Bridging the gap between members and officers
Effective leadership in local government relies on strong relationships between elected members and officers. Yet opportunities to learn and develop together are often limited.
The LGA’s Boosting Middle Leaders programme is designed to bridge that gap, bringing councillors and senior officers together to explore complex challenges, develop their leadership skills and build a deeper understanding of each other’s roles.
To the right, we explore the benefits of the programme with Cllr Kemi Akinola, who was part the 2025/26 cohort. Applications for the 2026/27 cohort are now open and will close on 5 October 2026.
The programme is open to cabinet members, committee chairs, heads of service, assistant directors and directors looking to strengthen their leadership practice and build stronger partnerships across local government.
To apply, please visit the LGA website. For more information, email leadership@local.gov.uk
‘We want the same things’
Councillor Kemi Akinola (Lab) is Deputy Leader of the Opposition at Wandsworth Council
What made you sign up for Boosting Middle Leaders?
It offered the chance, as a councillor, to get properly curious about how senior officers see things. We work alongside each other every day, but we come at things from different angles and I wanted to understand that ‘divide’ better. I hoped the programme would help me frame my political objectives in a way that makes sense from a delivery point of view, so that I can deliver on the commitments I made to residents when I stood for election.
What has most stuck with you from the programme?
The realisation that people of all parties and at every level of local government ultimately want the same things. We might disagree about how to get there, but the aims and goals are shared. By the end of the course, I honestly could not remember who was a politician and who was an officer! We were just people working through the same challenges.
How have you used what you learned in your council?
I have always treated officers with respect and care, but the programme changed how I work with them day to day. Now I tell them the final goal we are trying to reach, then ask their advice on what could block us from getting there. It sounds simple, but it changes the whole conversation. You are solving the problem together rather than handing over instructions.
“It changed how I work with officers day to day”
How was it different from other leadership development you’ve done?
Normally, politicians and officers are kept separate. We are trained apart, developed apart and expected to ‘stay in our lanes’. This programme puts everyone in the room together and that makes all the difference. The fact is we are all leaders and we can all learn from each other; the same principles apply whether you were elected or appointed. Learning alongside officers, rather than just about them, was invaluable and a really unique selling point of this programme.
What would you say to others thinking about applying?
It is well worth the time. You will learn a lot about yourself and your strengths – some of it unexpected. And you will come away with a much better understanding of the people you work with every day, which keeps paying back long after the course ends.