Working with the LGiU, chief executives and senior leaders across local government, we are exploring the ‘mega trends' shaping the next three, five and 10 years.
From our roundtables, we've identified key themes which will resonate I'm sure across local government. We are seeing an erosion of trust in public institutions and a shift to networks. Technology, while disruptive, is also transformational but requires the right governance, regulation and ethics to support innovation.
Responsibilities have become concentrated in a few roles and mean leadership and workforce capacity continue to stretch. Structural reform and devolution too often come before cultural readiness.
None of these are new. Leaders recognise them instinctively but the challenge now is not a lack of insight or ambition; it is the growing gap between knowing change is needed and being able to make it happen consistently and at scale.
Despite repeated reforms and restructures, local government finds itself returning to the same crossroads.
There is widespread agreement the current model is under stress and incremental improvement is no longer enough.
Rising demand, particularly in adult social care and children's services, dominates resources, while political volatility and short-term funding cycles leaves little space for sustained, long-term change. This is not a temporary crisis, but a deeply structural one.
If the problems are known then what is preventing transformation? Perhaps it's not merely funding and structures, but culture and operating conditions. Too often, reform asks leaders to do more, faster with greater risk in systems that leave little room for reflection, adaptive thinking or learning.
At the centre of this sits leadership culture and the traditional ‘hero leader' model which is proving unsustainable. Change cannot rest on exceptional individuals alone, nor can it be delivered through structural reform without a parallel shift in behaviours, mindsets and organisational narratives. If we are serious about making change happen the conversation must evolve.
We will continue our work exploring practical steps to foster change for future local government needs and we will be publishing our learnings alongside the LGiU.
Nicola Monk is Divisional Chief Executive, Commercial Services Group
