Local Government oversight with Mark Lloyd

Mark Lloyd was a CEO of two Councils in England and then was the CEO of the national membership organisation, Local Government Association. Macro themes from the episodes and Mark: Where there is political consensus and stability, partnerships appear to be have developed and matured more easilyWith upper tier councils spending 70% of their revenue on adult and children social care - any devolution or change, must come in this area to provide councils with the headspace and resources to fulfil their functionsDelivering 1300 separate statutory functions and 800 different services, in the light of 70% of money spent on social care - surely this is unsustainable?Large appetite to deliver services differently, but given 1300 statutory elements – this must be supported and sometimes initiated by central GovernmentWhere Councils are leading improvements for their populations holistically (equality, equity, healthy lifestyles, fairness, poverty eradication etc) there seems to be a case for giving them a broad public sector leadership role – straddling multiple sectors in the public sector worldDevolution could be a great opportunity to change and improve – but also a huge distraction if it is not focused on improving the outcomes for local residentsHuge desire to be family/person centric and it continues to be frustrating that data sharing is slow and difficult to achieve across sectors and organisations.Leadership themes:A. The relationship and trust between a local authority CEO, the leader of the council and broader set of politicians is key. This is tough balancing act for LA CEOsB. CEO leaders have very adaptable leadership styles – real balance of needing accountability; support for staff and teams; delivery and driving of improved outcomesC. LA CEOs are accountable to all elected members - not Parliament (as NHS CEO are). Therefore, across health and social care need to be more aware of the need to negotiate and find commonality – not operate with “diktats”.Some salient quotes from the episodes:“make the complex simple”“Look for the opportunities and exploit for the benefit of local residents”“CEO has to be a heat shied over staff” Matthew Winn, podcast host and an experienced leader in healthcare in the UK.