Beyond HR: rethinking workforce development for local government

What if local government HR teams were shaping the future of public work itself?

Local government HR teams are at a crossroads. Across the UK, they are tackling unprecedented workforce challenges — from recruiting and retaining specialist skills in an ultra-competitive market to redesigning work for a more adaptive, mission-driven public sector.

Yet, councils often approach these challenges in isolation — each developing separate recruitment strategies, workforce wellbeing policies, and leadership programmes despite facing the same constraints.

Instead of competing for the same limited talent, what if local government HR became a regional ecosystem — one where councils co-invest in shared workforce pipelines, experiment with job-sharing models, and reimagine employment structures to create more adaptive, participatory, and resilient teams?

At Adur & Worthing Councils, we’re already testing elements of this approach — embedding mission-based workforce models, rethinking flexible employment, and developing new ways to attract and grow public sector talent.

This blog explores what the future of HR could look like if councils worked together regionally, learning from global innovations to move beyond workforce management and start designing the future of local government work.

🔍 The challenge: why HR in local government needs a radical rethink

Local government is not just another employer — it is responsible for creating jobs that sustain communities, building careers that serve the public good, and shaping the workforce that will deliver the future of public services.

But the system is struggling:

✅ Workforce competition — councils are fighting each other (and the private sector) for the same talent, especially in digital, finance, planning, and social care.
✅ Siloed workforce planning — each council develops its own recruitment, training, and workforce wellbeing policies rather than collaborating regionally.
✅ Rigid structures that don’t support adaptive work — there is an expectation for traditional job roles and contracts, even when mission-driven, multi-disciplinary teams could be more effective.

The result?

❌ Missed opportunities for experimentation — no shared space for testing new workforce models.

We need a shift — from transactional HR to transformative HR, and from council-by-council recruitment to a collaborative workforce ecosystem.

🌍 Global inspiration: how regions are rethinking the future of work

🇪🇸 Basque Country: mission-based workforce ecosystems

The Basque Country has redefined workforce planning as an integrated regional strategy, aligning public and private employers, universities, and skills providers to develop place-based talent pipelines.
🔹 Regional skills investment funds ensure long-term workforce sustainability.
🔹 Cross-sector employment models allow people to work across government, business, and social enterprises.

💡 What can UK local government HR teams learn?

• Could councils collaborate with anchor institutions (universities, businesses, and social enterprises) to co-design workforce pipelines?
• How could mission-based work structures replace rigid job descriptions and recruitment models?

🇩🇪 Germany: flexible, cross-sector public workforce models

Germany’s regional HR and workforce hubs rethink how people work across local government, embedding agility, flexibility, and shared talent pools.
🔹 Cross-council work models enable staff to move between municipalities without unnecessary bureaucracy.
🔹 Public workforce “mobility pools” allow temporary redeployment across councils, solving talent shortages.

💡 What can UK local government HR teams learn?

• Could councils co-design flexible workforce models that allow staff to work across multiple authorities?
• What if HR focused on creating “fluid teams” that form around missions rather than fixed services?

🔹 Adur & Worthing example: Flexible work models for a more adaptive workforce
We are reimagining how teams are structured, testing how employees can work across service boundaries and participate in mission-based work — creating greater resilience, cross-sector skills, and workforce adaptability.

🇳🇱 Netherlands: wellbeing-first, adaptive workforce structures

The Netherlands has pioneered human-centred, flexible workforce models that make work more participatory, sustainable, and resilient.
🔹 Public sector job-sharing schemes enable staff to work across different councils and industries.
🔹 Wellbeing and adaptive working policies focus on mental health, meaningful work, and staff autonomy.

💡 What can UK local government HR teams learn?

• How could HR move from rigid contracts to employment models that support adaptive, cross-sector work?
• Could councils co-create workforce wellbeing strategies at a regional level?

🔹 Adur & Worthing example: Transforming flexible working into a workforce resilience strategy
We have embedded flexible work not as an HR policy, but as a strategic enabler — testing new work models, job-sharing structures, and participatory workforce planning.

🚀 A next-generation approach: what if HR became a platform for workforce transformation?

What if HR in local government was not just about recruitment, policies, and contracts, but about designing and enabling the future of public work?

1. A regional workforce innovation hub

✅ HR teams across councils collaborating on recruitment, retention, and workforce wellbeing.
✅ Shared talent pools, allowing people to work flexibly across local authorities.
✅ Live workforce dashboards, tracking regional skills gaps and emerging workforce needs.

2. A more adaptive, participatory workforce model

✅ Mission-based work structures, where people move across different projects and priorities.
✅ Cross-sector workforce strategies, allowing local government, business, and civil society to co-invest in skills development.
✅ Participatory HR, where staff shape workforce policies and wellbeing strategies.

3. A workforce designed for resilience and impact

✅ Wellbeing-first employment policies, ensuring public sector work is sustainable.
✅ Regional leadership pipelines, preparing the next generation of local government leaders.
✅ Experimenting with new employment models, from job-sharing to fractional employment.

🛠️ How Adur & Worthing Councils are leading this shift

At Adur & Worthing Councils, we are embedding a new way of thinking about workforce transformation:

🔹 We are embedding flexible and mission-driven team structures, ensuring that people can work across boundaries.

📢 Calls to action: let’s build the future of local government work

We need a radical rethink of how local government attracts, develops, and retains talent. That means:

✅ Creating cross-council, regional workforce ecosystems instead of fragmented HR teams.
✅ Building adaptive, mission-led workforce structures, instead of rigid job roles.
✅ Embedding flexibility, wellbeing, and participation into local government employment models.

💬 What’s next? Let’s start the conversation.

Is your local authority already testing new workforce models, mission-driven HR, or participatory employment strategies?