For huge swathes of England which have two-tier local government, change is in the air. Local government reorganisation (LGR) has been spoken about intermittently by successive governments of all parties practically since the 1974 Act, which introduced two-tier local government in the first place. For generations, the argument has been made that having two tiers of local authority is inefficient and confusing for the public.

However government after government has baulked at the prospect of changing the system – no doubt in part due to concerns about upsetting their own local party members. This time round, however, it increasingly appears that two-tier local government will come to an end, resulting in the dissolution of district and county councils, consigning England's boundary map to the history books.

Working with a good proportion of district and county councils across the UK, we at GatenbySanderson were very interested to see the impact on the candidate talent market and how it might influence decision-making. Perhaps two big surprises have been the level of activity at both client and candidate level.

Both district and county councils have found themselves more attractive prospects for candidates than ever before. While gaps will always be created and need to be filled, this level of activity was counter to expectations in the aftermath of the English Devolution White Paper.

In a recent conversation with a local authority soon to be affected by these changes, the leader asked us why candidates would consider joining a council in the certain knowledge that it will soon be abolished. To my mind (as, perhaps unwisely, I said to him at the time), this was the wrong question to be asking.

There is no such thing as absolute job security for anyone, in any sector, at any time. None of us, whatever we do, can ever rely on absolute certainty of continued employment. Recent global events, be that a pandemic, an economic downturn, political instability, international conflict and even cyber attacks, erode our sense of long-term assurance and stability. So, while the post-LGR future is unclear for candidates looking to join the affected authorities, this is simply an additional layer of uncertainty. To a growing number of ambitious and socially driven candidates, this sense of being on the brink of transformation can be a positive hook.

We have seen this in our own executive search processes, where many candidates are actively excited by the prospect of joining a local authority about to embark on an LGR-driven process of change. They want to have the opportunity not only to help devise and develop a new organisation, but to play a lead role in shaping the future of a whole county.

While it is an exaggeration to label this opportunity as unprecedented, it is certainly extremely rare. Like the anonymous leader's question over their organisation's appeal, we find that both district and county councils frequently underestimate this extremely powerful selling point when considering the viability of a potential recruitment campaign and the strong proposition they can build to support the activity.

This does not mean there won't be people who are daunted and even discouraged by the prospect of joining a local authority in the midst of LGR. Again, we suggest this is something of a strawman problem. Any candidate who is put off by the prospect of LGR, by definition, will not be the right candidate for a local authority in that situation. Put simply, it is a good thing if such people self-select on this basis.

It will be more important than ever that recruitment processes focus on assessing behaviours as well as skills and experience. Using our own leadership model, Altitude, we know curiosity and agility, engendering trust, influence and impact along with courage and tenacity, and perhaps most importantly, ‘tackling tomorrow' will be the key behaviours where candidates should over index.

The challenge, especially for us as recruiters is to identify those candidates who not only are prepared to guide an organisation and a local authority through LGR, but are actively excited by the prospect of doing so. In seeking out these candidates, district and county councils not only diversify and extend their talent pools, but enable their organisations to leave a powerful and long-lasting community legacy for what comes next.

Few would argue that the current local government arrangements in England are perfect. We are thrilled to see that some of the most talented people in the sector are stepping forward to play a role in shaping something different.

Whether the sector approves of the proposed reform or not, and there are many in both camps, LGR is happening: this time for real. And as the inevitability of change is accepted, many have taken the decision to be at the forefront of helping to shape that change.

For many communities across England, having dynamic leadership that brings energy through this appetite for change will benefit from long-lasting positive consequences that emerge. For those leaders themselves, the opportunities that emerge and are grasped from LGR will be career-defining.

 

Seb Lowe is a partner with GatenbySanderson's local government practice