Truth about Local Government

Stuart Reid is an expert in leadership coaching. His mandate is simple, he helps public sector chief executives overcome the isolation and vulnerability of their job, so they can lead with greater confidence and ease.In todays episode I asked Stuart:Do you think that in modern society, the role of Chief Executives in the public sector has got tougher?Why are leaders feeling isolated and vulnerable?Where did you idea originate from to start your coaching and leadership practise?What are your main tips to promote confidence and reduce vulnerability in leaders?Working for the audit committee did that give you a different perspective?When do you think of OFLOG – can they be impartial? OFLOG Interim Chair Lord Morse has said it won’t take the time in its findings, saying that councils are in distress due to central government’s action, but provide constructive advice and steps as to how to improve their situation. However, Committee Chair Clive Betts has said: “if you cannot lobby and express your own views in that way, how can you be truly independent?”If you are looking for executive coaching / leadership support add Stuart on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stuartreid/Thank you to Alliance Leisure for their continued support so that we can continue to bring value add content to our community.

Vivien Holland joined Local Partnerships in 2022 as a Project Director with a focus on commercialism in local government. She is an expert in trading companies and we talked through: Background – since the legislation changed in 2011 lots of companies have been set up – how they have helped address funding challenges and promote commercialityHow they have fared – some have been successful, others haven’tWhy some have gone wrongWhat can be done to guard against failure? Good governance and financial and risk managementLocal Partnerships toolkit and support to help LG avoid failure and promote good commercialism

Great to sit down with Colin Copus, Emeritus Professor of Local Politics, De Montfort University. Visiting Professor, Ghent University on this key topic. Are we on a one way track to bigger and bigger councils and is that a good thing?

George joined the South Yorkshire Pensions Authority as Director in February 2018 and as Head of Paid Service is responsible for the management of all aspects of the Authority’s activity which is concerned with the management of a £10.5bn Pension Fund with over 170,000 members. Previously he was Managing Director of Local Pensions Partnership’s pension administration business, having led the Lancashire County Pension Fund prior to the transfer of its staff to LPP as part of the creation of a joint venture with the London Pension Fund Authority. A fellow of CIPFA George’s previous career in local government finance involved roles as Deputy County Treasurer at Lancashire County Council, Executive Director of Resources at Rossendale BC and Director of Finance at Chorley BC preceded by roles at Northamptonshire CC and Oxfordshire CC where he did his CIPFA training. George also represents practitioners on the Local Government Pension Scheme Advisory Board for England and Wales and is a member of the Board’s Responsible Investment Advisory Group.Today we explored his accidental career as an accountant and pension fund manager; how LGPS funds are connected to places and how that relates to investment and what high performance looks like for a local government pension scheme.

Will Godfrey, Chief Executive of Bath and North East Somerset Council challenges leaders that opening up whilst you are a leader is incredibly powerful to you and your teams. We are all humans and it is an unhealthy perception that leaders don't experience difficulties in their careers. After Will's brother took his life in August of last year, Will has been on a journey to understand himself and to also bring to light this often undiscussed topic in leadership.

Ian Fytche is Chief Executive of North Kesteven District Council in Lincolnshire. Ian began his career in construction, focused on project and contract management.He spent 15 years working in sport, becoming director and chief operating officer of Sport England, where he led complex projects, including the redevelopment of Wembley Stadium and the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.Ian is Vice-Chair of the DCN Chief Executives Group and has facilitated delivery of DCN projects on health economics and pathways to net zero.Today he answered a key question, namely: How to maximise your place shaping potential as a district council. Our conversation had 5 key sections: 1. Starting points…what is place shaping?2. Navigating routes into place…what are key success factors in place leadership?3. Building on experience…examples of place leadership in North Kesteven?4. Stuff that gets in the way…barriers to place shaping?5. Imagining the future – the place of 2030…2040…2050…?

