Like many councils across the country, North Northamptonshire Council is working hard to attract and retain talent in an increasingly competitive market. Ongoing financial pressures, workforce shortages, and the impacts of local government reorganisation (LGR) have made succession planning and leadership development more important than ever. Against this backdrop, the Local Government Association's (LGA) Impact programme has given us a valuable opportunity to strengthen a key recruitment workstream—placing high quality graduates within the organisation and building a sustainable pipeline of future talent.
From the outset, it was clear that Impact is more than just another graduate scheme. Delivered by the LGA, it is the only national graduate programme designed specifically for local government, with a clear ambition to build long term capacity across the sector. For councils like ours, this aligns directly with the need to remain resilient, future focused, and able to continue delivering essential services to residents and communities during periods of change.
Graduates recruited through Impact are supported by a comprehensive learning and development programme delivered alongside their roles at the council. Over the two year programme, trainees undertake multiple placements across different service areas while working towards a Chartered Management Institute (CMI) Level 7 qualification in leadership and management. This blended approach enables them to apply learning directly to real projects, accelerating their development and strengthening organisational capability.
Although we are still early in our journey with Impact, the benefits are already clear. Our graduates bring fresh perspectives, energy, and ambition. They are contributing to strategic projects, building relationships across the organisation, and developing an understanding of how local government operates as a whole—an essential foundation for future leadership roles.
A major strength of Impact is the way it operates as a genuine partnership between councils and the LGA. The LGA manages the end to end national attraction and recruitment process, running a rigorous, multi stage assessment designed specifically for local government. The programme attracts over eight thousand applicants from across the UK, with only a small proportion progressing through to council interviews.
This process ensures that councils can be confident every candidate they meet has already met a high standard—possessing leadership potential, a commitment to public service, and the capability to work on complex, strategic priorities. For councils, this significantly reduces the time, cost, and resource required to run our own graduate recruitment campaigns, allowing us to focus instead on identifying the right local fit.
At the same time, Impact relies on councils being active partners in making the programme successful. This includes designing meaningful placements aligned to organisational priorities, providing strong line management and mentoring, and supporting graduates to balance operational delivery with their learning and development. For us, this has meant engaging senior leaders early, empowering managers to offer stretching opportunities, and viewing our graduates as a flexible corporate resource.
This combination of hands on experience, structured development, and mentorship is helping our graduates grow in confidence and capability—benefiting both the individual and the wider organisation.
For councils experiencing LGR or organisational change, investing in early careers can feel difficult when priorities are shifting. Our experience suggests that Impact can provide a flexible way to introduce new talent and support future leaders who are gaining a practical understanding of local government from the inside. The flexibility within the programme has helped us align our participation with our circumstances while balancing immediate pressures and longer term sustainability
For North Northamptonshire Council, joining Impact is about much more than filling vacancies. It is about being future ready: developing leaders who are customer focused, values driven, and equipped to navigate the challenges facing local government. By investing in Impact, we are not only preparing for tomorrow—we are actively shaping a resilient, skilled workforce ready to meet the evolving needs of our communities.
For councils considering whether now is the right time to get involved, Impact demonstrates that even in times of change, investing in people remains one of the most powerful ways to secure the future of local government.
Councils have until Friday 27 February to sign up to Impact. Get in touch with the team at impact@local.gov.uk.
Gabriella Mercuri is head of workforce and organisational development at North Northamptonshire Council
Graduate perspective
Joining North Northamptonshire Council on the Impact Graduate Management Trainee Programme has given me an invaluable opportunity to gain a broad insight into local government through involvement in a range of projects within multiple service areas. From my first day, I've been encouraged to take on different responsibilities, supported by my team, senior leaders, and the LGA.
Since beginning my first placement in the HR Workforce and Organisational Development team, I have contributed to drafting workforce strategic outcomes, supported a senior recruitment process, represented the council at a local careers fair, and assisted with early planning for a new colleague network and the organisation of the Celebrating Our Achievements Colleague Awards. This experience has enabled me to build relationships with colleagues at all levels across the council and develop the skills needed to make a lasting contribution.
Grace Stephenson
