Greetings!
One week until the General Election
It is one week at the time of writing until we will all be out voting for our local MP – and who will go onto make the next Government. We have more councils than ever before in no overall control as the two-party system has been collapsing. Will Parliament go the same way to include more political diversity as offered in our Independent Group? We have 520 Independents standing, a Green Party member in very nearly every seat plus Plaid Cymru in Wales, Reform and the smaller parties. It has been exciting to see so many candidates standing who will connect to our group when elected. Despite the advantages the larger political parties receive in terms of press coverage and substantive funding, I remain hopeful that the public will see there are more options available to them and genuine democracy is not a two-horse race. The Democracy Club has published candidates, polling stations and maps, which you may find useful.
With useful proposals for candidates and ready for the new Government, our LGA White Paper on Local Government sets out key issues and what we think needs doing. We need to reset the relationship with central government to one that is equal and respectful, alongside sufficient and sustainable funding, backing local government as place leaders, a new focus on prevention and services for the wider community and innovation and freedom from bureaucracy. Our group has worked hard on this and members who attended our weekender which was in the early stages of the development, will see our work reflected all the way through.
LGA Independent Group Annual General Meeting
The LGA Independent Group Annual General Meeting is taking place online on Tuesday 2 July from 10am until 11:30am. Please register by emailing the Independent Group Office, who will send you the Zoom link. The papers for the AGM are available on our Think Tank site for anyone unable to attend the meeting – please do register to access them and the other discussions and resources we are hosting on our own site.
LGA National new councillors welcome event
A welcome event date has now been confirmed for new councillors, Tuesday 16 July from 5pm to 7pm online. If you are a new councillor, please attend this information session which will introduce you to the LGA and the ongoing support it can give you. The Independent Group will be holding its own session immediately afterwards for new Independent, Green, Plaid Cymru and smaller party Councillors to meet and network online.
Independent Group Next Generation programme 2024-25 launched!
We are very excited to announce that our Next Generation Programme is open for expressions of interest! This flagship programme offers ambitious and talented councillors a bespoke and unparalleled political development opportunity. Each year we support a select group of councillors, chosen through a competitive application process, with the cost of the course and accommodation covered by the LGA.
Those who have completed the LGA Independent Group Next Generation Programme leave with a new network of aspiring councillor colleagues and with greater confidence, self-belief and a strategy about how to further their influence, role and community leadership. Many have gone on to successfully hold leadership positions, including council leaders, deputy leaders, cabinet roles, and LGA Board places.
This is a residential course that takes place over three Friday/Saturdays during the year at Warwick University. Delegates are expected to attend all the events in person and to commit to undertaking the additional reading and preparation work. The dates for this year are 11/12 October 2024, 29/30 November 2024 and 29 February/1 March 2025. Please apply using this exclusive link, which will be uploaded to our website next week.
The programme is not routinely available to our colleagues in Wales as the Welsh LGA receives specific funding for their member development, but the LGA Independent Group Office will sponsor one place on this course from Wales a year, so please do get in touch.
LGA Annual Conference rescheduled – 22-24 October, Harrogate
We are delighted to have been able to secure a date for our LGA Annual Conference to be held this October as we know it is an event which is hugely valued by our members. It will provide a perfect opportunity for the local government family to come together after the General Election and discuss the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.
If you can make these dates, then your booking will be transferred and there's nothing for you to do. However, if you would like to cancel you can do so via the ‘My booking' tab and clicking ‘Amend my booking’ on the Annual Conference event website.
I really hope to see lots of you at the LGA Annual Conference. It is such a great opportunity for us to network, learn and share, and it’s fantastic that we are able to go ahead this year.
LGA Perceptions survey published
Consultants carried out 943 interviews with a sample of representatives from local authorities across all the English, focusing on frontbench councillors, leaders, chairs of scrutiny, portfolio holders, and leaders of the opposition. Read the published survey in full.
Thank you to everyone who fed into the work. There are some great results and also areas for us to work on. Particular highlights specifically for our Political Group are:
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67 per cent of you know a great or fair deal about the LGA
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76 per cent of you speak positively about the LGA
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76 per cent of you are satisfied with the work of the LGA
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51 per cent of you say the LGA demonstrates value for money – we will look at how we can better demonstrate the value for money of what we do. One key area is the collective legal representation, including on the current Covid inquiry – where otherwise every council would have had to procure their own legal advice – this is all in your subs for the LGA.
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47 per cent of you find LG Inform useful – we will look to do some more events and bring this very useful too into more of our work with your
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83 per cent of you say the sector support has had a positive impact on your authority
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83 per cent of you are positive regarding the training for councillors
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37 per cent of you have said that Lead Members are visible in the media – a constant battle for us Independents and smaller parties in the Independent Group! Thank you for reflecting that to the LGA.