I sat down with IT leaders from the local government supply chain, Robin Denton – Microsoft - Director of their Local Government division; and Derek Wise - Chief Product and Technology Officer at Civica.A thank you to Fintan Hastings for facilitating this conversation and Robin and Derek for their authentic and honest views on the sector. Today's topic was: "how technology is transforming local government, how it can tackle some of the big challenges ahead."Our conversation was orientated around four key sections:In Part 1 we explored:Looking at the art of the possibleSometimes the solution for LG leaders is simpler than it might seem, such as leveraging existing technologies at their disposal (data, smartphones etc)Democratisation of digitalisationAs local authorities become more digitised, it’s vital that no citizens or communities are left behind or excludedHow can LG leaders harness the wealth of data they already hold to make sure this doesn’t happen?Could data sharing (across public services) be part of the solution here?In part 2, we explored:Getting to why?Rather than just looking to technology as the solution to different problems, we need to keep drilling down to the ‘why’?What are LA leaders trying to achieve: ease financial pressures? Support vulnerable people? Tackle inequality? How can technology be the enabler of those goals?Is the solution procuring new tech, or making smarter use of the tech they already have?Social valueThis is an increasingly important topic for LG leadersHow can digital technologies help make SV ambitions a reality? How can LG leaders make smarter use of the data they already hold to deliver real social value?

I sat down with IT leaders from the local government supply chain, Robin Denton – Microsoft - Director of their Local Government division; and Derek Wise - Chief Product and Technology Officer at Civica.A thank you to Fintan Hastings for facilitating this conversation and Robin and Derek for their authentic and honest views on the sector. Today's topic was: "how technology is transforming local government, how it can tackle some of the big challenges ahead."Our conversation was orientated around four key sections:In Part 1 we explored:Looking at the art of the possibleSometimes the solution for LG leaders is simpler than it might seem, such as leveraging existing technologies at their disposal (data, smartphones etc)Democratisation of digitalisationAs local authorities become more digitised, it’s vital that no citizens or communities are left behind or excludedHow can LG leaders harness the wealth of data they already hold to make sure this doesn’t happen?Could data sharing (across public services) be part of the solution here?In part 2, we explored:Getting to why?Rather than just looking to technology as the solution to different problems, we need to keep drilling down to the ‘why’?What are LA leaders trying to achieve: ease financial pressures? Support vulnerable people? Tackle inequality? How can technology be the enabler of those goals?Is the solution procuring new tech, or making smarter use of the tech they already have?Social valueThis is an increasingly important topic for LG leadersHow can digital technologies help make SV ambitions a reality? How can LG leaders make smarter use of the data they already hold to deliver real social value?

Sitting down with Trevor Holden, Managing Director, South Norfolk Council and Broadland District Council and Chair, District Councils' Network Chief Executives Group we discussed:- Where has local government and the District Council' Network (DCN). Although the context is different the challenges invariably remain the same, not enough money, recruitment, local government reform.- The role and future aspirations of the District Councils' Network, the purpose of the DCA to galvanise and empower the district councils network as a collective unit. Also, to help work on problems collectively that can be tailored them to individual nuisances on a local level.- Trevor's career journey into and then throughout local government and what he considers high performance to be in a local government Chief Executive.

Today we had IT leader, Mark Gannon on the TLG podcast to discuss "How intelligent automation can help councils to innovate, save time and money".Key points from our conversation:1. I think there are still too many services in councils not digitised end-to-end which leads to waste and failure demand. The tools and capabilities exist to do so what is stopping councils from doing this? Do senior leaders and politicians get digital?2. Most councils deliver similar services but there is still quite a bit of ‘we can’t do it like that as we are different / unique / special’. Can councils afford this approach anymore? There is great collaboration going on in some areas – how do we get more of this going? How do we encourage and sharing mindset in local government?3. Data is trapped in silos and councils are missing out on the ability to understand their areas, create new insights and drive service improvements and early intervention to reduce costs. What are the challenges preventing councils from unleashing their data? What role do suppliers have in supporting this? Is there a skills gap in this area?4. A lot of councils are still procuring for the non-digital age. Local government needs a radical overhaul of how it specifies and procures digital solutions and platforms. How can we make procurement quicker? How can ensure that those involved in procuring are aware of the latest developments in low-code, RPA, AI and IOT?5. Councils spend a lot of money responding to problems once they have happened instead of using AI, data and IOT tools to help prevent issues from occurring in the first place. How do we improve the ability of councils to undertake more early intervention and predictive analytics?6. Too many councils talk about improving digital services without really understanding good service design or involving their citizens in the design of those services. But a lot also spend too much time in the design phase and not the delivery phase. How can councils strike the right balance between pace of delivery and delivering the right things? Is there a role for developing internal consultants in councils to support transformation initiatives?7. Local authorities are spending far too much money maintaining legacy applications that are expensive and not particularly effective which lead to poor citizen and employee experiences. Why are vendors making it hard for councils to transform? How can vendors help councils to rationalise their IT estate and connect applications together without charging huge prices?https://www.netcall.com/industries/local-government/citizen-hub/

