Northern Ireland Local Government Association

Meeting today at Mid Ulster District Council, the Northern Ireland Local Government Association Executive discussed issues of regional interest including the Programme for Government, Rates Support Grant, Local Government Partnership Panel (meeting this week 18/09), Industrial Relations, Agriculture & more. Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council Ards and North Down Borough Council Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council Belfast City Council Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council Derry City & Strabane District Council Fermanagh & Omagh District Council Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council Mid and East Antrim Borough Council Newry and Mourne District Council Department for Communities Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) APSE - Association for Public Service Excellence

What does Northern Ireland's draft Programme for Government mean for local councils? Given the length of time since the last PfG, and the severity of challenges facing NI's public services, today’s draft PfG is a welcome first step in recognising the need to move towards a proactive and preventative model of service delivery which prioritises wellbeing and places an emphasis on transformation and innovation. In our on-the-day LGIU briefing, we explore the ramifications of today's draft PfG on local government which can be viewed below. 👉 https://lnkd.in/ee4iXYDF However, there is a wider question over the recognition of the local government's role in the PfG. No devolved government can really succeed without clear recognition of, and trust in, local government to deliver and innovate. For the LGIU going forward, three central questions going forward will be: 1) Ambition on prevention - do the objectives and goals of the PfG balance ambition and realism in delivering long-term public service transformation? 2) Success - how is success defined and by who? A well-being dashboard is a welcome step, but across the 88 pages the key will be defining objectives which translate into performance reporting frameworks that drive change. 3) Partnership - What role should local government play in delivering the PfG, and how can we ensure they are supported? An outcomes-based approach is only realistic if there are tangible action plans and clear lines of accountability between different public sector partners. As Alison Allen commented last year in an LGIU article on empowering local government, "Local governments’ track record of delivery with agility, flexibility, and high levels of accountability and democratic oversight should be an inspiration to the rest of public service, and if given our place as valued partners, we can provide solutions to some of the challenges we collectively face." Going forward, as a key partner in government, councils supported by Northern Ireland Local Government Association will be critical in shaping the Programme for Government. At LGIU, we will ensure councillors and officers across the 11 councils are empowered and able to access the latest insights, international practice and analysis across the various policy spheres from the PfG. Northern Ireland Local Government Association Mark Maher Karen Smyth Karen Ireland Beatrice Makeig Greg Stride Sean O'Riordan Carnegie UK

Northern Ireland Local Government Association Regional Programme for Elected Member Development 2024-25 NILGA has launched its annual Regional Programme for Councillor Development 2024-25, running from October 2024 to April 2025. The Regional Programme provides councillors tailored capacity and confidence building, skills development opportunities, fully aligned to the political skills framework (local leadership, partnership working, effective communication for influence, political understanding, scrutiny and challenge, resilience and wellbeing, effective use of digital technologies and social media, regulating and monitoring). More information about the NILGA Regional Programme 2024-25, is available on the NILGA website -https://lnkd.in/e-tttuRc Interested councillors should contact Fiona Douglas, NILGA Regional Development Manager for more information and to sign up – f.douglas@nilga.org Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council Ards and North Down Borough Council Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council Belfast City Council Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council Derry City & Strabane District Council Fermanagh & Omagh District Council Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council Mid and East Antrim Borough Council Mid Ulster District Council Newry and Mourne District Council Alison Bennington Alison Allen Lisa O'Kane Karen Smyth Karen Ireland APSE - Association for Public Service Excellence Local Government Information Unit (LGIU)

Congratulations to Lesley Wilson, Community Arts Officer Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council, winner of the 2024 Local Government Employee of the Year award.

