The LGA has launched its 2024/25 Sector Support programme for local authorities
The LGA has launched its Sector Support programme for 2024/25, again packed full of vital tools and support to help councils and combined authorities deliver critical services to communities, while helping harness opportunities and drive improvement across all regions.
Our programme, which is funded by the UK Government, builds on the five key themes of governance, leadership, finance, workforce, and transformation – offering wide-ranging support that has been updated to reflect current and emerging challenges and opportunities for local authorities in England.
Everything we do is informed by a sector-led improvement approach, which draws on direct insights from councils, ensuring our support is guided by sector needs.
This year, the offer will draw on the important work undertaken to map the different elements that currently provide assurance on the performance of the local government sector, and on insights gained from our consultation on the assurance framework, which was undertaken in 2023/24.
By enhancing the focus on assurance, we can support councils to improve performance management, accountability and transparency within their organisation.
The LGA will work with specialist partners to create a leadership development offer that brings together chief executives, section 151 officers and monitoring officers, to learn and develop, increase understanding of the interdependencies of their roles, and share good practice.
Meanwhile, our Corporate Peer Challenges (CPCs) continue to be one of the most valued improvement and assurance tools the LGA offers, with 100 per cent of councils in 2023/24 saying that the process of preparing for, and participating in, a CPC has had a positive impact on them.
The newly strengthened CPC programme builds on improvements delivered in recent years to provide robust and consistent challenge. There will be a stronger focus on performance, governance and culture to reflect the current challenges to the sector and the draft statutory guidance on best value authorities.
“Everything we do is informed by a sector-led improvement approach”
LG Inform, the LGA’s freely available, award-winning data platform, also continues to contribute to greater assurance by supporting councils to create an evidence-based culture and implement data standards across their services.
This powerful benchmarking tool uniquely integrates thousands of local data items to enable councils and the public to compare the performance of local authorities, including those with similar characteristics, such as the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy’s ‘nearest neighbours’.
A number of new reports will be added this year to provide councils with even more valuable data, and training will be provided through the Office for National Statistics’ Data Science Campus, to equip officers with the analytical skills to adopt a data-driven approach in their authorities.
With local elections swiftly approaching, I would encourage councils to continue to draw on the LGA’s ‘Changes in political leadership and control’ support offer, which provides councillors and officers with support throughout the year, before and after elections.
This offer includes mentoring, top-team development, and a range of wider bespoke offers provided by specialist peers and expert regional teams.
“Our peers’ advice can be tailored to support the needs of your authority”
Recognising the scale of financial challenges facing local authorities, we have also enhanced our Finance programme, which continues to provide access to expert finance associates, all of whom are current or former chief finance officers (CFOs).
Our enhanced Finance Skills and Knowledge programme provides councillors, finance portfolio holders and audit committee chairs, and CFOs with shared learning opportunities and vital skills and knowledge.
Our refreshed Leadership offer features some exciting new developments, such as the extension of the Chief Executive Foundation programme, piloted in 2023/24.
This will offer training on seven foundational themes – managerial leadership, resource management, continuous improvement, public ethics, good governance, the political interface, and the core chief executive role – alongside a number of resources.
The National Recruitment Campaign, co-produced with Solace, the membership network for public sector and local government professionals, and the local government sector, will be extended across England, following a successful pilot in the North East.
The campaign aims to attract new talent and highlight the benefits that a career in local government can offer.
Supported by major advertising on billboards, radio and social media, the campaign will highlight the infinite variety of roles on offer and the exciting opportunities to develop a career in local government. It will also promote what a difference people can make, while complementing local authorities’ own recruitment activity.
With capacity and capability remaining a concern for local authorities across England, our workforce programme will provide councils with targeted support to address workforce issues.
This includes a new Equal Pay offer to help local authorities adopt and apply measures and interventions that minimise and mitigate risks arising from potentially unequal and inequitable practices, and actions relating to pay, terms and conditions, and equal rights.
As well as continuing management of national collective bargaining, which covers pay negotiations for the sector, we will deliver an enhanced range of apprenticeships support to address skills shortages, including the Apprenticeship Health Check. This will help councils maximise the return on investment of the apprenticeship levy and improve their overall approach to managing apprenticeships at a local level.
As our Transformation programme enters its second year and becomes more established, the range of support available through this offer continues to grow.
Responding directly to feedback from the sector, there will be a wider range of councillor-focused support, to help elected members develop necessary skills for change – for instance, a new Leadership Essentials course, focused on providing councillors with the skills to champion, lead and scrutinise transformation programmes within their local authority. The Transformation offer will also provide a range of new and enhanced learning and development opportunities, and transformation peers (previously transformation experts) will continue providing direct support to councils.
Our peers have diverse transformation expertise across service areas, ranging from data and digital to partnerships and culture change – so their advice can be tailored to support the needs of your authority.
The LGA’s Sector Support programme continues to garner high levels of take-up and positive feedback from recipients, demonstrating its value to councils.
Our wider sector support offer covers programmes such as Partners in Care and Health (adult social care), Children’s Services, One Public Estate, the Planning Advisory Service, Pathways to Planning, Procurement and Sustainability, Culture Tourism and Sport, and Cyber, Digital and Technology.
See the LGA’s new Sector Support programme in full. For further information about any aspect of the offer, please contact the LGA principal adviser for your region.