This is the corporate health data for quarter 2, 2025 to 2026.
Summary of people
Recruitment and retention
At the end of the quarter, the recruitment success rate (vacant positions that were filled in the period) was 71.5%, not including a small number of positions where the outcome is still to be confirmed. This is a decrease compared to 73.8% during quarter 1.
At the end of September, 89.4% of staff who were in council employment 12 months ago remained in employment. This is a slight decrease from 90.1% at the end of quarter 1.
Just over 3 in 4 staff (75.2%) have been with the council for 2 years or more as of the end of September. This is comparable to 75.3% at the end of quarter 1.
Staff voluntary turnover
The result reported at each quarter end is the average turnover over the previous 12 months. For example, the result at the end of quarter 2 2025 to 2026 is the average turnover between October 2024 and September 2025.
| Department | Quarter 1 | Quarter 2 | 2024 to 2025 average |
|---|---|---|---|
| People | 9.8% | 11.0% | 9.5% |
| Communities | 5.7% | 6.2% | 4.8% |
| Place | 11.6% | 10.1% | 12.0% |
| Resources | 6.7% | 4.7% | 5.8% |
| Total (non schools) | 8.9% | 9.6% | 8.9% |
| Comparator data | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Total voluntary turnover for Bracknell Forest Council, 2024 to 2025 | 8.9% |
| Unitary authorities (using median figures for headcount and leavers) 2023 to 2024 | 12.6% |
Source: Infinistats 2024 (for available authorities only).
Staff sickness: days per employee
| Quarter 1 2025/26 | Quarter 2 2025/26 | Last year quarterly average | 2025/26 Estimated annual average | 2024/25 Annual average | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| People | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 9.2 | 8.7 |
| Communities | 1.3 | 1.8 | 1.7 | 6.2 | 6.3 |
| Place | 1.6 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 5.4 | 5.3 |
| Resources | 2.4 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 8.6 | 8.6 |
| Total (non schools) | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 7.9 | 7.8 |
| Comparator data | All employees, average days sickness absence per employee |
|---|---|
| Bracknell Forest Council (excluding schools) 2024/25 | 7.8 |
| Unitary authorities 2023/24 (median figure) | 9.5 |
Source: Infinistats 2024 (for available authorities only).
People
No change at 2.28 days lost per employee compared to last quarter (2.28 days).
Children’s Social Care saw a decrease in absence this quarter. Commissioning however saw a significant increase in absence rates, with just over double the number of days lost recorded.
Stress, depression and anxiety1 is the reported reason for the majority of days lost in the period, accounting for just over 1 in 3 days (35.7%) lost.
This is very similar to 37% of days lost during quarter 1. In terms of separate reported instances of sickness during the period (of varying length in days), stress accounted for 15%.
Communities
Increased by 40 % to 1.77 days lost per employee compared to last quarter (1.3 days).
The number of days lost has increased by over 39% this quarter, Contract Services and Digital, Customer Focus and ICT saw the biggest increases in absence in quarter 2. Stress, depression and anxiety was the reason for the most days absence this quarter accounting for over a quarter (29%) of the days lost, and relating to 6 instances (12% last quarter).
Cold, cough and flu was the most common reason for absence instances this quarter with more than 1 in 5 recorded periods (23.2%).
Place
Decreased by 28.8% to 1.13 days lost per employee compared to last quarter (1.58 days).
There was a decrease in absence for most areas within the directorate this quarter. Most days lost in the period were recorded against heart and blood, accounting for 26.7% of the absence. Cold, cough and flu accounted for the most periods of absence this quarter at just over 24%.
Resources
Decreased by 21.8% to 1.85 days lost per employee compared to last quarter (2.45 days).
The area that saw the biggest decrease in absence was Finance and Business Services who recorded 33% less days in quarter 2 than quarter 1.
- 1
The HR team continues to support managers with absences due to stress. The team have recently launched a new approach to achievement and development reviews that includes the My Wellbeing Passport: a personalised, practical resource supporting check-in conversations, helping to identify what maintains wellness at work for staff.
People
Decreased from 56% in quarter 1 to 52% in quarter 2.
