Jason Wood, cabinet member with responsibility for corporate services, said: “This is a fantastic outcome and is a testament to our staff, who are all integral to the organisation and the services we provide to the public.

“Dealing with the financial challenges faced by local authorities hasn’t been easy but we can be proud of the steps we have taken under difficult circumstances to improve efficiency and protect services for those who live, work and visit our district.

“We mustn’t, however, rest on our laurels and the IIP report provides a series of recommendations and an action plan covering what we do well and where we should focus, to make further improvements.”

Some of the highlights from the report include:

• The council’s new organisational structure, where chief officers have more collective responsibility and accountability, is more agile, improves opportunities for collaboration, and has strengthened systems thinking and strategic focus

• A behaviours framework supports the values and sets out clear expectations for staff and makes clear what people can expect in terms of orgnisational support

• A comprehensive and well-formed People Plan is aligned to the council’s vision, purpose and values

• Key priorities over the next 12-18 months include a Learning and Development Strategy, leadership and management development, developing coaching and mentoring capability and continuing to support wellbeing