Hundreds of staff have left Hampshire County Council over the past year as major internal changes and a service transfer reshaped the workforce.

New figures show that 2,481 employees left during the 2025/26, slightly more than the last year.

However, most of this is due to changes inside the council rather than people resigning.

The number of staff choosing to leave fell to 1,248, down from 1,862 the year before.

By contrast, the number leaving because of changes to how services are run rose to 1,233, compared with 531 the year before.

This was mainly because the council transferred its education catering service to another organisation, affecting more than 1,000 staff.

The council also saw more new staff leaving early. The proportion leaving within their first three months rose from five per cent to nine per cent, although this is also linked to the catering service change.

The council says it continues to face staffing pressures in some jobs and in parts of the county.

Cllr Andy Tree, cabinet member for corporate services, paid tribute to the council’s workforce, describing staff as “the backbone” of local services.

He said the increase in the number of people leaving was largely due to the transfer of the education catering service to an external provider and the council’s ongoing commitment to secure “best value for money” while “maintaining high-quality outcomes and managing financial pressures.”

He also welcomed more than 1,000 new employees who joined the authority during the year and said the council remained committed to supporting its workforce.