Truth about Local Government

Transport infrastructure doesn’t just move people, it moves markets, investment, and ambition. In this episode of Tracks to Transformation, Matt sits down with John Plumridge, former Director of Estates & Facilities at Birmingham City University, to explore how transport and regeneration work together to unlock the economic potential of a place.John shares the inside story of STEAMhouse, one of the UK’s most significant university‑led regeneration projects, and explains how a neglected corner of Birmingham was transformed into a thriving innovation ecosystem. He reflects on the strategic decisions behind the business case, the funding model, and the collaborative design that brought academia, students, entrepreneurs, and global businesses into one shared space.The conversation then widens to the regional picture: the catalytic role of HS2, the power of transport connectivity in reshaping investment patterns, and the way major infrastructure projects can shift the economic gravity of a city. We explore how STEAMhouse has become a magnet for inward investment, including Cisco’s expansion into the STEAMhouse Innovation Centre and what this signals about the West Midlands’ growing innovation economy.At its core, this episode is about how places change: how infrastructure unlocks opportunity, how regeneration builds confidence, and how collaboration between universities, businesses, and public sector partners can create the conditions for long-term economic growth.

This episode of The Truth About Local Government captures a pivotal moment in the evolution of public sector workforce leadership. Ben Dixon, Head of Workforce Solutions, is joined by Matt Masters, the newly appointed Head of Executive Workforce Solutions at OPUS People Solutions, for a candid and energising conversation about purpose, alignment and the future of talent in local government.Matt reflects on the personal and professional journey that led him to OPUS and the wider Vertas Group, including the importance of finding an environment where his strengths as a neurodivergent leader with ADHD and OCD are understood, supported and amplified. He speaks openly about why OPUS stood out: the integrity of its leadership, the depth of technical expertise across the Group’s Managing Directors, and the rare blend of operational insight and strategic workforce capability that he believes the sector urgently needs.Together, Ben and Matt explore the challenges facing councils today, from leadership capacity to workforce resilience, and why this moment represents a turning point for how the sector attracts, develops and retains senior talent. Matt shares his vision for building agile, high‑performing executive teams and explains why values alignment is not a “nice to have” but the foundation for meaningful, sustainable change.This episode offers a hopeful, grounded look at what becomes possible when purpose, capability and culture align, and why Matt sees his move to OPUS as the moment that matters for both his own leadership journey and the future of workforce design in local government.

In this episode, Matthew Masters sits down with Rowan Cole (COALFACE®) and Professor Amelia Hadfield (Centre for Britain and Europe, University of Surrey) to unpack the launch of the Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) Initiative, a new national partnership designed to reshape the future of local government in England.Matt opens the conversation by exploring why the LGR Initiative has emerged now, at a moment when councils face unprecedented financial pressure, public trust is strained, and the sector is searching for a credible path forward. Rowan and Amelia outline how COALFACE® and CBE have joined forces to lead a 100‑day programme combining research, public engagement, and policy development.Together, they walk listeners through the initiative’s core aims:capturing public and sector insight through two major surveysconvening workshops with councillors, officers, residents, and community groupsproducing a 100‑Day Playbook, Engagement Toolkit, and a White Paperculminating in a national launch event at the University of SurreyMatt guides the discussion toward the unique partnership model, highlighting contributions from E.C.F., Commonplace, and Truth About Local Government. Rowan and Amelia explain how this coalition blends academic rigour, sector expertise, and large‑scale public engagement to create a genuinely evidence‑based roadmap for renewal.The episode also breaks down the key milestones, including the coordinated launch on 24 February 2026, the first wave of surveys, and the workshops scheduled throughout March and April. Rowan and Amelia share what success looks like: a more informed national conversation, practical tools for councils, and a renewed narrative about the value and purpose of local government.The conversation closes with a call to action, inviting councillors, officers, residents, and organisations to take part in shaping the future of local government through the LGR Initiative.

