Truth about Local Government

Energetic, pragmatic and passionate. That is how I would describe Megan's approach to securing the best possible outcomes for local government and how to succeed in local government. A bright star to watch out for!

Really enjoyed sitting down with Richard Auger former Leader of Daventry District Council and County Council representative for former Northamptonshire County Council. A well rounded conversation that can be summarised by stating, "local government politics is about cross party, shared purpose, but cross party politics."

Fantastic to sit down with Andrew Pollard former Chief Exec of two LATCOs - Place Partnership in the Midlands and BD Group in London. We explored what LATCOs are, the pitfalls and challenges councils face setting up and running LATCOs; and, the opportunities that exist utilising LATCOs.

Former Cllr Roy Perry formed the Vision for Hampshire 2050 Commission of Inquiry during his time as Leader of Hampshire County Council and now continues to be Chair and represents the Division of Romsey Rural. Roy was first elected to Hampshire County Council in 2005 and was Leader of the County Council from May 2013 to May 2019. From 2010-2013 he was Executive Lead Member for Childrens Services....

Sitting down today with Robin Porter, Chief Executive at Luton Council, his passion and commitment to improving the lives of the people was clear to see. The council is leading the town-wide vision to ensure that by 2040 Luton is to be a healthy, fair and sustainable town, where everyone can thrive and no-one has to live in poverty. This Luton 2040 vision has been created by residents and partners...

Born in Northampton, Jonathan Nunn grew up in a family who ran small businesses in the town, and himself has a career history spanning both corporate environments and smaller businesses, mainly working in the areas of Business Development and in Management Training & Development. In 2016 Jonathan became Leader of Northampton Borough Council, and in 2021 Leader of the new West Northants Unitary...

Thoroughly enjoyed sitting down with Paul Cracknell - Executive Director of Transformation and Strategy at Norfolk County Council.

Sean Harris has been the Chief Executive of One Source, Bolton Council, London Borough of Harrow, London Borough of Lambeth. He now provides strategic leadership support and training to councils across the UK. We explored: Leadership How to work effectively with the political sphere of local government to achieve positive outcomes for the community. Partnerships Challenges facing the sector.

Excellent to sit down with Chris Hossack, former Leader of Brentwood Borough Council, 2019 - 2023 and Chairman of the Association of South Essex Local Authorities (ASELA). He also sat on the Thames Estuary Growth Board and of Opportunity South Essex, taking a keen interest in regional growth, infrastructure and investment. We discussed why community should be at the heart of local government decis...

In response to the BCC article on the sunshine millionaire and the £130M that was apparently defrauded from Thurrock Council, I voice my opinions on the obligations that main stream media has to probe into why these situations are arising. Serious change is needed to the funding model in the UK for local authorities. The media needs to support this rather than only reporting only drama and sensati...

So much of what leadership revolves around is integrity and a strong moral compass to allow your team to buy into your vision and you as a leader. Rob Moran former Chief Executive of Elmbridge Borough Council, is a great example of leadership and in our conversation we explored the challenges facing local government, the lessons he took from his years as a local government leader and the renaissan...

Fantastic episode today speaking with Stephen Young about transformation, levelling up, funding pressures, inward investment and his personal career journey. What a leader! Halton is in safe hands.

Great to sit down with Helen to discuss the challenges facing town councils at the present time.

Today I sat down with John Sadler - Head of Property at Derby City Council to explore his career in local government. What excellent career opportunities there are for people with the right mind set in local government; and finally, the challenges John and his team tackle and what he takes from the job. If you are interested in supporting SUSO - please email susocrew@outlook.com

Really enjoyed sitting down with Cathy Palmer to discuss how she has helped lead Wirral Council's regeneration schemes. Lots of exciting opportunities at the Wirral and a great example of how funding can help future proof communities by ensuring that the area retains its identity and gives tourist a reason to visit.

I had a fantastic experience sitting down with Alison North - Deputy Chief Executive at Director Internal Operations at Somerset West and Taunton Council. She has a really interesting proposition, change and continuous improvement is most effective when you focus on specific and detailed outcomes, that are simple. If you do this both members and officers can work together to bring together some re...

A fantastic way to start the week! Sitting down with Eugene Minogue - Executive Director of Play England and Local Government Executive Interim Consultant to discuss the causation behind the decline of playgrounds in the UK and the solutions to resolving this important issue.

Really interesting discussion with Peter Holt, Chief Executive at Uttlesford District Council exploring the 2023 National Risk Register. We explore national trends, the local challenges Uttlesford face and discuss the need for clear communication from central government.

It was great to sit down with Chris O'Brien today - Recruitment Manager at Derbyshire County Council to talk about his journey and the way in which Derbyshire approaches recruitment to attract the best talent.

S114s, what are they? What has been done to prevent them and what do we need to do moving forwards?

Today I spoke with Kelsie Wall to explore the role that SEN Caseworkers have in local government. Really interesting episode, particularly regarding the cost of engaging independent schools to step in where there are not enough spaces within local authority run schools.

It was really exciting to sit down with Mark Watkins, Interim Director of Law for a number of councils, to discuss the challenges facing local authorities legal services at the present time.

We wanted to share why the Truth About Local Government podcast and platform was created.

In today’s episode, I have the pleasure of sitting down with Steve Caplan, current Interim Director of Property at Pembrokeshire Council. I have known Steve for a number of years, he is one of the most capable and respected property leaders, having led property functions at Derby City Council, Chesterfield, Shropshire and Bracknell Councils. Before joining local government Steve had worked across...

A summary addressing Birmingham City Council's gender liability pay out, funding gap and OFLOG.