Update from Chief Executive Mark Wynn, 9 September 2025
Hello everyone,
I hope that you have had a chance to take some time off over the summer. It's so important that we take time away from work and recharge our batteries. If you didn't take some time off, I hope that you get to take some time soon.
This month
Looking ahead, our annual staff survey will launch on 29 September.
You can now view a summary of the changes made across services and directorates in response to last year’s feedback on the staff area of our website under the staff survey area: www.lancashire.gov.uk/staff
When the survey goes live, I’ll send an email with the link. Please make sure you complete it and encourage any staff you supervise or line manage to do the same.
We also have the launch of our staff suggestions scheme, more about that later in this newsletter and our new intranet.
Our annual Staff Excellence Awards have also opened for nominations today. It is a great opportunity for you to recognise someone for the great work that they do. We have refreshed the categories so why not take a look at the website.
Employee conference
Our employee conference is this Thursday 11 September, I will be joined by the leader, County Councillor Stephen Atkinson. It is a great way for you to hear directly from us about the challenges we face and direction of travel. If you can't make it in person, you can use the link below to watch the conference.
Watch the employee conference 11 September, 2pm – 4pm
You can also book a place to attend in person at County Hall using the link below:
There will be an opportunity for you to submit a question on the day or if you would prefer for the team to ask it on your behalf you can email it to internal.communications@lancashire.gov.uk.
2025/26 Quarter 1 Financial Monitoring Report
At the Cabinet meeting on 4 September, we agreed the Quarter 1 Financial Monitoring Report. We are currently forecasting an overspend of £27.9 million for this financial year, mainly due to pressures in Adult Social Care, Education, and Transport. Teams across the council are working hard to reduce this through a full efficiency review, identifying savings, and looking at where we can reduce our costs. Our shared goal is to bring the budget back into balance by the end of the year, and we will continue to monitor and report on progress.
A big part of this year’s financial picture is the SEND Recovery Plan. It is designed to clear the backlog of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and improve how we support children and young people with additional needs. The plan comes with significant costs, covering staffing, transport, and borrowing. Some of this is already included in our forecast, and further work is underway to refine the figures and manage the impact.
We have also updated our capital programme, which is our long-term investment plan for things like roads, school buildings, and care facilities. The revised programme is set at £261.5 million, with a forecast spend of £260.3 million. It is ambitious, but we are on track to deliver most of it. Alongside this, we are aiming to achieve £60 million in savings this year. At this stage, around £16 million of those savings are considered at risk. This means there is uncertainty about whether they will be delivered in full or on time, mainly due to the scale and complexity of some plans, particularly in Adult Social Care. Work is ongoing across all services to bring these savings back on track or find alternative ways to reduce costs and protect the council’s financial position.
You can read the full report on the council area of our website.
Corporate Performance Report – Quarter 1
Cabinet also agreed our Corporate Performance Report – Quarter 1. We’ve made good progress in a number of areas this quarter. More children with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) are now attending mainstream schools, and we’ve expanded SEND unit capacity to 276 places. Museum visitor numbers are up, and infrastructure projects like Grimsargh Bridge and Colne Town Centre are moving forward. We’ve also delivered improvements to digital services and continued to perform well in adult safeguarding and supporting independence.
At the same time, we’re facing some ongoing challenges. Admissions to residential care for older adults remain high, largely due to hospital discharge pressures and increasing complexity of need. Engagement with young people aged 16 and over who have EHCPs is lower than expected, and we don’t currently have council-run provision for learners aged 19 and over. The number of library visitors has dropped, affected by staffing shortages and building works.
You can read the full report on the council area of our website.
Saving Suggestions Scheme
In June, Cabinet approved a comprehensive review of our financial management, procurement and governance arrangements to enhance financial efficiency
This work will inform the budget-setting process and help identify efficiencies that strengthen our value for money approach. You can read the full Cabinet report on our website.
This efficiency review is a key part of our commitment to being a future-ready council. It brings together a range of initiatives designed to improve how we use public money. These include a review of how we procure and commission goods and services, deliver our existing savings plans and the way we identify new opportunities to reduce costs and improve outcomes.
To support this work, we’re launching a new saving suggestion scheme to give you the opportunity to share ideas that you believe could help us work more efficiently, reduce spend or improve services. Your experiences are a valuable tool in identifying ways to save money and streamline processes. You can submit your suggestions on the intranet and the staff area of our website www.lancashire.gov.uk/staff. Each idea submitted will be reviewed and assessed by senior leaders for feasibility and impact.
We’ll regularly share examples of successful ideas so you can see how your contributions are helping shape a council that is future ready.
Opening the doors
Last year we opened County Hall for Heritage Open Days, and it was a big hit. Lots of staff and former colleagues came along, and many said they’d never had the chance to visit the building before or learn about its history and architecture.
This year, we’re opening Christ Church Chapel from 5:15pm on 16 September. Then on 20 September, County Hall, Christ Church Chapel, and Lancashire Archives will all be open to visitors from 10am – 4pm. If you or someone you know is interested there is more information on our website.
The talks and tours need to be booked in advance, but you are also welcome to just drop in and see the spaces, look at original building plans or talk to people from local history organisations. The Chapel was especially popular last year, so it’s worth booking early if you’d like to go.
New look Intranet
You'll know that we’ve been working on a new SharePoint intranet to make it easier for you to find the information you need.
Earlier this year, we asked for your ideas on a new name. The overwhelming response was to keep it simple, with most people wanting to keep it named the 'Intranet'. I'd like to thank you all for this feedback and can confirm we'll not be changing the name.
The new site is designed to be clear, accessible and easy to use, so you can find trusted information quickly.
We'll be launching the new site in phases over the next few months. This is so that you can familiarise yourself with SharePoint before the full site goes live towards the end of the year. The first area to go live will be the Communications section and we'll keep you updated through Staff News on when this will be available.
If you're currently an intranet content editor, you’ll be contacted to receive SharePoint training before your section goes live.
Shortlisted
Our Music Service has been shortlisted for Classic FM’s Best Music Learning Initiative 2026.
Voting is open to the public until 11:59pm on Sunday 14 September.
If you’d like to vote for us, click the link below and select Lancashire Accessible Instrument and Technology Library from the list.
Amazing
I want to end this newsletter by recognising some outstanding colleagues.
I was proud to read about Robert Iddon and Andrew Williams, Highways Chargehands at our Caton Depot. While out on duty, they came to the aid of an elderly member of the public who had fallen.
They called an ambulance and stayed with him for over two hours, helping to keep him calm. They also bought blankets and an umbrella from a nearby shop to keep him warm and dry.
Their kindness and compassion made a real difference. I’m sure he and his family were incredibly grateful for the care he received.
Have a great week everyone.
Mark