Councils warned of growing skills shortages

Local authorities could be facing a 'demographic timebomb' if they do not take swift action to address skills shortages, a new study has found.

The Audit Commission report warned of serious deficits in qualified staff in key areas such as adult care and environmental health and found that only a quarter of English councils have adequate workforce strategies in place, Personnel Today reports.

This problem is likely to get worse, it said, as a third of council employees are aged 50 and over and they are struggling to recruit young people and professionals with the appropriate skills.

To tackle the problem, local authorities should take a long-term view of workforce planning, the report recommended.

Steve Bundred, Audit Commission Chief Executive, urged bosses to 'follow the lead of the best councils and act now to defuse this demographic timebomb.'

Failure to do this could result in 'serious repercussions for services,' he added.

This seems to be a trend across a number of sectors at the moment, with leaders in IT and teaching also recently warning of growing skills shortages in their industries.