Truth about Local Government

Truth about Local Government

di Matt Masters

Building an employer brand and culture from scratch ft. Alison Golding

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.

The only constant is change. Ft Julie McEver

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.

St Helens, a council where ambition, innovation and delivery exists. Part 2.

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 ambition The career opportunities local government offers The challenges facing local government Kath's journey and role with Solace What high performance in local government means to Kath.

St Helens, a council where ambition, innovation and delivery exists. Part 1.

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 ambition The career opportunities local government offers The challenges facing local government Kath's journey and role with Solace What high performance in local government means to Kath.

Local government finances, pensions and future investment with climate risk with Mike O'Donnell

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.

Exploring transformation within adult social care with Alex Mileman.

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.

Unlocking potential with LTD companies FT Perry Holmes.

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.

Rethinking organisational change with Sally Hopper MSc, FCIPD, FRSA

.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.

The ambition at Westmorland and Furness Council FT Sam Plum and Cllr Jonathan Brook

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.

A deep dive into social impact in the built environment with Nikki Davies

.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?

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