There were 29 members of staff off long-term during the quarter compared to 32 last quarter, however only about a third of these (9) were still absent at the end of September 2025.
Communities
Increased from 49.7% in quarter 1 to 60.1% in quarter 2.
Long-term sickness increased this quarter; there was also an increase in the number of staff recording. There were 7 members of staff off long-term, compared to less than 5 last quarter. Less than 5 remained off at end of September.
Place
Decreased from 56.3% in quarter 1 to 51.5% in quarter 2.
Long-term sickness equates to a slightly lower proportion of the absence this quarter, the number of cases has decreased to less than 5 and fewer than 5 remained off sick at end of September 2025.
Resources
Decreased from 76.3% in quarter 1 to 69.9% in quarter 2.
There were less than 5 members of staff on long-term sick during the quarter and remaining absent at the end of September 2025.
People
Reduced from 31% in quarter 1 to 29% in quarter 2.
Communities
Increased significantly, from 18.8% in quarter 1 to 26.5% in quarter 2.
Contract Services, Digital, customer Focus and ICT and Communities and Policy had the highest proportion of staff absent in the quarter with all services reporting just over 1 in 4 staff recording absence (28%).
Place
Increased from 19.6% in quarter 1 to 20.1% in quarter 2.
Resources
Decreased from 27.3% in quarter 1 to 23.6% in quarter 2.
People
Slightly lower compared to same time last year. Total absence during quarter 2 was 2.28 days, compared to 2.32 days in quarter 2 2024 to 2025.
Communities
Slightly higher compared to same time last year. Total absence during quarter 2 was 1.77 days compared to 1.58 days in quarter 2 2024 to 2025.
Place
Lower compared to same time last year. Total absence during quarter 2 was 1.13 days compared to 1.34 days in quarter 2 2024 to 2025.
Resources
Slightly lower compared to same time last year. Total absence during quarter 2 was 1.85 days compared to 1.89 days in quarter 2 2024 to 2025.
People
Slightly higher compared to same time last year. Excluding long-term sickness, employees took an average of 1.09 days during quarter 2, compared to 1.02 days in quarter 2 2024 to 2025.
Communities
Lower compared to same time last year. Excluding long-term sickness, employees took an average of 0.71 days during quarter 2 compared to 0.87 days in quarter 2 2024 to 2025.
Place
Lower compared to same time last year. Excluding long-term sickness, employees took an average of 0.55 days during quarter 2 compared to 0.87 days in quarter 2 2024 to 2025.
Resources
Lower compared to same time last year. Excluding long-term sickness, employees took an average of 0.55 days during quarter 2 compared to 0.65 days in quarter 2 2024 to 2025.
Summary of complaints
During 2024 to 2025, the corporate complaints process was revised to a 2-stage process, reduced from 3 stages.
The children’s statutory complaints process still includes a third stage. In line with good practice, the quarterly average from the last 12 months is included in the charts for comparison.
There were no discrimination, harassment or victimisation (DVH) complaints recorded in the quarter.
Adult Services
The number of S1 cases received by Adult Services in quarter 2 is significantly lower than the 12-month rolling quarterly average (4 vs. 11). Three LGSO cases were received, higher than the 12-month rolling quarterly average (1) but in line with quarter 1 (3).
| Type of complaint | Quarter 1 | Quarter 2 | Quarterly average last 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statutory | 10 | 4 | 11 |
| Local Government Ombudsman and Social Care Ombudsman | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Outcome of complaint | At quarter 2 |
|---|---|
| Upheld | 1 |
| Partially upheld | 5 |
| Not upheld | 7 |
| No finding | 2 |
Children's Services
During quarter 2 the total number of SS1 and S1 cases received by Children’s Services was higher than the 12-month rolling quarterly average (21 compared to 16). Volumes across SS2 and S2 were also higher than the average (7 compared to 3).
| Type of complaint | Quarter 1 | Quarter 2 | Quarterly average last 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statutory stage 1 | 7 | 6 | 8 |
| Statutory stage 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Statutory stage 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Stage 1 | 6 | 15 | 8 |
| Stage 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
| Local Government Ombudsman and Social Care Ombudsman | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Outcome of complaint | At quarter 2 |
|---|---|
| Upheld | 4 |
| Partially upheld | 11 |
| Not upheld | 18 |
Early Help and Communities
During quarter 2 the number of S1 cases received by Early Help and Communities is significantly higher than the 12-month rolling quarterly average (13 compared to 8). S2 and LGSCO escalations were lower than previous periods.
