Human Resources

We process thousands of employment transactions to ensure employees are paid what they are due, including expenses, salary sacrifice agreements and family absence payments. We also make sure that the council complies with the many statutory reporting requirements required by organisations such as HMRC, Public Sector pension schemes and courts.

We work closely with managers to support them with all aspects of people management, from sickness absence to disciplinaries and grievances, to restructures and TUPE transfers.

A small but hugely knowledgeable team, we keep an eye on HR policies and procedures to ensure that we’re up to date with legislative changes. We work on various project and initiatives like the Working Well, pensions liaison, equalities and employment statutory reporting requirements.

Possibly the most diverse team in HR&OD, we cover Learning and Development, including ICT Training, workforce planning, apprenticeships, Our People Strategy and the Young People’s Strategy.

Made up of the Recruitment team, Advertising team, Disclosure and Barring team and Temporary Labour team, we help managers to recruit the right people with the right skills at the right time. We also manage our careers social media platforms to promote the Council as a diverse, supportive local employer.

Oli Fletcher – System Apprenticeship Lead

I graduated from university in 2015 and moved back to Taunton. The council had lots of temporary jobs at the time and was known as a reputable employer. So I applied for a three-month administration contract. Now, four job titles and five years later … I’m still here. But I’ve come a really long way!

You hear about local government being all red tape and can’t do this, can’t do that. It’s not like that here. Generally, you’re encouraged to use your professional judgement to innovate rather than stick rigidly to rules or processes. I’ve been given opportunities to take on work that a more risk averse employer would not have let someone so early in their career take on.

Setting up our Apprenticeship Programme, sending groups of care leavers on residential courses to build skills, developing new degree apprenticeships, including Advanced Clinical Practice pathways, working across the NHS and the Council to write new qualifications for social prescribers. It’s fair to say that I’m getting all the intellectual challenges that I wanted.