On a chilly Monday evening, a group of local government officers arrived in Boston town centre in Lincolnshire, dragging suitcases behind them.
Some locals looked amused – such a large, eclectic group of people was fairly unusual in the quiet market town. At dinner later that evening, the waiter tried to guess the purpose of our visit: were we an Olympic rowing team? Medical professionals, here for a conference? Our group answered completely honestly: ‘We have no idea what we're here for!' The Local Government Challenge 2023 had officially begun.
Unique is the best way to describe the LG Challenge. One of the Local Government Association's (LGA) flagship leadership development programmes, it takes 10 talented local government officers and over a period of six months sends them across the country to solve five real-life challenges set by ambitious local authorities.
During each two-day event, officers form two teams and use all their experience, ingenuity and energy in an effort to win the battle of the best idea. The prize? The £10,000 Bruce-Lockhart Scholarship, sponsored by Kent and Essex CCs.
Accruing points throughout each challenge, the top scorers get to pitch an innovative idea for their home council at the LGA Annual Conference, which this year takes place on 4-6 July in Bournemouth. Although it is a competition, the programme truly is win-win-win.
Officers develop their leadership, political, teamwork and communication skills; the hosts gain invaluable consultancy and a national profile; the sector benefits from shared expertise and experience.
LG Challenge 2023 came back with a bang. Not only was this the first challenge in three years, but the first ever challenge with a partnership – the South & East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership, comprising East Lindsey DC, Boston BC and South Holland DC.
Formed in October 2021, it is the largest council partnership in the country and stands as a vehicle for communicating the collective priorities of communities in each district.
The councils in the partnership all share a common concern in flood risk. Boston was identified in 2022 as having the highest percentage of properties at risk of flooding in England, with South Holland ranking second, while 38% of East Lindsey District is in an area of high coastal flood risk. This presents a two-fold threat for the sub-region.
First, the ongoing challenge of ensuring they are resilient against flooding in the area and second, the impact that flooding and flood risk has on the prosperity of coastal communities, and the economic value of land and assets within the coastal zone.
They asked the contestants: how can the South & East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership lead the way for flood resilience in the sub-region, and through innovation maximise the benefit for communities and businesses across all coastal economies?
Captaining Team Thrive was newcomer Sydney Alexander of Islington LBC, working with Jack, Rose, Hani and Zoe. On Team Catalyst was captain Hannah Futter of Waltham Forest LBC, with her teammates Joe, Leanda and Felicity.
Following a technical briefing from Michelle Sacks, deputy chief executive, growth; Mike Gildersleeves, assistant director – planning and strategic infrastructure and Christian Allen, assistant director – regulatory, the groups retreated to their respective headquarters, getting their heads around the briefing documents. They navigated a schedule of Q&As, one-to-one meetings, and round tables with senior officers and politicians.
Three contestants made time to visit nearby Wainfleet, talking to Jon Challen, the safer communities manager, councillor Wendy Bowkett and other key officers who responded to recent flooding in the area.
On Tuesday evening they worked late into the night to put their findings on paper for presentation to the judges; the LGA's Head of Corporate Services Claire Holloway, leader of East Lindsey Cllr Craig Leyland, and joint chief executive of the partnership, Rob Barlow.
Team Thrive stuck closely to the brief, making sure they embraced the work the partnership were already doing, highlighting their national lobbying and suggesting they build a centre of excellence to build local capacity and redefine the attitude towards risk.
Team Catalyst focused on innovation, suggesting not only a centre of expertise to build green transformation and skills, but also diversifying the economy through green tourism. Of special interest was their idea of a Coastal Sponge Innovation Centre.
Both teams received high praise from the judges and staff of the partnership. Team Catalyst's innovation was welcomed but, after some difficult deliberations, Team Thrive were announced the winner of challenge number one, due to their focus on local partnerships and national lobbying. Congratulations!
The journey continues, and the next stop will be Cheltenham BC.
- The LGA would like to thank the South & East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership for hosting an incredible challenge. Special thanks go to Rebecca Cooke, Jade Dicrosta, James Gilbert, Rachel Robinson, Suzanne Rolfe, and many others for making us all feel so welcome.
Georgia Goddard is a graduate trainee on the Local Government Association's National Graduate Development Programme
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