Governance. Rules, structures, processes, transparency, accountability, and compliance. But what happens when we focus too much on governance as a standalone concept and not enough on what truly makes it work? After all, culture eats everything for breakfast, right?
If the culture of an organisation does not support and reinforce good governance, then the most detailed constitution and the most robust procedures in the world are meaningless. The report in March from the Committee on Standards in Public Life suggested that a common characteristic of bodies responsible for a major failure is an overly defensive organisational culture. Addressing early warning signs, and creating a culture to speak up about concerns, as well as learning from mistakes need to be valued by everyone in the organisation, it is, after all, the personal duty to the taxpayer to get things right.
But where does the responsibility fall? Asif Ibrahim, director of legal services at Manchester City Council, talked to me recently about the weight of the ‘golden triangle', and how sometimes this can impact when the culture of the triangle isn't in the right place and can have a ripple effect in the organisation. He said: ‘The weight of the golden triangle will always prevail. It is a question of how well the weight of this triangle works and this is a question of structure and people. The structure of this triangle does work, but only when the right people are in each corner.'
The golden triangle is critical in living and breathing good governance within local authorities, but governance is everyone's business. It is a way of life and is threaded through the seven Nolan Principles. By not living it, we're just paying lip service to it.
The uncomfortable truth for monitoring officers
The golden triangle, specifically the monitoring officer (MO), is clearly under stress, but throw in recruitment and retention challenges and we have the perfect storm. Compounding issues such as lower pay than some of it's counterparts, increased exposure to personal and organisational scrutiny, the lack of a professional body, not being at the top table and reporting to (in most cases) the section 151 officer, balancing reduced finances through commercial ventures, as well as managing the conduct and standards of members – is it any wonder that we are seeing a shortage of talent in the MO space?
Recent statistics show that only 9% of MOs have 10 or more years' experience in the role, and a staggering 40% have been in post for less than three years. This number is set to increase as we head into local government reorganisation (LGR).
Councils are asking for experienced candidates, but the available talent pool sits in the step-up space. The expectation that every candidate must already have held a top governance role is unrealistic. We simply have to invest in the development of future leaders before the shortage becomes a crisis. Lawyers in Local Government (LLG), and the Association of Democratic Services Officers (ADSO) are doing vital work in building talent pipelines such as the INSPIRE programme. Existing MOs are actively developing their deputy monitoring officers and talent further down the structure, and if they aren't doing so, they need to act fast!
Deborah Evans, chief executive from LLG said: ‘LLG had witnessed the role and responsibilities of monitoring officers morphing and evolving over recent years, so developed a formal training programme to give both aspiring and existing monitoring officers the structured training and skills required to step up to do the job. Delivered in collaboration with the Local Government Association, Solace and Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy on their equivalent statutory officer and leadership development programmes, the aim is to produce strong golden triangles with a clear understanding of best practice in local authority governance in practice in an ever-changing environment.'
LGR: The ultimate governance test?
And then, of course, we have LGR. Have we really thought about what this means for governance on this scale? And are we truly prepared for large unitaries? Are our people ready for the change?
Creating new authorities isn't just about streamlining services – it's about aligning cultures, talent, and governance approaches in a way that enhances accountability rather than diluting it.
Charlotte Eisenhart, chief executive of ADSO, said: ‘LGR presents a historic challenge for local governance. Democratic services and governance teams will be focused on creating systems that ensure the new authorities are built on strong and resilient foundations while also supporting openness, transparency, and effective engagement with both councillors and the communities they serve. It's a pivotal moment and will need officers at all levels to maintain their commitment and drive for delivering the very best for their councils and communities.'
So, what do we do about it? Some very quick thoughts:
1. Reframe governance as the beating heart of cultures.
2. Rethink talent and invest in the next generation of governance leaders now.
3. Challenge the ‘seasoned' narrative in candidate – step into ‘high-potential' thinking.
4. Prepare for LGR with our ‘governance' eyes wide open.
Local government has never been an easy space to operate in, and the challenges are only growing. But bringing a governance culture to life – we've got it in the bag.
Get in touch if this article has sparked some thinking at www.penna.com or via Rachael.morris@penna.com
Rachael Morris is a senior consultant at Penna and specialist lead for people and governance recruitment