In this episode, Matt speaks with David Bainbridge‑Zafar, General Manager of Operations at Gore District Council, New Zealand, about the rising challenge of sovereign citizen ideology in small communities.Gore’s population of 14,000 means the impact is deeply personal: the individuals rejecting government authority aren’t anonymous, they’re neighbours, former colleagues, and long‑standing community members. Their refusal to recognise the legitimacy of councils, police, or the courts has led to unpaid rates, protracted legal battles, and escalating operational costs that ultimately fall on other residents.David unpacks the operational strain, the legal complexities, and the emotional toll on staff and the wider community. Together, they explore what this movement reveals about trust, authority, and resilience in local government, and what councils elsewhere can learn from Gore’s experience.

“Risk, Creativity and Collaboration: Rethinking Urban Infrastructure with CIVIC” dives into how engineering can become a catalyst for better, more human‑centred places. Matt Masters sits down with Stephen O’Malley, Chief Executive of CIVIC, to explore how their philosophy of “civility from civil engineering” challenges long‑held conventions in the built environment.In just 20 minutes, Stephen unpacks why intelligent risk‑taking matters, how creativity emerges when disciplines fuse rather than compete, and what true collaboration looks like when public and private partners share purpose rather than process. The conversation cuts through technical jargon to focus on what really counts: designing towns and cities that enhance quality of life, respect the natural environment, and work with, not against, the geography and character of a place.This episode offers a sharp, practical look at how the public sector can rethink infrastructure delivery to unlock better outcomes for communities.

For years, the national housing debate has been dominated by one metric: quantity. How many homes can we build, how quickly, and at what scale. But that fixation on numbers has pushed a more fundamental question into the background, are the homes we build, manage, and retrofit actually good for people’s health?In this episode, Matt Masters is joined by Faye Sanders, Doctoral Researcher in Housing and Health, and Co‑Chair of both the Healthy Homes Research Network and the Housing Studies Association. Together, they explore why housing quality is a public health issue, how poor‑quality homes drive avoidable costs for providers and the NHS, and what it really takes to build cross‑sector partnerships that improve outcomes for residents.Faye brings insights from her research, examples of effective collaborations between housing and health, and reflections on how the sector can shift its mindset, from “how many” to “how well.”

Too many people step into elected office without a clear understanding of what the councillor role really involves, the workload, the emotional labour, the strategic responsibility, and the sheer breadth of services they’ll be accountable for.In this episode Matt sits down with sector leader, trainer, mentor, and long‑serving Kingston councillor Liz Green to explore her 3S model, Stewardship, Strategy, and Support, and why councils should start induction before someone even becomes a councillor.Together they unpack what early preparation could look like, how to set realistic expectations for candidates, and why better‑supported councillors lead to better outcomes for residents. This is a must‑listen for officers, political groups, prospective candidates, and anyone who cares about strengthening local democracy.

In this episode, the conversation centres on how RPNA is helping councils move beyond traditional transformation pitfalls to deliver better outcomes for residents. Ashley Roper introduces RPNA’s Digital Foundations, a strategic assessment tool designed to help local authorities understand their readiness for change and identify the most impactful areas for intervention. The SA3 process was recently piloted with the London Borough of Bexley, where Chief Executive Paul Thorogood shares his reflections on its value and impact.RPNA’s approach is grounded in the belief that transformation must be outcome-led, not technology-led. The SA3 process begins with a baseline assessment across three dimensions: strategic alignment, organisational capability, and operational readiness. This diagnostic helps councils pinpoint gaps in their transformation plans and develop a roadmap that is both ambitious and achievable. According to RPNA, councils often underestimate the importance of internal capability and over-rely on external solutions, leading to fragile programmes that struggle to embed change.Paul Thorogood, appointed Chief Executive of Bexley in 2023, describes how the SA3 process helped his leadership team clarify priorities amidst financial pressures and rising demand. Bexley’s Medium Term Financial Strategy outlines a significant funding gap, with transformation now central to bridging it. The council has launched five major programmes Customer Experience, Children’s Services, Commercial, Culture, and Corporate Core each designed to improve outcomes while maintaining service quality.Thorogood notes that RPNA’s independent assessment provided “critical friend” insight, helping Bexley avoid common pitfalls such as overambitious timelines, underdeveloped governance, and poor staff engagement. The SA3 process also supported Bexley’s commitment to co-production, ensuring that transformation is shaped by those who deliver and use services.Ashley Roper emphasises that RPNA’s work is not about delivering transformation for councils, but enabling them to own and sustain it. Their methodology, TEN96, includes tools for programme design, diagnostics, and interim leadership support. RPNA’s ethos is to empower brilliant people to break free from legacy constraints and embrace modern, flexible ways of working.

