These are very challenging times for local government. Massive funding cuts are meeting with growing demand to place council budgets under unprecedented strain. This has demanded significant change and put the workforce under severe pressure. This period of tight budgets is set to continue for a number of years.
But there have been some shining examples of where local authorities have managed to meet these challenges.
In this article, Professor John Oliver explains how – through focusing on employee engagement – Lancashire County Council have managed both to exceed their savings target, protect their services and maintain staff morale.
Their innovative approach came to be known as the ‘Lancashire Way’ is focused on shifting to a more engaging form of management in the organisation and ensuring that staff are involved in decision-making and in developing solutions to the challenges they face.
The success of Lancashire County Council in meeting the challenges they faced demonstrates the potential of employee engagement to deliver more efficient and more effective services in the public sector.