David Crowe - Project Director at Local Partnership LLP, has led on the creation of the CEO blueprint. The CEO Blueprint is intended to take council CEOs in England through a need-to-know, structured, risk aware and financially sustainable approach to developing commercial initiatives. The Blueprint covers 12 key considerations, from definition and strategy through to preventing failures and developing exit strategies

Throughout districts in England, there are areas of deprivation and a key responsibility of the local authority in that area is to construct a plan that provides a tangible plan as to how that deprivation can be tackled. With Chief Executive, Rose Rouse of Pendle Borough Council, we discussed how Pendle has successfully regenerated key sites within its district and provided advice as to how this can be replicated by other councils. Pendle is an area that has feasibility challenges of development and there approach has made difficult projects a success. What is also interesting is the creation of new super districts as a solution for future local government reorganisation; and the continued need for investment in both place and people to address deprivation. A thought provoking conversation.

.Throughout districts in England, there are areas of deprivation and a key responsibility of the local authority in that area is to construct a plan that provides a tangible plan as to how that deprivation can be tackled. With Chief Executive, Rose Rouse of Pendle Borough Council, we discussed how Pendle has successfully regenerated key sites within its district and provided advice as to how this can be replicated by other councils. Pendle is an area that has feasibility challenges of development and there approach has made difficult projects a success. What is also interesting is the creation of new super districts as a solution for future local government reorganisation; and the continued need for investment in both place and people to address deprivation. A thought provoking conversation.

.Abundance is a regulated crowdfunding platform that has developed the Community Municipal Investment (CMI). A CMI is an innoative and powerful new model for councils to raise money from residents and the general public as an alternative to the Public Works Loan Board. CMIs not only provide a competitive source of funding for capital and investment programmes, but also a route for strengthening the relationships between councils and the communities they serve. The model was launched in 2020 and is now being used by 9 councils including Telford & Wrekin, West Berkshire and Westminster City Council. It has been used to finance the delivery of environment and climate projects in the council's capital programme.

Philippa Horrocks was an instrumental part of the bidding team that secured Eurovision and was then the Special Projects Manager that helped deliver Eurovision. We talked through that experience and her journey through local government. Well done to Liverpool City Council and the Commissioners, who even when there were financial difficulties still embraced culture as a key aspect of Liverpool's identity.

Sara Cameron is the President of ACES (The Association of Chief Estates Surveyors and Property Managers in the Public Sector) and we talked through her journey to being President; the challenges facing property leaders and teams in local government and where innovation can provide solutions to the challenges property leaders are experiencing.

Thoroughly enjoyed sitting down with Deputy Leader Cllr Greg Marshall and Deputy Chief Executive Zulf Darr, at Broxtowe Borough Council to discuss the Beeston project. We explored the journey of this project, the hurdles that have been overcome, the legacy and impact the development has and what the future holds for place shaping in Beeston.This is a fantastic example of what local government can achieve, with ambition, governance and partnerships.

Today I sat down with Camilla Mankabady, Director of Communications at Liverpool City Council. Formerly Editor of the BBC, ITV and Euro News. Her move into local government was inspired by her passion for Liverpool. We explored that transition, the art of communication and fundamentally what makes Camilla tick is this thought provoking conversation.

