I am conducting research into how Wokingham Borough Council has successfully balanced its budgets despite receiving the lowest per capita grants from central government. Your achievements in this area are commendable and serve as a model for effective local governance.
As part of this research, I am interested in understanding the council’s recruitment policies and workforce planning strategies, particularly concerning the prevalence of fixed-term contracts. I would appreciate it if you could provide information on the following:

1. Recruitment Policy:
o Does the council have a formal recruitment policy that outlines the criteria for offering fixed-term versus permanent contracts?
o What factors influence the decision to offer a fixed-term contract instead of a permanent position?

2. Workforce Planning:
o Is there a workforce planning strategy in place that guides the use of fixed-term contracts?
o How does workforce planning impact decisions regarding contract types?

3. Conversion of Fixed-Term to Permanent Positions:
o Under what circumstances are fixed-term contracts converted into permanent positions?
o Are there specific performance metrics, funding considerations, or policy guidelines that govern this process?

I am particularly interested in any documents, guidelines, or policies that detail these aspects of your recruitment and workforce planning processes.