Chief Executive development programme launched

Chief executives from councils across the country are set to benefit from a first-of-its-kind development programme.

The Local Government Chief Executives’ Development Framework has been drawn up by the Local Government Association (LGA) and Solace in partnership with more than 100 chief executives, councillors and other key stakeholders and follows the successful piloting of modules earlier this year.

The innovative curriculum for new and current corporate leaders in local authorities is designed to continuously evolve and be relevant to the most pressing issues of the day. The framework is based on core themes such as politics and the political interface, good governance and resource management.

The cohort came from a mix of types of authority, geography and experience, ranging from appointed but yet to start in post, to five years in the role.

Organisations such as Lawyers in Local Government, CIPFA and the Centre for Governance and Scrutiny have worked with Solace and the LGA to ensure modules have been informed by subject matter experts, experienced practitioners, policy leads and organisational development specialists.

Each of the pilot modules were aligned with one of the core themes in the framework, respectively covering politics and the political interface, good governance and the core role of the Chief Executive. 

An evaluation of the pilot modules by the Institute of Local Government Studies and the University of Birmingham indicated a strong appetite for a full programme, with the engagement of new and existing chief executives.

Cllr Abi Brown OBE, chairperson of the LGA’s Improvement and Innovation Board, said: “This innovative programme provides an essential starting point for the development of chief executives in local government and the feedback received so far has been overwhelmingly positive.

“I am delighted that the LGA and Solace, with funding from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities are now able to develop and launch this programme in full.  

“This will ensure a consistent understanding of the role of the local government chief executive and bespoke development for officers taking up this challenging role. We would encourage all councils to see this as an essential first step in the development of newly appointed chief executives.”