| Type of complaint | Quarter 1 | Quarter 2 | Quarterly average last 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 | 6 | 13 | 8 |
| Stage 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Local Government Ombudsman and Social Care Ombudsman | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Outcome of complaint | At quarter 2 |
|---|---|
| Upheld | 2 |
| Partially upheld | 2 |
| Not upheld | 18 |
Education and learning
During quarter 2, the number of S1 cases received by Education and Learning is significantly lower than the 12-month rolling average (11 compared to 23). Volumes across S2 and LGSCO were comparable.
| Type of complaint | Quarter 1 | Quarter 2 | Quarterly average last 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 | 23 | 11 | 23 |
| Stage 2 | 8 | 5 | 7 |
| Local Government Ombudsman and Social Care Ombudsman | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Outcome of complaint | At quarter 2 |
|---|---|
| Upheld | 19 |
| Partially upheld | 13 |
| Not upheld | 16 |
Communities
Communities received 11 S1 cases during quarter 2, significantly higher than the rolling 12-month average (6). 3 cases were escalated to S2 and 3 to LGSC0 which is higher than average (1).
| Type of complaint | Quarter 1 | Quarter 2 | Quarterly average last 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 | 7 | 11 | 6 |
| Stage 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Local Government Ombudsman and Social Care Ombudsman | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Outcome of complaint | At quarter 2 |
|---|---|
| Upheld | 3 |
| Partially upheld | 7 |
| Not upheld | 10 |
Resources
During quarter 2, Resources received 7 S1 cases, slightly lower than the 12-month rolling average of 9. No other cases were received.
| Type of complaint | Quarter 1 | Quarter 2 | Quarterly average last 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 | 10 | 7 | 9 |
| Stage 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Local Government Ombudsman and Social Care Ombudsman | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Outcome of complaint | At quarter 2 |
|---|---|
| Upheld | 1 |
| Partially upheld | 2 |
| Not upheld | 14 |
Place
During quarter 2, the number of S1 cases received by Place is significantly higher than the rolling 12-month average (12 compared to 7). Cases at S2 and LGSCO are comparable.
| Type of complaint | Quarter 1 | Quarter 2 | Quarterly average last 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 | 6 | 12 | 7 |
| Stage 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Local Government Ombudsman and Social Care Ombudsman | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Outcome of complaint | At quarter 2 |
|---|---|
| Upheld | 5 |
| Partially upheld | 2 |
| Not upheld | 14 |
Learning from complaints
The process to report on volumes, learning points and remedies for complaints across the council is being developed following the launch of the new complaints management system in March 2025.
Improvements in reporting will be reviewed and developed over a period of time, making sure we move towards a fully integrated system in a sustainable way that aligns with the project framework of continuous improvement.
Complaint outcomes: council wide, all stages
At the end of quarter 2 2025 to 26, 175 complaints had concluded across all complaint stages and all council services.
Of these complaints:
- 55% were not upheld (97 complaints)
- 24% were partially upheld (42 complaints)
- 20% were upheld (35 complaints)
- 2 closed as ‘No finding’ (1%)
This compares with 57% not upheld, 26% partially upheld and 16% upheld across all complaint stages and all council services over rolling 12-months (October 2024 to September 2025).
Quarter 2 result for 2025 to 2026.
Complaint outcomes: by area, all stages
Quarter 2 result for 2025 to 2026.
