If I was a council leader today, what would I want to achieve, and how would I want to behave?
It would be very easy to feel the victim of the ‘vicious’ government cuts to local authority grants, and of the ‘continuous’ undermining of local government and its leaders by government ministers and the media.
It would also be all too easy to feel let down and disappointed by the gap between the Government’s rhetorical commitment to localism and the reality – by the imposition of police and crime commissioners, by the changes of housing and council tax benefits, by the further diminution of the role of council’s in respect of schools, by the failure to give local government a stronger role in strategic NHS commissioning… and by much more.
I am sure that, as a leader, I would take a few minutes every so often to have the cathartic opportunity to feel a victim of those in charge in Westminster and Whitehall – not just because of what their policies are doing to local government but, more importantly, because of the impact on communities and citizens.
However, it would be vital that such a luxury occupied only a few minutes of my time, because my duty as leader is far too important for self-indulgence.
And anyway, it would be all too depressing. Council leaders have to show leadership; provide stewardship for their communities; build relations with the wider public sector, as well as local businesses, and the voluntary and community sectors; and turn challenges into opportunities.
In spite of the litany of woes listed earlier in this article, the reality is that today, there are some major opportunities for local authorities. Just look at the exciting co-operative councils initiative, or many of the city regeneration programmes, or the tri-borough collaborative in London… and much more.
These are examples of what can be achieved when leaders choose to take command with bold vision and a clear focus.The Government may not have dealt local government the devolution and localist hand of cards that many of us would have wished, but it has provided the space and opportunity for councils to press on with their own local plans designed to meet local needs and aspirations.
As a leader, I would want to drive forward until stopped. The days of looking to Eland House or other parts of Whitehall for ‘permission’ or ‘licence’ should be long gone.
As a leader, my actions would be shaped by both my political mandate and ideology – and let’s not be ashamed of politics in local government – and local need and local citizen choices. Of course, I would hope that the former were shaped by the latter!
Therefore, I would wish to:
- undertake sophisticated and informed engagement and consultation with local citizens, local businesses, the local voluntary and community sector, and the wider local public sector
- regularly visit these groups and organisations, and have ‘door step’ and online conversations with local people
- listen and have continuous dialogue with all councillors – cabinet and community members – of all parties
- talk and listen to staff – especially frontline staff – whether employed by the council or those employed by organisations with which the council contracts.
I would want to ensure that both the council and its partners and contractors’ performance, as well as their plans, were available publicly in accessible forms. I would want to ensure that the council’s scrutiny function was strong and well-resourced and involved stakeholders.
Naturally, I would want to have a good working relationship with my cabinet colleagues and senior officers. I would absolutely retain a chief executive post, as I see this as a critical executive leadership role to complement, support, challenge and advise the leader and wider council, as well as leading the executives in implementing policy.
I recognise that any leader in 2012 will have already had to make some big and painful expenditure cuts. However, I also recognise that in all probability, there are still deeper cuts to come. This means political leaders have to be adept politicians and strategists.
These are not decisions to be delegated to officers. There has to be clear local political accountability. The degree of the likely cuts means councils will have to stop doing some things, will have to do others very differently, and will have to collaborate with others in the business, civil society and public sectors.
I would want to involve organisations and leaders from across these sectors in the council’s deliberations on budget and wider strategic decisions – as well as consulting the public. However, the ultimate responsibility and accountability would be mine as council leader – there is no ducking or hiding.
While I would be open-minded about who provided services, I would wish to ensure that all services and activities funded by the council were adding social and public value. I would develop a talent strategy, and ensure that all staff are treated well, with good terms and conditions and empowerment, and that we operated in a fully-transparent manner.
I would not be rushing to implement traditional outsourcing – as it is unlikely to be able to offer what is required. Rather, I would also ensure there was scope to explore social enterprise and co-op models, with the council facilitating and resourcing their exploration where staff and users wished to do this.
I would be passionate about a genuine localism which meant the council ceding and sharing power and resources with communities and community organisations. This would involve providing resources, including grants, to the local voluntary and community sector and its infrastructure bodies in order to build local capacity.
In addition, I would expect to share and co-operate with the local enterprise partnership and local public bodies, and build in the Total Place and community budget concepts – especially with a view to preventative and long-term beneficiary interventions. I would wish to include local community groups and businesses in this approach, as the need now is to maximise community capacity and build social capital.
We just have to recognise that this is more than the public sector.
The role and nature of local government is changing – and nowhere more so than in education. As the champion of people who live, work and study in the council area, a council leader needs to develop a relationship with local schools and colleges, not to seek to control them – and as academies and free schools grow in number, this would be a pointless pursuit anyhow – but to shape local opportunity for local pupils and students, and to ensure education institutions provide fair access and play their full role as community partners.
The next few years will be extremely challenging for local authorities and their leaders. As a council leader, I would wish to put the economic, social and environmental stewardship of the local place and communities at the core of my political leadership.
I would plan to persuade others locally to work in tandem with the council on behalf of these communities. I would hope not to be too precious about the role of the council or my own office and ego. The stakes are too important for such behaviour.
The opportunities for council leaders outweigh the challenges and the trials. I hope that as a leader, I would be able to rise to the task – and if not, I should stand aside.