Matt Masters sits down with Tim Oliver, Leader of Surrey County Council, for an in‑depth conversation about Surrey’s transformation journey and what it means to lead one of the country’s most complex local government systems. With Surrey often viewed as the first major test case for large‑scale reorganisation, Tim reflects on the pressures, opportunities, and leadership choices shaping the council’s future. This episode offers a candid look at decision‑making, system change, and the realities of steering a county through uncertainty, ambition, and national attention.

Nottinghamshire County Council has become one of the sector’s standout examples of what a modern, strategic corporate landlord approach can achieve. In this episode, Matt Masters sits down with Wayne Bexton, Director of Economy, Environment and Assets, to unpack how Nottinghamshire has reshaped its estate, accelerated disposals, unlocked capital receipts, and used regeneration as a lever for long‑term place impact.Wayne shares the thinking behind their model, the practical steps that made the biggest difference, and the cultural and organisational shifts required to make it stick. From governance to data, from political alignment to community outcomes, this conversation offers a grounded, honest look at what it really takes to deliver a corporate landlord approach that works.Perfect for Directors of Place, Heads of Property, Section 151 Officers, and anyone navigating the complexity of estate transformation in local government.

Care in the UK is at a breaking point. With 70% of local authority budgets consumed by care services, rising costs, and profits flowing to private equity and tax havens, the system is failing the people it’s meant to serve. New research from the Centre for Local Economic Strategies, Centre for Thriving Places, Cooperatives UK and the New Economics Foundation reveals that in just three regions, private care providers extracted £256 million in profit over three years, while care workers, disproportionately women and those from global majority backgrounds are often paid below the Real Living Wage.In this episode, Matt Masters speaks with Rosie Maguire, Policy and Programme Manager at the Centre for Thriving Places. Rosie has spent the last 15 years helping organisations use evidence to shape strategy, research, and learning. She works with civil society and the public sector to identify goals, priorities, and how insights can inform better decisions. Together, they explore why care has become a commodity, how this extraction undermines communities, and what a fair, community-focused alternative looks like.

In this episode, we tackle a critical but often overlooked aspect of change management in local government: the human element. We’re joined once again by Kevan Collier, Strategic Learning and Organisational Development Lead at North West Employers, to explore how senior leadership teams can better understand the behavioural dynamics that make or break change programmes.We discuss why technical plans and project timelines aren’t enough, and how neglecting the emotional, psychological, and cultural dimensions of change can lead to resistance, burnout, and failure. Kevan shares practical insights on how to help leadership teams see the bigger picture and how to embed behavioural thinking into the heart of transformation efforts.

Surrey is about to become the national test case for the government’s latest wave of local government reform, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. With two new unitary authorities on the horizon, concerns are growing that statutory pressures and inherited financial challenges could push community services, local assets, and neighbourhood-level engagement to the margins.In this episode, we explore Strong, Vibrant Communities, a new report from the Surrey Association of Local Councils (SALC), which argues that town and parish councils must play a far greater role in the transition. Drawing on lessons from Cornwall’s successful double‑devolution model, SALC is calling for a Devolution Board, clear frameworks for asset and service transfers, and a programme to establish new local councils in currently unparished areas.We’re joined by Deborah Sherry, SALC Chair and a councillor at Woldingham Parish Council. With a fascinating blend of private‑sector leadership and public‑sector experience, Deborah brings a unique perspective on what genuine localism looks like, and what Surrey risks losing if it gets this moment wrong. Together, we unpack the opportunities, the risks, and the practical steps needed to ensure residents continue to live in strong, vibrant communities throughout and beyond LGR.