A very insightful conversation with Alison Golding, Assistant Director of Workforce and Transformation at West Northamptonshire Council. We discussed what happens when you launch a brand new council, with on day one, 2700 staff. How do you build a new culture and employer brand from the ground up? For anyone going through culture transformations or are exploring their employer brand some useful tips in here from Alison.

You cannot help but be invigorated by the passion and energy with which Corporate Director at Partnerships LLP Julie McEver approaches change. We talked through her journey, the inevitability of change and how she is helping local authorities prepare for the inevitability of change.

Kath O'Dwyer - Chief Executive of St Helens Council, is a fantastic example of a leader who encourages a culture of transparency, innovation and delivery. We discussed:St Helens history and ambitionThe career opportunities local government offersThe challenges facing local governmentKath's journey and role with SolaceWhat high performance in local government means to Kath.

Kath O'Dwyer - Chief Executive of St Helens Council, is a fantastic example of a leader who encourages a culture of transparency, innovation and delivery. We discussed:St Helens history and ambitionThe career opportunities local government offersThe challenges facing local governmentKath's journey and role with SolaceWhat high performance in local government means to Kath.

What a way to start the 2024. Great to speak with Mike O'Donnell, local government finance expert. We discussed:Local government finance – reflections on past, present and future, s114s, future funding.LGPS and pooling.Responsible investment and climate risk.

Having worked for both local government, the NHS and now consultancy advising authorities Alex Mileman is an expert in the transformational change programs that add value to adult social care. It was very enjoyable to sit down with him to discuss this topic in more detail.All views from Alex are his own views.

Thoroughly enjoyed sitting down with Perry Holmes, Director of Legal and Governance at Wiltshire Council, to explore explore the benefits limited companies present to councils, both from an output and employment perspective.It is marvelous to see how the use of limited companies can help solve unmet needs within communities. Equally impressive is Perry's aspiration and desire to share the skills and knowledge with his network.

.Sally is the Director of Human Resources at Hertfordshire County Council where she leads on all aspects of people management for a diverse workforce of over 8,000 staff. During her time in this role her work was dominated in 2020/21 by supporting and deploying the workforce in response to Covid-19. In 2021/22 she led a review of pay and terms and conditions working with staff and unions to do so. This review reduced numerous job descriptions to bring about a transparent job families.In 2019 and 2022 she was recognised as one of HR Most Influential Public Sector by HR Magazine. Keen to keep on learning and contributing to knowledge and practice in recent years she has been undertaking her PhD and her research focusses on organisational change and the behaviours and ethical considerations that emerge for those caught up in the change. She is a Trustee of the London Playing Fields Foundation and a lifetime user and fan of Epping Forest and environmental issues, including recognising the importance of open/green spaces on mental health and wellbeing.Sally is working towards her PHD on Rethinking Organisational Change.This thesis explores her work as a Director of Human Resources in local government, public sector in the United Kingdom. It makes a contribution to knowledge and practice and to ongoing debates and thinking about organisational change and specifically concentrates on the behavioural considerations when organisational change is scripted and located in a system taking a priori approach.Over the past six years, Sally has been inquiring into narrative accounts of what she does as a researcher and practitioner as a means to understanding and reflecting upon the way organisational change is considered in knowledge and practice. Prior to undertaking her research she had led or contributed to a number of organisational change ideas and initiatives. Alongside her PhD she works full time and continues to lead or contribute to organisational change ideas, which rely on orthodox thinking, she has drawn on this experience in her narrative inquiries where she draws on knowledge and pays attention to her practical experience of managing organisational change. Throughout this experience, she became increasingly aware that organisational change initiatives tend to be scripted by those leading the idea and can fall short of what one set out to achieve, or be abandoned altogether.To enable her to rethink a reliance on orthodox thinking, this research relies on the perspective of Complex Responsive Processes. This perspective combines ideas from pragmatic philosophy, practice theory, group analysis, and the complexity sciences and provides different ways of thinking, reflecting upon, and understanding organisational change.This rethink has caused her to recognise the profound tendency in knowledge and practice to figure out to a plan, which includes a scripted narrative of key points one should make, as well as things one should avoid saying at all. The suggestion is that in knowledge and practice, rather than so much attention being paid to this approach, instead this pattern of behaviour continues.

