How Croydon Council is partnering with the CIPD to rebuild trust, capability and strategic focus
Strategic support from the CIPD helps Croydon Council lay the groundwork for a more influential, data-driven people function.
Strategic support from the CIPD helps Croydon Council lay the groundwork for a more influential, data-driven people function.
Over the last six years, Croydon Council has faced significant financial and reputational challenges amid rising demand for public services and sector-wide underfunding. The organisation is now focused on its improvement journey, embarking on one of the biggest transformation programmes in local government.
Partnering with the CIPD was a crucial moment for the council’s HR team, providing critical insight, structure and support. Within a year, Croydon had reinvented its people strategy, launched plans to raise the profile of people metrics and become the first English council to achieve CIPD People Development Partner (PDP) status.
Croydon Council faces one of the toughest jobs in local government. Serving London’s most populous borough, the authority must create opportunities for business, employment and learning, while addressing deep-rooted challenges such as rising demand for housing, social care and public health.
In 2020, Croydon Council issued a Section 114 notice, triggered by a budget shortfall and increasing debt. Responding to these challenges had left the council struggling to meet the needs of its diverse residents. Chief People Officer Dean Shoesmith, who joined in 2021, described it as a ‘perfect storm’ of depleted resources and rising demand.
“The council’s workforce had been through years of underinvestment and ever-increasing workload. Our people were stretched close to breaking point.”
Employee engagement surveys and feedback showed low confidence in leadership and limited investment in personal and professional development. It was clear that Croydon couldn’t move forward without rebuilding trust, capability and strategic focus.
In 2022, the council launched a People and Cultural Transformation Strategy designed to make it a great place to work, where the culture reflects the diverse communities it serves. A key move was introducing strategic business partner roles to drive a proactive, future-focused approach to people practice.
“They recognised that the only way forward was to build the capability of the workforce they already had, starting with their HR and OD teams.”
Croydon’s people team turned to the CIPD in 2024 to help identify priorities for the people team’s professional development. Together, using the CIPD’s Development Insights Tool, we systematically reviewed learning needs across the function. This informed strategic conversations with leadership and enabled us to create a tailored HR development programme that’s fully aligned with the council’s priorities.
Successfully delivered to multiple cohorts, the programme has strengthened capability across the function and set the people team up for success as a strategic partner to support the council’s transformation. The second phase will focus on enhancing analytical skills and embedding evidence-based thinking across people teams.
“The CIPD’s insight was invaluable. It helped us take a step back and reflect and give our teams the tools they need to rise to the challenges ahead.”
Within a year, Croydon achieved CIPD People Development Partner (PDP) status. This recognises their ongoing commitment to working in partnership with the CIPD to align their investment in continuing professional development with the Profession Map. Dean and his team are aware of the challenges that still lie ahead, but PDP status gives them confidence that the CIPD has validated their approach.
The HR Business Partner development programme delivered measurable improvements in strategic capability, business partnering and evidence-based decision-making. More than 80% of participants reported increased confidence in engaging with senior leaders, and HR teams are now using data more effectively to drive decision-making. The programme also improved clarity around roles and responsibilities, reduced duplication and embedded a learning culture across the function.
By creating business partner roles and equipping individuals with tools to work and think more strategically, they’ve raised the standing and impact of the entire function. This will be crucial as they drive forward their long-term cultural transformation plans.
“We want to shine a light on good people practice and good, strong leadership – and that is what Croydon's got. Now it's about continuing that journey and momentum.”
Dean knows that the turnaround will take some time, but thanks to the interventions put in place, early progress is already visible. The council saw improvements across all nine indicators in its 2025 Investors in People survey, including employee engagement, change management and co-creation.
A new enterprise resource package (ERP) has also delivered £150,000 in savings and laid the foundations for more efficient, data-driven people practices. Using the provider’s artificial intelligence and robotic automation packages to simplify and automate parts of the recruitment process, for example. This has improved the experience for hiring managers, who can now find the information they need quickly and easily, and has freed up valuable resources in the people function.
Croydon Council’s people function is now focused on supporting the shift to a more data-led, forward-thinking organisation, with the CIPD continuing to provide expert guidance and support. Dean’s goal is to move to a place where his team can measure and quantify the impact of people practices as robustly as teams like finance can measure theirs.
While progress has been made, Croydon recognises that this is an ongoing journey and sustaining momentum will be key. Dean describes the CIPD as an invaluable strategic partner that provides clarity, an external perspective and alignment with globally recognised professional standards.
“It's good to feel your professional body is supporting the work you're doing. The CIPD has been an essential sounding board, helping us make evidence-based decisions and stay true to our goals.”