2024 Local Government Employee of the Year announced. 👏 🏆 This week the prestigious accolade was awarded to Lesley Wilson, Community Arts Officer Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council. Lesley is responsible for the development of a proactive and innovative programme of community arts events, exhibitions, workshops, classes and festivals. Congratulations to Lesley and the 14 local government employees the judges shortlisted. Organised by Northern Ireland Local Government Association and sponsored by the William Johnston Memorial Trust, the Local Government Employee of the Year award recognises the best and brightest across Northern Ireland’s 11 local councils. https://lnkd.in/eggVQZ-K Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council Ards and North Down Borough Council Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council Belfast City Council Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council Derry City & Strabane District Council Fermanagh & Omagh District Council Mid and East Antrim Borough Council Mid Ulster District Council Newry and Mourne District Council Alison Bennington Kurtis Dickson David Burns Hazel Legge Alison Allen Lisa O'Kane Karen Smyth Karen Ireland APSE - Association for Public Service Excellence Local Government Information Unit (LGIU)

𝗔𝗣𝗦𝗘 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰  𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰! #APSE24 will provide a timely opportunity for local authorities to come together and consider the implications and opportunities of a new government. This two-day seminar also includes a networking event on Brunel's SS Great Britain featuring leading sector partners, and our prestigious Annual Service Awards. Our expert speakers include: 🎤 Alison Allen, Chief Executive, Northern Ireland Local Government Association; 📣 Camilla Mankabady, Director of Communications, Liverpool City Council; ⚡ Patrick Allcorn, Head of Local Net Zero, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero; 🤝 Nicola Dickie, Director of People Policy, COSLA; 📈 Dr Sarah Longlands, Chief Executive, CLES - Centre for Local Economic Strategies 🌳 Natalie Prosser, CEO, The Office for Environmental Protection; Plus many more! To find out more and book your place, click here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eA6uYzSk

All the talks you dont want to miss at The Open University's Business Agility Conference UK 2024 in one post! - ‘Resilience, agility and anticipation’ by Dave Snowden of The Cynefin Company - ‘Disrupting through conversation’ by Chandima Dutton and Simon Coles of The Better Conversations Foundation - ‘The self as trespasser: Social leadership at the intersection of systems’ by author and artist Julian Stodd - ‘Inspiring stories from frontlines of Health Care Service Improvement’ by Simon Dodds of Health Care Systems Engineering - ‘Complexity on the frontline of government’ by @Andrew Walker, Head of research Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) - ‘Leading digital transformation’ by Emma Stace, Chief Digital & Information Officer at the OU - ‘Harnessing diversity to solve complex Problems’ by Waqas Ahmed, research fellow and polymath - 'Leading, deciding and acting in conditions of radical uncertainty' by Mark Fenton-O'Creevy Professor of organisational behaviour at The Open University Business School - Followed by panel and summary with conference chair, Liz Moody Full conference details and early-bird booking available here: https://lnkd.in/eFPf-3zU PS. We are delighted to be running this event in collaboration with Business Agility Institute UK

The Socitm Empowering Women for NI Councillors course is anchored in embracing the diversity you can bring to the leadership team and helping you deliver this skilfully. The training course starts on the 24 September and places are limited. To register, please email l.okane@nilga.org at Northern Ireland Local Government Association

Northern Ireland Local Government Association has partnered with the Society for technology, innovation, and modernisation Socitm to launch the Empowering Women training course for councillors for the first time. The course will take place on September 24th and 25th in Lisburn, with an online session in October, followed by a final presentation. As councillor places are limited, please email Lisa O'Kane, Head of Impact at Northern Ireland Local Government Association, at l.okane@nilga.org to reserve your place today. Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council Ards and North Down Borough Council Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council Belfast City Council Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council Derry City & Strabane District Council Fermanagh & Omagh District Council Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council Mid and East Antrim Borough Council Mid Ulster District Council Newry and Mourne District Council

𝗔𝗣𝗦𝗘 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙐𝙆 𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙜𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 - Alison Allen, Chief Executive, Northern Ireland Local Government Association 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘨𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘐𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 • Meaningful devolution of powers. • The policy challenges ahead. Alison has served as Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Local Government Association since 2022, she has previously worked at Antrim Borough Council as a Partnerships Manager and Belfast City Council as Neighbourhood Services Manager. Find out more and book your place here 👇 https://lnkd.in/eA6uYzSk