The LGA’s Local Government Challenge is looking for the council superstars of the future.
The Local Government Challenge is an annual competition that tests the leadership skills of the next generation of top executives and celebrates the amazing talent in the sector.
Over six months, 10 local government officers undertake five real-life challenges at councils, culminating in the final at the LGA’s annual conference in June. There, four finalists will pitch their project proposals to delegates and a judging panel. The winner takes away the prestigious Bruce-Lockhart Scholarship, worth up to £10,000.
Our 2020 cohort began the competition at the start of that year, completing two of the five challenges.
At Surrey County Council, the contestants developed a business case to help mitigate the effects of climate change through land use and consumer habits, as part of Surrey’s ambition to be carbon neutral by 2050.
At Pembrokeshire County Council, meanwhile, they produced a plan to support post-16 learners to ensure that ‘every learner achieves more than they thought possible’. In light of the pandemic, however, we had to pause the programme with the score tied at 1-1 between the two teams, Trailblazers and Resilience.
As national restrictions continue to ease, we will be restarting the programme shortly, and are delighted to provide an update from our reigning champion, Rob Comber (see below).
Looking ahead, applications for the next 10 contestants and five host councils will open this summer.
It’s not just officers who get something out of the Local Government Challenge. Our host councils receive valuable consultancy by developing a challenge specific to a real-life local issue, drawing on the expertise of 10 council officers, who will work together on innovative solutions and offer fresh perspectives.
To host a challenge, apply or nominate a colleague, please visit www.local.gov.uk/lg-challenge-2020-21 or email [email protected].
Summer slide
Rob Comber won the 2019 Local Government Challenge. Together with Kent County Council’s transformation and innovation team, he implemented his winning project, Summer Slide, in 2020.
Cast your mind back to summer 2020. If you worked in a school, your pupils had suffered the most turbulent academic year in post-war memory, and you were exhausted.
While some schools were looking forward to the summer break, others knew there were families in their community for whom those six weeks presented a daunting prospect.
We developed Summer Slide to support students at a greater disadvantage. Originally, the concept focused on summer learning loss, but as the pandemic progressed, it became clear that the priorities for any summer programme would be for social interaction and mental wellbeing.
Two schools in Dover piloted a two-week summer school, with a lead facilitator running activities for the most vulnerable children, ranging from cricket coaching, nature walks and mental health workshops to creating an art installation and even a juggling workshop!
Year 11 pupils in both schools were employed to act as mentors and help with the activities, and children were fed a balanced, nutritionally beneficial diet every day. Students described their summer school experience as “amazing”. They felt their social skills and confidence had improved, and they realised the importance of spending time with their friends and family, away from technology and their phones.
While the long-term outcomes are still being measured, in the short term, there were reports of greater emotional regulation and confidence among children who had pushed their boundaries and bonded with their peers, as well as improved presentation and leadership skills for the Year 11 mentors.