PluggedIN: The quality of leadership in the public sector
Author: Alex Thomson, Localis, in the MJ |
I was fortunate enough to attend The MJ’s Future Forum recently, which focused on the scale of the challenge faced by the sector over coming years.
Figures such as permanent secretary of the DCLG and head of the civil service, Sir Bob Kerslake, were open and frank in their analysis of how much pain is still to come, and all of those in the room were reminded just how much there is left to do.
The uncertainty which surrounds Britain’s financial future is partly to blame, as the euro zone situation shows no signs of coming to a swift conclusion. And, with many savings still yet to be made within other government departments, local government is being prepared for the fact that it might have to pick up a further chunk of the tab.
But, there are internal reasons too. There is, as yet, no solution to the looming social care funding crisis anticipated by sector professionals. With this becoming an increasingly-large percentage of upper-tier authority budgets, an unfavourable settlement could see significant shortfalls in budgets.
However, there were plenty of positive notes. Demonstrating a firm grasp of what is to come, leading council figures were forward-thinking in how they to deal with today’s trials and tomorrow’s tribulations.
For example, Steve Robinson, of Cheshire West and Chester Council, gave an excellent speech on how community budgets could make the most of dwindling resources and re-examine, from the ground up, a broader scope of public intervention than local government had previously been able to work with.
But, are local leaders ready for this challenge? Local government has consistently made efficiencies through reorganisations and innovative, new was of reconfiguring services through decades past, but the scale of change is virtually unprecedented.
Indeed, what about new up and coming council leaders? With a number of new administrations following the recent local elections, these are difficult times to learn on the job.
But, perhaps more pertinently, are leaders from other parts of the public sector as good at taking a more rounded view of how to meet the scale of the task at hand? Do they have the experience that local government has?
And will they be quite so willing to work together at a local level beyond the community budget pilot areas?
These are tough times, although, if the views from the forum are anything to go by, we should be positive that we can get through it. However, the quality of leadership – across the public sector – will be key.