Reshaping local government is often described first in structural terms. Yet amid this evolution, one constant must remain at the core – people. It's the workforce, not the organisational structure, that ultimately sets the standards and shapes the culture for the future. Ensuring the organisation is safe, legal and well governed is, of course, essential. But in our focus on structures and processes, we may overlook the cultural foundations that enable success and people to thrive in a new environment.
New organisations often merge existing structures and inherited cultures, a combination that can be challenging to navigate and even harder to get right. The temptation is to focus on harmonising structures rather than examining capability, because they are tangible and feel easier to fix. Yet doing so risks missing a bigger opportunity and prompts a pivotal question. What skills and what types of people will enable change, build confidence and deliver success in the new organisation we are trying to create?
Leading through ambiguity
Operating in an ever-changing environment demands people who are comfortable with uncertainty. The early stages of any reorganisation are marked by competing pressures such as political expectations, public scrutiny, workforce anxiety and the need to maintain service continuity.
Leaders must make decisions with incomplete information, navigate tensions and maintain trust during periods of disruption. This often reshapes the leadership profile required. Emotional intelligence, systems thinking and the ability to communicate purpose clearly become just as critical as subject matter expertise.
Interim means more than just interim
A consistent theme we are seeing is the reliance on the interim and consultancy market to provide experienced leaders who can drive and sustain change. They bring immediate expertise without forming part of the long-term structure, leaving a legacy long after their support has moved on.
Too often, interims are viewed purely as short-term fixers. While they excel at stabilising high risk functions, designing operating models or leading complex transitions, the broader value they bring is sometimes underestimated. Interims play an influential role in setting expectations, modelling behaviours and shaping early cultural norms.
Used well, interim support can accelerate progress and reduce long-term risk. It must be purposeful with clear outcomes and defined timeframes, ensuring capability is transferred, not simply substituted. Interims are not just temporary leaders but catalysts for sustainable organisational growth and cultural definition
Common themes and emerging trends
The recent rise in fixed-term contracts (FTC) is frequently presented as a cost saving measure, an alternative to interim appointments that allows organisations to secure talent while reducing day rate expenditure. Sometimes however, this approach can unintentionally narrow an already limited talent pool. FTCs are less attractive to senior professionals at a stage in their career where traditional employee benefits hold little value, and the perceived risk of a time bound employment contract outweighs the reward. As a result, organisations may struggle to attract the calibre of individuals required for complex transformation.
A flexible solution is to utilise interims as strategic advisors on a time-focused or outcome-based arrangement which offers better value for money and greater agility. It enables organisations to access high level expertise exactly when it is needed, without committing to the rigidity or overheads of a FTC. Importantly, it aligns well with the nature of local government reorganisation and the formation of new bodies, where many opportunities are time sensitive and project focused.
Designing for the long term
An important question for any new authorities is not how quickly it can be created, but how well it's designed to evolve. The pressures facing local government such as financial constraint, demographic change and rising public expectations are not temporary conditions but long-term realities. Organisations must therefore be resilient, adaptable and built for continuous development.
Getting the right people and skills at the point of reorganisation is about more than just managing a transition. It's about shaping the culture that will steer decision making, encourage innovation and deliver public value for the future.
Structure and governance provide the scaffolding, but leadership capability, clear behavioural expectations and the right skills determine how an organisation performs and ultimately succeeds.
As local authorities prepare for the future, the opportunity is clear. Invest early in the right talent, use interim and advisory expertise purposefully and build cultures that embrace rather than resist. Those who get this right will not only navigate immediate challenges, but they will create an environment capable of thriving in whatever comes next.
Jason Wheatley is a Partner and George Agyemang and Matthew Jones are Associate Partners at Faerfield Interim
