Report of the Managing Director of Work with York Limited

Annex A

 

Shareholder Committee Oct 25

 

 Performance Update

 

1. Delivering Shareholder Value

Shareholder value is typically delivered in a number of ways including through non-tangible benefits. Work with York Limited now delivers shareholder value to the Council through:

 

·        Employment opportunities for local residents at all levels - though most roles are temporary, this fits with other staff commitments and many agency staff stay registered over many years enabling them to move between assignments.

 

·        WwY temporary staff who have experience of Council systems and processes and are often suitable applicants for contractual vacancies within Council, and transfer fees are fixed for the duration of the current contract.

 

·        A cost-effective recruitment service which supports the Council in the efficient and effective delivery of its services to the residents of York, provides the Council with resilience and supports the Council in meeting its financial challenges.

 

·        The ability to respond quickly to the Council’s changing operational and staffing needs and priorities. WwY recruitment staff advise Council managers on market conditions and payrates to enable appropriate authorisation for new roles and to maximise the chance of securing suitable candidates.

 

·        The experienced WwY recruitment team have both Council and specific sector knowledge enabling them to match candidate skills to temporary Council roles.

 

·        The provision of Interim and Specialist staff in a wide range of professional and technical disciplines to support CYC’s strategic plans, projects and objectives.

 

·        Support by Work with York Limited with hard-to-fill permanent roles, with headhunting, direct candidate sourcing and full recruitment campaign options available. Source information reporting enables return on investment considerations for future recruitment. Very competitive permanent fees are fixed for the current contract.

 

·        Management by Work with York Limited of all second-tier agency staff suppliers, ensuring a high level of compliance, standardisation of contract terms and charges and a significant cost saving on transfer fees.

 

·        Training for WwY staff completed on the Council’s training portal Mylo, ensuring consistency with permanent staff. Renewals/training updates are managed by the WwY recruitment and compliance teams.

 

·        A weekly in-house payroll run for temporary staff (not using an umbrella payroll company). The online timesheet system (available on a mobile app or accessible from Council computer desktops) so timesheet hours logging for staff and authorisation by CYC managers is simple.

 

·        Though candidates are paid weekly, the Council is invoiced monthly. Charge  rates are agreed annually and are competitive and all-inclusive of pay, employer’s NI, employer’s pension, holiday pay, apprenticeship levy, payroll and timesheet costs and agency fees.

 

·        An ethical approach demonstrated by this in-house payroll (ensuring high levels of compliance and avoiding candidate deductions for umbrella costs), in addition and in line with Council commitments WwY pays all staff at Living Wage Foundation rates or above.

 

·        Work with York Limited provides both its temporary workforce with access to an Employee Assistance Scheme and Occupational Health support where needed – both purchased from the Council’s service supplier.

 

·        As Work with York Limited is Living Wage employers for all temporary staff, the Company is looking to obtain Living Wage Accredited Status and Good Business Charter Accreditation.

 

·        Work with York Limited took a loan in April 2025 from City of York Trading Ltd to cover initial overhead and payroll costs, and pays interest payments to CYT monthly.

 

·        When profits allow, Shareholder dividends will be paid by Work with York Limited to the Council.

 

 

 

 

2. Update on current performance

 

WwY currently has 156 mainly 5-star Google Reviews with some really excellent feedback from candidates placed in work since April 2025:-

 

“Andrew Parkes helped me secure work as a visitor assistant at Mansion House. Very friendly and patient with any queries I had about the process and job. He also made great effort to keep me updated and guide me through each stage of the process. Definitely worth getting in touch if you're looking for a job!”

 

“I have been very impressed by the expeditious way that Andrew Parkes at WorkwithYork has processed my application to become a Road Safety Instructor with City of York Council. The onboarding process was very straight forward and clearly explained. No query was left unanswered and the reception staff were equally welcoming and helpful. Thank you.”

 

“Andrew Parkes has worked tirelessly this week to secure my start date for employment. The ladies in the office were equally wonderful to deal with. Couldn’t recommend this company highly enough. I thought giving them 3 days to complete paperwork was a touch unrealistic but they smashed it in less than 2 days! Thank you all for your hard work and dedication.”

 

“After experiencing lots of setbacks while looking for work I tried Work With York Recruitment Agency, and I'm glad I did! Both Steve Horne and Andrew Parkes were fast and reliable in finding work that suited my needs. Would highly recommend to anyone struggling to find work!”

 

“Recently contacted WorkwithYork . I can confidently say I am very impressed with the level of professionalism , excellent communication and high level of respect. Kathryn James is one of a kind, she made everything flow. I would definitely recommend family and friends”

 

Since April 2025, 20 WwY staff have transferred to permanent roles in the Council

 

Over 63,500 hours have been covered by WwY staff working in the Council since the beginning of the current financial year, with over 100 new temporary bookings filled, along with almost 2500 shifts (mainly in Adult Social Care).

 

Over summer 2025, 15 existing WwY staff working in Adult Social Care each completed 14 new training courses, some at very short notice.

 

In June, WwY ran a refreshed campaign for an Assistant Director of Housing, with advertising across Municipal Journal and Local Government Jobs, The Guardian Online, Linkedin and a bespoke Council microsite with video content, along with a headhunting exercise. Interviews were held on 10th July with a shortlist of four.  The WwY manager assisted with organisation on the day including welcoming candidates and facilitating panels interviews at West Offices. Successful and unanimous appointment and excellent feedback received from candidates and Council Director.

 

To date, Work with York Limited is ahead of planned budgeted income for the year.

 

 

3. Looking forward

The Company is looking carefully at the likely effects of the Employment Rights Bill currently going through Parliament, especially in relation to temporary Council assignments, and is closely following APSCo’s reports and guidance.

 

WorkwithYork Limited are reviewing KPI’s to enable continuous improvement of  management, Board, customer and Shareholder reporting.