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81 per cent of you agree the LGA reflects the values and priorities of local government – which for a cross-party organisation just shows how hard we work to ensure all our voices are heard and respected when forming LGA positions.
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73 per cent of you have found the advice and information from the Political Group Office useful – we will endeavour to raise this percentage!
Launch of Impact: The new name for your Local Government Graduate Programme
Impact: The Local Government Graduate Programme’ is the new name for the successful scheme which has introduced thousands of talented graduates to the sector over two decades.
Chief executives, directors, and managers are among the programme’s many alumni, which has been praised by councils – many of whom have been established partners for years – for providing an invaluable source of high-quality candidates and fresh thinking to the workforce, paving the way for the next generation of local authority leaders.
The flagship programme – recognised as a Times Top 100 graduate employer – has grown from strength to strength and regularly receives thousands of applications every year. If your council hasn’t benefitted from our Graduate Scheme, do sign up.
Meetings with new Council Leaders
Finally, its fantastic starting to get out and about meeting our leaders, especially those of you who have just taken on the role. It was a pleasure to meet Cllr Cathy Scott, the Leader of Kirklees Council, and to discuss the challenges of working cross-party. A reminder that we host our Council Leaders at a fortnightly networking meeting to discuss the latest national developments and discuss key issues you are experiencing in your councils. For more information please contact the Group Office.
Opposition Leaders new fortnightly networking meetings
As our Group has grown, we are keen to ensure we are continuing to grow our support offer to our members. We will now be starting a fortnightly meeting for Opposition Leaders, with the first introductory meeting taking place Wednesday 17 July. Our Group Office will be reaching out, but do also get in touch if you would like to attend these meetings.
And finally…
Good luck and best wishes in all you are doing and especially if you are currently standing for election. It’s the final few days, so worth a big last effort! I shall be watching the counts with interest, as we hope to have some significant wins and help lay the ground for future local elections.
Whatever you are busy on, enjoy and have a great weekend!
LGA & Arts Council England Culture and library peer challenges
If you are about to begin new strategic work, a peer challenge could be a valuable opportunity to gain expert insights from a peer team and your stakeholders and partners. The peer team works to your brief, providing practical recommendations and information. With several dates available to December 2024, peer challenges can be tailored to a wide range of themes including hub models, community engagement, heritage, income generation. For more information visit the LGA’s Arts, culture and libraries web page
Transformation action learning sets 2024/25
Our transformation action learning sets provide a unique development opportunity for councillors and officers to explore possible solutions to overcome obstacles in their transformation programmes through action learning based principles. Please express your interest in the series you will be available to participate in via this registration form.
Dates for the Diary
Thursday 11 July 2024, 10.30am - 12.00pm
This virtual session will look at how the policy of ‘Right care, right person’ is being implemented, the emerging issues and how joint working across agencies can work effectively to embed the approach. It will explore how best to ensure that people who require care and support are able to access this in an appropriate setting and from the right professional.
Thursday 11 July 2024, 1.00pm - 3.00pm
When making decisions, it is important to do against a basis of good evidence. This webinar aims to show you how to use the numbers to tell an effective story, so that everyone can understand what you want to achieve.
Saturday 13 July– Sunday 14 July 2024
It is an introductory course and is particularly useful for councillors who are new to digitalisation and have a responsibility or an interest in shaping their council’s digitalisation programme.
Tuesday 16 July 2024, 10.00am - 11.45am
We will explore the importance of how councils can engineer service design that incorporates key stakeholders by embracing collaboration and consultation techniques and tools. Following the ‘spotlight on’ presentations, delegates will participate in a roundtable discussion.
Tuesday 16 July 2024, 10.30am - 12.00pm
This webinar will explore the opportunities to increase the climate change and wider environmental sustainability knowledge and skills of local leaders, by showcasing training LGA has been delivering, hearing from delegates who have benefited from the courses, sharing new LGA resources now available to all councils, and making the case for cascading training locally.
Thursday 25 July 2024, 10.00am - 11.00am
Following the introduction of new social housing regulations in April 2024, this online event brings together the Housing Ombudsman and Regulator of Social Housing to discuss councils’ new requirements. This informative session will provide time to hear from both organisations and provide an opportunity to ask questions.
Thursday 5 September 2024 | Manchester
This Local Government Association event is open to new members from across the North-West who have been elected (for the first time) in May 2024. The event will support newly elected members in exploring their roles. It will provide an opportunity to hear from cross-party guest speakers about their experiences and insights, as well as support this cohort of newly elected members from across the region to develop their networks.
Thursday 19 September 2024, 2.00pm - 3.30pm
This virtual event which is funded by Government will provide an overview of local government finance without any numbers - focusing instead on roles and responsibilities, key terminologies and processes. It will give you an understanding of both what you need to be aware of in your role and what you need to understand about your authority’s role and is aimed at newly elected members or those just looking for a refresh.
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