Newtrality Ltd

It has been a very busy week and several late nights…. Conferences, meetings, workshops (not too surprisingly very focused on LGR and Devo) Between all of that though we did something very special. #different. This was the brain child of Deborah Cadman OBE DL BSc MSc MA and Meena Kishinani, stemming from their lived experience. Several months ago, we started work on building a leadership development programme which focused on giving people (from the global majority) the real life skills, confidence and belief to lead and thrive at an executive director level. With the amazing support and hard work of our recruitment partner Tile Hill (Anj Popat Chantelle Wooldridge and Anthony Lewis) this programme came to life and I have been truly inspired by the passion, talent and ambition of our initial cohort. I am now super excited to work with them all over the next 12 months and see how we can change our little part of the world and bring through the next generation of succesful leaders. Here’s to great things…

Whilst we await the governments steer on Devolution/LGR and during this period of ambiguity, we want to provide some support and help to those who may be affected. With this in mind, we have set up a "Hive Mind" of Devolution/LGR experts to help answer any of your questions. This is not just about the process, but also how it feels, what you need to look out for and how you can maximise and best navigate the opportunity in your region. No question too big or too small. Some of the key practitioners are shown below but we are supported by a wider raft of subject matter experts from the sector. Of course, we don't know the exact process which this government will follow but our team has been through numerous rounds and understand the practical realities of similar processes. Please reach out if we can help.... #LGR #Devolution #governmentreform

Deadline is looming so apply before it is too late to join this super exciting programme.

So I am officially on hols at the moment but as many of you know I am also a very big LG nerd. I worked on Wiltshire’s unitary transition in 2007/08 and have been involved in all subsequent LGR rounds. I have actually been super excited about the white paper today and have bored my family to tears! Having read it this afternoon (admittedly by the pool) I have a few specific LGR reflections; Local Government structures and funding are far too complex, based on historical, all too often, politically motivated decisions. The paper starts to address some of these issues which is good. I will await the detial but I am a little concerned around the lack of mandating the change on LGR. We have had several attempts over the years to find sensible solutions which work for individual regions but again - “We expect all councils in an area to work together to develop unitary proposals that are in the best interests of the whole area, rather than developing competing proposals.” Let’s hope the sector has the political maturity to do this and what is best for the communities that elected them regardless of the personal cost. Opening up the possibility of reviewing current “small or failing unitaries” in the context of LGR creates an interesting dynamic in many areas. I don’t disagree with this as a number are struggling but not sure how this will fit into current or future governance structures/boundaries just yet. Will need some creatively and bravery from government. There is a clear focus on local empowerment and communities which is important. The case for strong community/local area boards will be key to any case for change. The links to health, fire and police is also really interesting and where it aligns could be really powerful for an area and should improve regional accountability, especically around poor culture. There is a clearly a lot more detail to come but I do like the ambition outlined. Let’s hope we can all get behind this and make some meaningful, positive change to local government in this parliament.

Very much looking forward to catching up with everyone at County Councils Network I am sure there will be lots of conversation around what the white paper will mean for County colleagues as well as tackling the immediate financial pressures. Deborah Cadman OBE DL BSc MSc MA Paul Clarke Claire Corbett

Welcome to team Newtrality Ltd Paul Clarke

So more good news for Newtrality Ltd As we continued to grow, it is even easier to procure us now for major programmes with the award of g-cloud 14 For more info please reach out to hello@newtrality.co.uk Exciting times….

I will be heading off to the LGA next week with some of my amazing colleagues Claire Corbett Deborah Cadman OBE DL BSc MSc MA Paul Clarke Meena Kishinani. We have had an awesome year, helping City, Unitary and Counties across the Country to tackle both their in-year financial pressures but also helping them to develop more sustainable operating models. If you want to grab a coffee whilst I am there to discuss then please just message me on here. #lgaconference #localgovernment #transformation

So for me it has been a week of travelling up and down the Country with various clients and colleagues which has been very enjoyable.... like the good old days 😂 What has really struck me though is the situation a number of well run Councils are now finding themselves in. The needs and expectations of communities are now much more complex. Councils have struggled to keep pace with this. As a sector, Local Government (and the wider system), need to find a way to make rapid, in year savings whilst developing new, sustainable operating models of service delivery (changing the wheels whilst driving the car!) Whilst intellectually myself and my colleagues are thriving on this challenge it is hard to see how making these very difficult decisions is affecting senior officers and Members who are so dedicated to the needs of their citizens and the sector. I hope that under this new government they will recognise the chronic underfunding in the sector but also the passion and tireless work people are putting in to try and fix these complex issues. They need to do this by investing in the people who are trying to make a difference wherever they can, at all levels of Local Government. #people #localgovernment #publicsector #investment

Our exciting journey continues with the appointment of Deborah Cadman OBE. Please see full details below on why she has chosen to join us. 👇