Challenges around recruitment, retention and access to talent aren't new to councils. But with the pandemic compounding issues, councils in the West Midlands came together and asked West Midlands Employers (WME) to explore opportunities to create their own West Midlands Agency that they could influence, direct and control.

So, WME looked into options to help overcome some of the recruitment challenges that our 32 council members in the region face. We started out by conducting some research, speaking to council leaders and temporary workers themselves, to understand some of the existing challenges.