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What is the impact of local government reorganisation (LGR) on staff in terms of the challenges this presents and the opportunities it offers, and how can we address these?A council's staff is perhaps the most important resource it has. Staff are essentially the engine room of the council – the professionals who implement the decisions taken by councillors, manage day-to-day operations and provide expert advice.I often describe Stroud DC's staff as a well-oiled machine, particularly when I see the whole council pulling together brilliantly to deliver an election or face into a crisis. Like any engine or machine, staff need looking after and investing in if they are to perform at their best.I appreciate that staff are happiest and most productive when they have a clear picture of where the council is going and why: its vision and values (in terms of what we are here to do and how we like to work together to achieve our aims), the understanding of their role in that, and the feeling of empowerment and support in their work. Staff like certainty.LGR has created uncertainty. Like most county and district councils who aren't part of the Devolution Priority Programme and aren't in Surrey, we are waiting for the Government to decide which of our LGR proposals we will be required to implement. We're expecting that to be this summer, with elections in May 2027 and vesting day for the new councils on 1 April 2028. In the meantime, I can't answer staff questions about what LGR means for their jobs, who they will be working for and where they will be working.Having invested a huge amount in our staff coming out of the Covid pandemic and achieved a settled council with an enviable culture, we are beginning to see the impact of that uncertainty. Some staff have left us for neighbouring unitary councils, parish councils or private sector roles, although our annual turnover isn't anything out of the ordinary at around 10% per year, and – almost surprisingly for a council with no future of its own – we are not yet experiencing much difficulty in recruitment directly attributable to LGR.What we have noticed is an uptick in sickness absence and grievances since the Devolution White Paper was published in December 2024. The increases in sickness absence are not dramatic, but they are part of a persistent trend indicating fewer short, minor absences and increasing longer-term and recurrent absences. The biggest driver of sickness absence at the council post-pandemic has been mental health, as it is across the public sector.Over my seven years at the council, we have taken a deliberate and evidence-led approach to understanding and supporting staff wellbeing. Through regular staff engagement and pulse surveys, we take the temperature of the organisation. We have invested significantly in staff wellbeing including by supporting staff groups and events, funding craft, mindfulness and financial wellbeing workshops, celebrating success and diversity and providing free access to individual counselling and support through our Employee Assistance Programme.Importantly, we have made a sustained investment in developing our managers' capability to support wellbeing and mental health in the workplace, which is now firmly embedded in our culture. Employees consistently report that they feel supported, listened to and confident that their wellbeing genuinely matters in everyday practice.We have set aside budget to put in place a learning programme for 2026-27, offering a variety of upskilling opportunities for staff in digital, management, presentation and project management as well as mental health, resilience and change readiness training, and a second year is being planned to take us up to vesting day.We are doing more to understand and address both the challenges and the opportunities that LGR presents for staff at both Stroud DC and as part of our countywide LGR implementation work with the county council and five other districts across Gloucestershire. The latter concentrates on being ready for implementation without knowing exactly what it is we will be required to implement.The countywide people and culture work programme, of which I am the sponsor, goes beyond the intended outcome of getting right the nuts and bolts of staff transfer to new council(s). It has established regular countywide staff ‘pulse' surveys to understand how our 6,470 staff are feeling, reinforcing strong links to the communications and engagement work programme. Fortnightly newsletters are augmented by all-staff briefings at each council and FAQs on our intranet to provide consistent information from a trusted source.At Stroud DC, we have a personal development approach that centres on individuals' growth, performance and success (GPS). Recognising that many staff are excited about the significant opportunities that LGR presents, while others are worried, we recently carried out a learning and development needs staff survey. LGR readiness is firmly on the agenda at staff monthly one-to-ones with line managers.We have set aside budget to put in place a learning programme for 2026-27, offering a variety of upskilling opportunities for staff in digital, management, presentation and project management as well as mental health, resilience and change readiness training, and a second year is being planned to take us up to vesting day.The countywide people and culture work programme is looking to do that at scale, and beyond vesting day, as well as develop leadership and change programmes for staff. A specific project on ‘employee experience and wellbeing' is being scoped.Essentially, we are seeking to provide some certainty and support to staff to help them prepare for LGR in an uncertain world, and we'll only know how successful we have been once the new councils are up and running.Kathy O'Leary is chief executive of Stroud DC

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Getting staff LGR-ready

By Kathy O'Leary | 06 May 2026

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