Council making plans to give ex-inmates from prison near Aylesbury and Hemel work at tips

PLANS are being developed that could encourage ex-offenders from HMP The Mount to take-up waste and recycling jobs with Hertfordshire County Council.

Vacancies in the council’s waste and recycling centres could be promoted to those preparing to leave the Catergory C prison, near Hemel Hempstead and Aylesbury.

And on Friday (October 6) the plans were highlighted to councillors by county council director of human resources Sally Hopper.

Ms Hopper pointed to the ‘huge stigma’ and ‘huge stereotype’ ex-offenders could face when trying to secure a job, after leaving prison.

And highlighting the plans to the council’s impact of scrutiny advisory committee, Ms Hopper pointed to the benefits – to potential employees and to the county council.

Ms Hopper was at the meeting to report on progress following a full-day scrutiny of staffing issues in March.

That scrutiny had looked at the council’s response to the current recruitment market, as well as recruitment and retention.

It had recommended steps including the further use of social media to attract a more diverse group of applicants, as well as ways to hold on to good quality candidates who had not been offered the role.

It also recommended that in order to address retention, the council looked at ways to develop staff progression, respond to staff needs and expectations and target a wider audience of potential workers.

And it recommended the council bring greater clarity to the ‘offer’ of the county council, compared to the wider public sector and to private enterprise.

At the meeting on Friday it was reported to councillors that social media platforms were used as a standard method of advertising vacancies and promoting the organisation as a ‘great place to work’.

Improvements, it was reported, meant candidates for administration and support roles could be considered for other positions, other than the one they had applied for.

And it was reported that activity to improve retention had cut turnover rates, from 15.1 per cent in January to 13 per cent in August.

Following the debate councillors agreed that work to address the scrutiny recommendations had been ‘completed’.