Newport Council agency staff use questioned

Local TV

Opposition in Newport City Council have made calls to change the council’s recruitment strategy by using less agency workers. The council spent £19 million on agency staff last year, with around half of that being spent in education.

Transcript

00:00Newport City Council's use of agency staff has come under fire with the opposition leader

00:06calling for a change to their current staffing system and more permanent hires instead.

00:12Figures show that £19 million was spent on agency workers last year, more than half of

00:16it in the city's schools.

00:18Conservative Group leader Councillor Matthew Evans says while temporary cover can sometimes

00:22be necessary, relying too heavily on agency workers risks damaging long-term services.

00:30He likened it to football teams relying too much on loan players, instead of building

00:33up homegrown talent.

00:35He argues that hiring permanent staff would allow the council to properly invest in training,

00:39improve stability and ultimately deliver better outcomes, particularly for children and education.

00:46Councillor Evans says you recruit the staff, you train them up and make sure they're looked

00:49after.

00:50If you fill the council with agency staff, they are here one day and gone the next.

00:55The council however insists that spending is both necessary and carefully managed.

00:59A spokesperson said agency workers are used to plug essential gaps, covering for sickness,

01:04parental leave or when staff move on to other jobs.

01:07They added that around half of the time spent in schools is expected and planned for in budgets,

01:13and that they will always seek the most cost-effective options.

01:15Council leader Dimitri Bartouni says new contracts have been introduced to improve efficiency, but

01:23the political row highlights an ongoing challenge for local government, balancing flexibility with

01:28the need for stability in public services.

01:31Councils across the country are being pushed further and further into funding problems, so

01:35whether their agency plan is adjusted or not, cost-cutting might be necessary in the very

01:40near future.

01:41James Peach Watkins, reporting for Local TV.

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