Local heroes? Assessing leadership and management in local government

KEY POINTS

• Leaders and managers in local government consider leadership quality the most important factor (40%) influencing organisational success, yet only two-thirds (67%) think that senior leadership in their organisation is effective.
• The report identifies a number of areas where leadership in local government is falling short:
  • Only 45% of leaders and managers felt that leadership in their organisation was effective at attracting talent
  • 40% of leaders and managers said that their senior leadership was poor at motivating staff or failed to do so at all.
  • 24% of leaders and managers felt that their organisation was poor or very poor at addressing underperformance.
• Although 77% of leaders and managers surveyed said they had undertaken training in 2022, training is largely unaccredited and roundtable participants identified it as an area local government struggles to get right.
• Leaders and managers face a range of obstacles preventing them from doing their jobs as effectively as possible:
  • Workforce problems such as recruitment and retention were most frequently mentioned (38%). Almost a third (30%) noted that retention rates had been worse in 2022 than in previous years.
  • Around a third of leaders and managers surveyed also cited internal bureaucracy (33%) and financing issues (32%) as obstacles.

RECOMMENDATIONS

• The Department for Levelling-Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) should design a comprehensive 10-year workforce strategy for local government.
• The workforce strategy should be accompanied by a funding boost to councils to improve the recruitment and retention of staff at all levels.
• DLUHC should establish a leadership academy to help develop leaders and managers and ensure consistent access to high-quality leadership and management training.
• The workforce strategy should recognise the wealth of experience that can come from those outside local government and create a direct entry system for older career changers with existing leadership and management experience.