Hello,

I hope you're able to take some time over the summer months to rest and recharge. As always, the work of the council does not stop due to the (sometimes)very warm weather.  

Looking back at June, there has been a lot to celebrate. We attended the Royal Lancashire Show, received recognition at the LGC Awards, were named among the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers, received Employer Partner of the Year recognition and launched our new website.

We also received the government’s decision on local government reorganisation in Lancashire.

Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)

As you will know, the Government has confirmed that it wants local government in Lancashire to be reorganised, with four new unitary councils replacing the current county and district council arrangements.

This is a big change for Lancashire, and I know it will raise questions about what happens next, how decisions will be made and what it means for our services, our communities and for you.

We are still at an early stage of the process, and there is a lot of work to do before the new arrangements are in place. We will continue to work closely with partners across Lancashire as more detail becomes available, including details about timescales, governance arrangements and how services will continue to be delivered during the transition.

While we do not yet have all the answers, as I have said before, I am committed to making sure you receive information about the new unitary councils, and what this means for roles, as soon as the details become available.

Today is the final Local Government Reorganisation question and answer session in this current round of staff briefings. It will be held at County Hall from 10am to 12noon. If you would like to join online, you can use the link below:

Link to Local Government Reorganisation question and answer session.

A recording of today's session will also be published on staff news next week.

Staff panel

In June I attended our staff panel meeting in Burnley. It was great to see so many of you in person and to have the opportunity for an open question-and-answer session.

The Staff Panel brings together colleagues from across the council to share their experiences of working here and discuss issues directly with senior leaders. Members are nominated by their heads of service, helping us hear a broad mix of views and experiences from across the organisation.

The panel continues to be an important way for us to listen to colleagues and understand what is working well, where things could be improved and how decisions and changes are being experienced in different roles, teams and locations.

During the meeting, Laura Chippendale gave a presentation on performance engagement. She highlighted the importance of regular, meaningful conversations between managers and their teams. These conversations help people feel supported, informed and involved. You can find the performance and engagement guidance on the People Services section of the intranet.

We also heard from Stephanie Johnson about recruitment. She shared the scale of recruitment activity across the council, with around 200 vacancies live in any given week and more than 2,000 managers involved in recruiting.

Thank you to everyone who took part and shared their views. I really value the honesty of these conversations, and they help us keep listening and learning as an organisation.

And yes Abbie I have watched the video !!!!

Silver at the LGC Awards

We’ve been awarded silver at the LGC Award ceremony for our work delivering meaningful digital impact, recognising the outcomes of our council‑wide Gen AI (Generative Artificial Intelligence) initiative.

Over the past year, Digital Services has led this work in collaboration with colleagues across Children’s Services, Adult Social Care, Education, SEND and corporate teams. Together, we have introduced Microsoft 365 Copilot into day-to-day work for more than 1,400 colleagues. This is helping to reduce time spent on routine tasks, improve the quality of documentation and create more time to support residents. Early results show faster processes, improved quality and better experiences for both our staff and the people who use our services. Well done to everyone involved!

The award also reflects how this work has been delivered. We have taken a practical and innovative approach, designing and testing AI tools alongside the staff who use them every day. This has been supported by strong governance, responsible AI standards and close collaboration with Microsoft. The work is already delivering measurable improvements across frontline and support services and demonstrates how we are using digital tools safely and effectively to improve outcomes for Lancashire’s communities.

The awards ceremony took place in June 2026 in London. Thank you to everyone involved in achieving this recognition.

Employer Partner of the Year recognition

Congratulations to John Simpson and our Children's Residential Service, who has been recognised as Employer Partner of the Year for their work with Nelson and Colne College and Lancashire Adult Learning.

This is a great example of partnership working making a real difference. Through the North West Regional Improvement Plan Pilot, the service has strengthened recruitment, created more opportunities for young people in our care and supported new colleagues entering the workforce. Well done to everyone involved.

Have a great rest of the week.

Mark