Fantastic to sit down with Chief Executive, Sam Plum and Leader Cllr Jonathan Brook.We discussed the opportunity that comes with being a newly formed unitary. Developing a culture of compassion and communities that are self reliant. The council has significant place shaping ambition and it will be exciting to see the council progress over the coming years.

.Today with Co Presenter Amy Cox, we interviewed Nikki Davies, Chief Executive of Meeting Place, a nationally recognised expert in providing strategies to developers and property owners on how to communicate their projects and their social and environmental impact.We explored with Nikki:What her current role and remit was at Meeting Place?What has been her journey to get to be Managing Director?How she measures social impact?How do you achieve social impact through the built environment?What are the challenges in the sector?What are the opportunities in the sector?What does the future hold for place and these sort of initiatives?

Today we sat down with David Thompson, Assistant Director - Planning at North East Derbyshire District Council. We discussed issues around the supply of new planners joining the profession, embracing IT to find innovative ways to engage with the community and where David's passion for planning comes from.

It was fantastic to sit down with Paul Dossett, Partner and Head of Local Government at Grant Thornton discussing financial sustainability in local government at the present time.Paul answered the following questions:- What is the current picture of financial sustainability in local government?- While councils cannot go ‘bankrupt’, they instead issue section 114 notices and we have seen significantly more of these issued over the past couple of years. Are these section 114 notices the right answer to solving financial sustainability issues?- Commercial investments have increased in the sector over recent years. Why is this and what is the risk associated with these alternative investment approaches?- Demand is increasing across many services for councils, notably in adults and children’s services and homelessness – is the sector’s financial position sustainable enough to manage these increasing demand led pressures?- Good governance is key to good financial management of public funds. What constitutes good governance within a council?

It was fantastic to sit down with Alison McKenzie-Folan, Chief Executive of Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council. We discussed how on an ethos of kindness and compassion, coupled with innovation and continuous improvement has helped deliver the Wigan Deal and is driving through the New Era for Wigan. Alison is conscious that they build on the successes of the deal and learn from the mistakes. Wigan is definitely a council evolving and embracing the opportunities that exist to tackle the challenges they face.

It is an incredibly exciting time for the West Midlands Combined Authority, with the new settlement agreement that will streamline their ability to invest into projects that will have the greatest impact on the region over the next two years. Great to speak with Ed Cox, Executive Director for Strategy, Economy and Net Zero to understand the role of the Combined Authority, the aspirations the WMCA has and why he joined and continues to work for this important institution.

It was fantastic to sit down with Julia Smith, the Chief Executive of Blaby District Council to discuss her journey, the exciting things taking place in the Blaby District at the moment and the opportunities that exist for those who join the Council's leadership team.

Cllr Terry Richardson is first and foremost a fair man. His passion, authenticity and honesty over his nine years as leader, has helped shaped and progress Blaby. We discussed his journey into politics, the fantastic officers and senior leadership team that he works in partnership with and what the future holds for Blaby.

Great to speak with Adele Gritten, Chief Executive – Local Partnerships LLP.Today we explored the challenges that local authorities are facing and how Local Partnership LLP is supporting councils with their journey, to overcome these challenges with innovative solutions.

Great to sit down with Phil Mayall - MD of Muse Developments, to discuss development, partnership and the challenges facing the sector at the moment. What struck me in our recording was the authenticity and genuine care that Phil has for the partnerships he and Muse enter into and how as partners, the potential of developments can truly be realised.

Great to sit down with Jack Boyce - Director of the Midlands region for DevComms. They specialise in political and community stakeholder engagement in the built environment. A really fantastic ambassador of trust being the secret ingredient to successful developments.

.Today we sat down with Chris Brook - Director of Place and Enterprise at South Hams District Councils and West Devon Borough Council and we discussed the housing crisis, the consequences and the solutions to this systemic problem.

