The LGA is launching a national recruitment campaign for local government
Working for your local council can make a real difference to people’s lives, and there has never been a more important time to join local government and advance your career.
That’s the central message of a new national recruitment campaign, co-produced by the LGA with councils and the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and Senior Managers (Solace), which aims to showcase the wide variety of rewarding and high-impact careers on offer in the sector.
Hundreds of essential services are provided every day by councils and combined authorities to keep our communities running, leading to a wide range of challenging, but rewarding, roles, ranging from caring for families and protecting children from harm to ensuring that local takeaways or restaurants are safe and our streets are kept clean.
Designed as part of the LGA’s sector support offer, and funded by the UK Government, the ‘Make a difference, work for your local council’ campaign was piloted in the North East earlier this year, co-produced with local authorities in the region and supported by the North East Regional Employers’ Organisation.
Backed by major advertising on billboards, radio and social media, the campaign highlighted the variety of roles on offer and the exciting opportunities to develop a local government career. It promoted what a difference people can make, while also complementing local councils’ own recruitment activity.
Across all channels, the pilot campaign achieved impressive results with more than 17 million impressions and 105,626 clicks generated to the North East Jobs portal, with visitors to the portal more committed to applying and applications up by 8.96 per cent year on year.
There was a good level of recall for the campaign in the region, and research respondents said it gave them a more positive image of their local council and as an employer.
The scale of the recruitment challenge facing local government cannot be overestimated. More than nine in 10 councils across the country are experiencing staff recruitment and retention difficulties, as demand for services continues to rise.
The local government workforce in England has reduced by a third since 2012, with turnover rates and vacancies increasing in recent years.
There are also particular shortages in certain professions because of a reduction in national supply and a lack of qualified people joining the sector.
Severe financial pressures faced by councils, and competition from other public sector employers, have also played their part.
All of this highlights the vital need to attract more people into the local government workforce.
Following the successful pilot in the North East, the Government has funded the national rollout of the campaign to all English regions.
Partnering with councils and regional employers’ organisations, the LGA is working to further develop and refine the campaign before its national launch in November. A comprehensive toolkit and ongoing support will also be provided to councils.
Working in local government is a great career choice. By extending this campaign nationwide, talented people from across the country have the opportunity to find out more and join their local council in delivering the vital services that their communities use and rely on every day.
- Find out more about the recruitment campaign.
