The curtains have drawn on Mark Lloyd's tenure as the chief executive of the Local Government Association (LGA), opening a fresh, yet uncertain chapter in the LGA's playbook. Political tides at the LGA have shifted with a resonance that could be felt from the corridors of Marsham Street to the far reaches of local council chambers.
Those close to the new Labour LGA chairman Cllr Shaun Davies and the fresh Conservative Group leader and LGA senior vice-chair Cllr Kevin Bentley saw a shared desire for a fresh start and beefier corporate leadership at the top. With the LGA's cross-party membership and constitutional requirement for such a consensus, the change was swift and decisive.
But how did we get here, and – crucially – what comes next for what has often been described as one of the most ‘sought after jobs in local government'?
The disquiet about the LGA's recent performance sprouts from both its operational approach and its standing with the Government, notably the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) and the Treasury.
Operationally, under Mark Lloyd's steady hand, the LGA had a firm structure, but the style seemed to many to be very driven by its corporate team. This, some argue, led to a scenario where the LGA's policy felt more like a corporate agenda rather than a member-led initiative.
On the Government relations front, the unveiling of the new Office for Local Government has been akin to a cold breeze sweeping through the LGA's corridors, with concerns bubbling up about the LGA's capacity to spearhead town hall improvements amidst a crunching budgetary environment. Local authority budgets have been particularly hard hit by the inflationary environment, which has struck council budgets from every angle.
Whether it is social care, building projects or running council operations, everything is more expensive. And, with the cap on council tax increases running well under the level of inflation, all councils are feeling the pinch. There is a nervousness that if the LGA doesn't show it can head off further high-profile council causalities exacerbated by this environment, and fast, then the Government will step in to do the job instead.
As the LGA embarks on this voyage of rediscovery, the quest for a new chief executive is nothing short of searching for a captain capable of navigating both the tumultuous governmental seas and the intricate channels of local government operations.
They will have to transform the current organisation to make it leaner and more in step with the emerging priorities of a very different looking LGA. In that sense, they will need to be someone happy to follow the guidance and direction of their political overlords.
But at the same time, the LGA needs someone who carries instant respect outside the organisation, and crucially in both Marsham Street and Whitehall. Perhaps a big hitter who, while without a local government background, is still able to be a quick read with the ability to know how to quickly get things done.
The fusion of a willingness to take instructions and the prowess to stand firm amidst the tempest of political and operational challenges is the concoction often hard to find.
But if the LGA is to steer through the turbulent waters ahead, it's precisely that calibre of captain it will need.
Cllr Phil Broadhead is the chairman of the Conservative Councillors' Association, LGA lead peer for the South West and LGA Conservative Group board member
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