It was fantastic to sit down with James Trowsdale, Strategic Lead for Culture at North East Lincolnshire Council to discuss local government's role in enabling creative placemaking. Challenging creative energy, is so important and it was great to get into this today with James.

As the Procurement Bill makes its way through government, ahead of implementation in autumn 2024, our Managing Director Simon Hill will discuss how the upcoming Procurement Act will create positive change and unlock the potential of future public procurement. However, the sector must challenge, collaborate and communicate to truly maximise the benefit of the new Procurement Bill.

Andrew Booth is a highly experienced Head of Development and Regeneration, who has run his own architect business in France and now works for local government in the UK. He educated me on the French system and what we can learn from the French approach to development and regeneration.

Today we sat down with Paul Richards, who is the CEO of the Stockport Mayoral Development Corporation alongside being the Director of Development and Regeneration for Stockport Council and has previously been Property Director for Findel PLC, Homeform Group and Wine Cellar.He has extensive senior level experience of managing occupational property portfolios and capital transformation programmes and is a Chartered Surveyor.In his current role within the Council, he is responsible for the £1 billion investment into development and regeneration across the Borough, in addition to its culture and leisure team and economy, work and skills.

Great to sit down with Paula Claytonsmith - Chief Executive of the Local Council Roads Innovation Group. Today we explored:Why the Highways sector is the place to be – The Highways sector is going through arguably the biggest paradigm shift in 15 years. With AI, Quantum computing, innovations in materials, changes in thinking, and skills shortage the sector is one of the most exciting industries to be a part of whether you are an Engineer or not.Why culture, “bravery” and adaptability are key components of implementing innovation in local government highway servicesWhat are the biggest challenges affecting the sector?

Today we sat down with Arthur Charvonia, who has been the Chief Executive at Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils since January 2017. The council is first Green Party majority Council in the Northern Hemisphere and an 'elegant' Green, Independent, Liberal Democrat power sharing Council. Arthur is an exceptional leader and it was great to get his views on a number of key topics.

.Fantastic to sit down with Rosie Pearson - Corporate Director - Local Partnerships LLP discussing how collaboration is the critical component in driving positive outcome and efficiency in local government organisations.

Great to sit down with Andrew Ireland - Strategic Director of Investment at the London Borough at Newham to discuss Commercialisation in local government.Andrew's proposed centres of excellence, which councils can get advice from for free, is fantastic. This innovative solution would mean not every council is trying to reinvent the wheel. Instead, have experts who are passionate about social value, provide the solutions and councils can regionally focus on their implementation.

Great to talk to Aisling Khan former Strategic Director People and Communities (DCS and DASS)/Joint Deputy Chief Executive with the Council of the Isles of Scilly.Aisling talked through how partnerships and ED&I are critical components in local government care functions.

.It was great to sit down with Mark Fowler the Deputy Chief Executive, Corporate Director of Community Wellbeing of Luton Borough Council. We explored Mark's career, how Luton is continually evolving to improves outcomes for residents and his views on how on a national scale improvements can be made in the sector.

Today Nigel Wilcock, Executive Director of the Institute of Economic Development discussed:What, in a nutshell, is economic development?What role do Local Authorities play in economic development?Do all Local Authorities approach this in the same way?What happens if this work isn’t completed?Is this relevant to the lives of local residents?What are we likely to see after the next election?Booking is now open for the 2023 Institute of Economic Development Annual Conference and Awards Dinner, as the organisation’s 40th anniversary celebrations get into full swing.The IED Annual Conference, which will be held at the Park Regis Birmingham on 7th November, is themed Grow for Good? Reappraising the UK's Growth Objectives. Workshops and presentations will focus on related topics including Town Centres, Inclusive Growth, Skills and Fair Employment, Housing, Economic Regeneration and Health & Wellbeing. To find out more and book your place, visit the conference website here.

.Great to sit down with Nick Cummings, former Interim Head of Assets for Spelthorne Borough Council. We discussed how to maximise regeneration and development opportunities on commercial and residential developments and regeneration. A key aspect of this is the engagement of risk when partnering with the private sector.