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There鈥檚 a lot of talk right now about local government devolution鈥攏ew powers, more funding (we hope), and decisions being made closer to the communities they affect. It鈥檚 a brilliant opportunity to do things differently. But as councils start gearing up for these changes, there鈥檚 one big question we should all be asking:

What about the people who are going to make it happen?

Does this sound like one of your meetings?

鈥淲e鈥檒l just build devolution into the workforce plan.鈥�

You try not to choke on your tea.

Because鈥攚hat workforce plan? Half the team鈥檚 off with stress, digital tools are gathering dust, and your leadership pipeline is basically a hope and a prayer.

There鈥檚 no denying it鈥攄evolution is exciting. More local power, more community focus, less red tape. But here鈥檚 the bit no one seems to be talking about鈥�

Who鈥檚 actually going to run all this?

We keep seeing headlines about deals and governance structures. What we鈥檙e not seeing is the conversation about the people. The staff. The managers. The HR teams. The ones who鈥檒l need to take these bold ambitions and somehow make them happen on the ground鈥攐n already tight budgets and overstretched services.

Big Responsibilities Are Coming鈥擱eady or Not
Devolution isn鈥檛 just about policy. It鈥檚 about delivery. Local government is about to take on some massive responsibilities鈥攈ealth, transport, housing, skills, economic growth. These aren鈥檛 just admin tweaks. They鈥檙e system-wide transformations.

And that means one thing: our people need to be ready.

So let鈥檚 ask the tough questions:

鉂揇o we actually have solid change management strategies?
Or are we relying on 鈥渢hey鈥檒l just get on with it like they always do鈥�?

鉂揂re we using tech like AI and automation properly?
Or are we still spending hours manually approving leave and logging sickness on clunky systems?

鉂揂re we mentally preparing people for the workload that鈥檚 coming?
Because burnout isn鈥檛 something we can afford to brush under the carpet.

鉂揇o we have the right training in place?
Not just one-off workshops鈥攂ut real, ongoing support to help people adapt, grow, and thrive.

鉂揂re our managers equipped to coach people through change?
Or are they just winging it with a smile and a spreadsheet?

Devolution Isn鈥檛 Just a Restructure鈥擨t鈥檚 a Cultural Shift
This isn鈥檛 about shuffling boxes on an org chart. It鈥檚 about shifting how we work, how we lead, and how we make decisions.

And if we don鈥檛 support people properly, the risk is clear: change fatigue, increased absence, talent loss, and whole teams quietly checking out.

We need leadership that can navigate ambiguity and work across systems. We need teams that can flex, collaborate, and adapt鈥攚ithout burning out. And we need OD, L&D and HR to be at the heart of this鈥攏ot treated like a bolt-on.

What Does 鈥淒evolution-Ready鈥� Look Like?
Here鈥檚 a more grounded view of what councils should be doing now to get ahead:

鉁� Strategic Workforce Planning
Real insight into your people, gaps, stretch points, and future capacity. What does your organisation actually need to deliver these powers well?

鉁� Leadership That Can Handle Uncertainty
Support your leaders to make decisions without all the answers. Confidence, collaboration and communication are the new superpowers.

鉁� Skills for Tomorrow
Focus on digital literacy, data capability, cross-sector partnership working. The stuff you鈥檒l need to deliver smarter, more agile services.

鉁� Coaching and Engagement
Don鈥檛 just 鈥渢ell鈥� people what鈥檚 changing. Coach them through it. Give them space to understand it, buy into it, and grow with it.

鉁� Wellbeing as a Strategy, Not a Perk
You can鈥檛 drive transformation on fumes. Make resilience, mental health and realistic workload management part of your core strategy鈥攏ot just something you stick on a poster during Mental Health Week.

The Honest Devolution Readiness Checklist
Give yourself a quiet five minutes and tick through this:

Have we mapped out what these new responsibilities really mean for roles and services?

Do we know where our biggest risks are in terms of skills gaps or leadership confidence?

Are our managers trained to lead through ambiguity and change?

Are we using the tech we have to reduce manual workload and admin burden?

Do we have a plan for engaging and supporting staff through the transition?

Have we built in wellbeing checks and burnout buffers?

If most of these are a 鈥渘ot really鈥� or 鈥渟ort of鈥濃�� we鈥檝e got work to do.

This Is About People鈥擭ot Just Policy
Let鈥檚 not kid ourselves鈥攍ocal government devolution is a people challenge wrapped in a policy opportunity. If we want it to succeed, we need to stop leaving workforce readiness as an afterthought.

At p3od, we work with councils who are starting to face into this. Some are getting ahead of the game. Some are in firefighting mode. All of them are asking the right questions.

If you鈥檙e ready to get practical鈥攔eally practical鈥攁bout preparing your people for what鈥檚 ahead, we鈥檙e here to help.

This isn鈥檛 about big shiny frameworks. It鈥檚 about real change, driven by people, grounded in trust, and backed by strategy.

So let鈥檚 stop pretending we can spreadsheet our way through this.

馃摡 hello@p3od.co.uk
馃寪 www.p3od.co.uk

Let鈥檚 get your workforce ready for the future you鈥檝e just been handed.