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Â鶹ÊÓƵ has agreed a three-year people strategy to shape how the authority attracts, retains, and develops its workforce to meet organisational needs both now and in the future.

The Council's People Strategy acknowledges the critical role that its workforce plays in every aspect of service design and delivery.

It sets out five themes and actions for the next three years which will fully support the 20-year Vision, Ambitions, Strategy and quest for continuous improvement and transformational change.

The council wants to attract and retain diverse talent to ensure it has the right capabilities right across the authority, and that all employees have career development routes alongside opportunities to flourish in their role and be confident to bring their authentic selves to work.

Cllr Joanne Bell, Lead Member for Governance, Finance and Corporate Services said: "Our people are our greatest asset and developing an effective, well thought out and inclusive People Strategy ensures our employees are at the heart of everything we do.

"We know that sectors right across the country face recruitment and retention issues and the council is not immune to market forces. We have extremely important public services to deliver that people rely on day in day out, so it is vital that we have a strong and supported workforce to support our communities.

"We can only deliver on our ambitions by enabling our people to be the best they can be, guided by our 'PROUD' values and behaviours."

The strategy focuses on five themes to meet that strategic aim to build an inclusive and supportive culture to:

'Attract, recruit and retain talented and motivated people who embody the Council's values and behaviours to deliver core services and its ambitious programme of transformation'.

The five themes are:

•       Inspirational Leadership

•       Attraction and Recruitment

•       Engagement and Retention

•       Positive Employee Experience

•       Modernising People Services

The strategy acknowledges that all employees and members have a shared responsibility in shaping the Council's culture.

The Council has undergone a significant period of change over recent years, changing how it works to deliver on the borough's ambitions. Its 'Values' set out the things that are most important in terms of how it works and acts. Council officers and Elected Members are Professional, Respectful, Open and honest, Understanding and engaging, and Deliver what they say they will. These PROUD values are embedded into the heart of the workplace's culture to guide what they do in supporting communities right across South Tyneside through a wide range of public services.