Succession planning

• What is succession planning?
• Why should councils be doing succession planning?
• Sharing good practice
• Contact details

What is succession planning?

Succession planning is typically defined as "a process by which one or more successors are identified for key posts (or groups of similar key posts), and career moves and/or development activities are planned for these successors". In other words, succession planning is about preparing organisations for likely or inevitable changes now, in order to minimise challenges later.

Why should councils be doing succession planning?

With over 30 per cent of the local government workforce due to retire in the next 10-15 years, councils need to identify successors for key roles. Another driving issue is the trend towards flatter organisational structures. This means fewer employees are gaining the strategic skills needed for senior positions, so the competition for such candidates is likely to remain fierce.

Sharing good practice

Use the Workforce Matters community of practice (CoP) to share good practice, experiences and ideas on succession planning with colleagues. All relevant succession planning documents and discussions are listed under the succession planning theme. You might also find the workforce planning theme of interest.

Join the Workforce Matters CoP – registration required

Contact details

For more information, contact Kathryn Kelly, Senior Consultant – Talent and Skills
email: kathryn.kelly@local.gov.uk