Operating in one of the most complex environments for local government in a generation brings many challenges as well as opportunities.
These range from escalating demand and increasing costs, alongside local community cohesion being under pressure from global geopolitics, to devolution, local government reorganisation and public sector reform offering some opportunities for change. There is a dynamic set of forces reshaping our sector in a way not seen for decades.
What is needed to successfully chart a course through this highly complex policy landscape in a way that sees service delivery and outcomes for our residents improved?
I have written about this before, and one of the answers is radical, capable and agile leadership – inspiring and mobilising colleagues and wider stakeholders, bringing new innovation to old problems, turning challenge into opportunity and seizing the potential for change.
While the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (Solace) will continue to bang the drum for greater investment in the sector's training and development we have not, and will not, stand idly by. Working with organisations like the Local Government Association (LGA), Solace delivers a huge variety of programmes to help places and leaders invest in themselves and continually build upon their skillsets to put their best foot forward.
A crucial strength of the local government sector has always been its people. Now, more than ever, this includes ensuring local authorities – of whatever footprint, name and size – have high quality leaders at all levels to help places navigate an increasingly challenging and fluid landscape.
But having good, capable individuals at the helm during times of turmoil and change is not a given. It can only come from investing in people and workforces.
Yet this is not only about managing the short-term challenges of today. It is also about securing the future of places and developing the leaders of tomorrow.
As the Government looks to devolve further responsibilities across health, transport and more to the local level, this offers a wealth of new levers that will allow the sector to affect real change.
However, these opportunities can only be grasped when places have people with both the vision and skills to recognise and seize them.
Investing in developing the best leaders is therefore a necessity, which makes it inexplicable that, while Health Education England gets roughly £4bn from the Exchequer to educate and train the health workforce each year, the amount local government receives from central government for developing a workforce of a similar size (around £20m), is dwarfed by comparison.
While the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (Solace) will continue to bang the drum for greater investment in the sector's training and development we have not, and will not, stand idly by. Working with organisations like the Local Government Association (LGA), Solace delivers a huge variety of programmes to help places and leaders invest in themselves and continually build upon their skillsets to put their best foot forward.
This includes schemes such as Impact. It nurtures high-quality graduates eager to embark upon a local government career. Solace's part in this involves providing learning and development alongside the participants' real-world experience, ensuring they can deploy their learning in real-time with hands-on work and form secure foundations for future careers in leadership.
At the other end of the spectrum, Solace and the LGA's Chief Executives Development Framework is tailored for those who want to keep learning and investing in themselves as senior leaders.
Developed in close collaboration with chief executives and those in local government, it helps sharpen those diverse skills necessary for effective leadership.
However, it is not enough to build on what already exists – a critical part of bolstering the workforce is ensuring the path to leadership is open to all. Just as no one place is homogenous, neither should leadership be.
Solace's award-winning AMPlify programme aims to tackle this through empowering diverse talent to progress to senior positions within local government.
With the challenges local authorities face, it is imperative all individuals with potential as leaders are able to realise effective growth and progression to the benefit of themselves and the sector as a whole. We need to look more like the amazing communities we serve and this programme helps do that.
Solace is also involved in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Govermment's Workforce Development Group for the sector, with each of the three subgroups being chaired by myself, managing director Graeme McDonald and the chief executive of Horsham DC, Jane Eaton.
Through delivery of these schemes, and by offering spaces for senior leaders to feel supported in their development and growth, Solace has tried – and continues to try – to meet the needs of a sector chronically affected by high turnover and the issues of retaining top talent.
By meeting individuals where they are, whether as fresh graduates or seasoned chief executives, Solace aims to build up those on their leadership journey, no matter what stage those individuals are at in their careers.
In the face of the ever-changing and challenging landscape in which local government operates, the sector must draw on, and continue to invest in, its strengths. Whatever the obstacles and opportunities, one thing remains constant, now and for the future: great people make great places. It is up to all of us to back them.
Kim Wright is Solace spokesperson for leadership and chief executive of Brent LBC
Kim Wright is speaking at a workshop on high performing leadership and management in local government at the LGA Conference on 2 July