The year to date outcomes for all complaints across each service were as follows:
Education and learning:
- 13 partially upheld complaints (27%)
- 19 upheld complaints (40%)
- 16 complaints not upheld (33%)
Adults’ social care:
- 6 (38%) partially upheld complaints
- 1 upheld complaint (6%)
- 7 complaints not upheld (44%)
- 2 (12%) complaints where no finding was made
Communities:
- 7 partially upheld complaints (35%)
- 3 upheld complaint (15%)
- 10 complaints not upheld (50%)
Children’s social care:
- 11 partially upheld complaints (33%)
- 4 upheld complaints (12%)
- 18 complaints not upheld (55%)
Place
- 2 partially upheld complaints (10%)
- 5 upheld complaint (24%)
- 14 complaints not upheld (67%)
Resources:
- 2 partially upheld complaints (12%)
- 1 upheld complaint (6%)
- 14 complaints not upheld (82%)
Early help and communities
- 2 partially upheld complaints (9%)
- 2 upheld complaint (9%)
- 18 complaints not upheld (82%)
In quarter 2, the upheld and partially upheld complaints were mostly related to overall quality of service (33% of upheld and partially upheld cases) and timeliness (30% of upheld and partially upheld cases).
The detailed learning of each complaint is very varied and the broad categories do not, in themselves, highlight broad issues. Services have looked at the detailed learning from each complaint to take relevant actions.
Examples of learning and improvement actions as a result of upheld or partially upheld complaints in this quarter included in the table below.
There were no upheld or partially upheld complaints about adults’ social care in quarter 2 so the service does not appear in the table.
| Area | Complaint | Outcome | Learning | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Education and learning | The council was made aware that Occupational Therapy (OT) provision had not been implemented by the school. This meant that the child/young person had not received the OT provision for 5 months. Parent had notified the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Team, but the provision was still not in place, as of June 2025. | Upheld | Recognised there was a delay in receiving the OT provision detailed in Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP) because of the incorrect version of the EHCP being followed by the school. Despite the correct EHCP being issued to the school, following the tribunal, the school had reverted to a prior version which did not include the OT provision. Though the SEND Team were unaware that this was the case until parent contacted the service, they did not resolve the situation at a reasonable pace. Though parent had requested a personal budget for the provision, it was clear that the personal budget process was not clear to the Special Educational Needs (SEN) officer, and they required further training which then caused delays in the process. | Personal budget process has been addressed within training in the SEND team in September 2025 and ongoingly through team meetings. In additional through 1:1 supervisions and case discussions. The process has been clearly mapped out in SEND Team training resources and are available for SEN Officers to access at any time. |
| Communities | Officer was abrupt and unhelpful in a telephone call. | Upheld | Opportunity for further training. | Line manager discussed improvement areas with individual. |
| Children's social care | Social work assessment did not fully reflect parental strengths. | Partially upheld | Training and development needed for Social Worker. | Social Worker to receive support and training around assessments. |
| Place | Speed of response to a tree preservation order application | Upheld | Complex cases may require additional steps to be determined which have the potential to cause delay. Where an application deviates from the normal determination process, it needs additional focus to ensure the application returns to the standard path as quickly as possible. | Reminder issued to staff that any complex research or decision-making steps should be completed as quickly as possible, so the application returns to the standard processes promptly. |
| Resources | Officer was unhelpful during a telephone call and did not provide the usual level of service | Upheld | Opportunity for further training. | Officer reviewed the phone call with their manager to identify areas for improvement. |
| Early help and communities | Delay in carrying out housing banding review following the implementation of the revised housing allocation policy. | Upheld | The policy change resulted in a high volume of review requests which meant the council was unable to meet the 56-day timeframe to conclude this review. | Recruiting temporary staff to reduce the backlog of applications to ensure reviews are completed within the 56-day period. |
Strategic risks and audits
The Strategic Risk Register was reviewed by Strategic Risk Management Group (SRMG) and Corporate Management Team on 14 August and 3 September 2025 respectively. The latest Strategic Risk Register was presented to Governance and Audit Committee on 17 September 2025 where it was agreed subject to a few amendments. The following actions were agreed at these meetings:
- to increase the Finance risk tolerance level,
- to reduce the climate change risk, reflecting the investment made in this area and progress made on the Climate Change Action Score Card
- to remove the local economy resilience risk from the Strategic Risk Register and de-escalate to the Place register
- to revisit the Safety Valve risk to consider how this could best be reflected in the Strategic Risk Register
Progress against the internal audit plan was also reported to the Governance and Audit Committee. Details on all audit recommendations are included in the Internal Audit Update to the Governance and Audit Committee on 17 September 2025.