Diversity
Brent’s big turnaround
Brent has one of London’s highest poverty rates. Kim Wright illustrates how the council is working in partnership with several pilot initiatives to support residents hit by the cost of living crisis.
DCS churn nears record levels
The number of changes in directors of children’s services (DCS) postholders has reached near record levels, it has been revealed.
Top Talent: Arts, culture and heritage
In its latest Top Talent feature, Starfish introduces the rising stars of local government leading the charge in championing arts, culture and heritage within their communities.
Left and behind: women at work
Building gender equality and diversity into plans for economic growth has benefits for everyone, writes Sarah Longlands.
Hackney through an anti-racist lens
Dawn Carter-McDonald says Hackney LBC’s commitment to being an actively anti-racist council is at the centre of its goals and values.
Bear traps
To escape from a 'bear trap' question in an open question-and-answer session don’t try and come up with the perfect answer or solution, advises Blair Mcpherson.
Reimagining council operations: Hunt vs. Logic
Claire Agutter says councils can navigate financial challenges by adopting robust strategic planning systems, implementing effective risk management, and prioritising service integration.
EDI – more than just letters
For recruiters it is more important than ever to ensure your equality, diversity and inclusion approach is clear and deep-rooted in your organisation, as Anj Popat and Jo Major explain.
Chiefs back ethnicity pay gap reporting
Council chiefs have backed proposals that would place a duty on local authorities to collect data and report on staffing, pay and outcomes by ethnicity.
Place shapers wanted
George Agyemang and Pete John of Penna share their experiences over the past few years on the leadership talent market for place, regeneration and growth, and have strong hopes for this year.
Clampdown threat to diversity programmes
The Government is to clamp down on diversity programmes as part of a drive to ‘reduce wasteful expenditure’.
Reflections on an active year for the sector
Jon Dilling, Toni Hall, Dawar Hashmi and Julie Towers of Penna share their talent market insights as we head into 2024.
Uplifting diverse talent
Mark Lawrence and Angela Carr of Stroud DC explain what they have gained from Solace’s AMPlify development programme supporting the progression of diverse talent in local government leadership.
Who wouldn’t want to be a DCS?
As directors of children’s services gather at the National Children and Adult Services Conference, Philip Emms and Jane Parfrement reflect on the achievements of the aspirant DCS programme
Why prioritising EDI is business-critical
If we want the benefits of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) it has to be worked on as a priority and be baked into the DNA of our culture, says Gordon McFarlane.
Inexcusable: The woeful state of diversity
After shameful research highlighted the woeful lack of diversity in the local government workforce, Nazeya Hussain and Chris Naylor challenge the sector to speed up the painfully slow progress being made.
We need diverse teams of decision makers
Kathy O 'Leary says 'there are people in our workforces and communities who need our advocacy, and we need to make a credible commitment to improvement, ensuring they are better represented and their voices are heard'.
The importance of Black History Month
Penna’s Dawar Hashmi offers a reflection on diversifying leadership in local government.
EXCLUSIVE: Planning and placemaking capacity struggle
Two out of three local authority planning and placemaking professionals believe their team does not have the capacity to meet their authority’s strategic objectives, according to a new survey.
Using the past to shape our future
The UK’s youngest city has provided many important historical examples of civic leadership and pioneering spirit, and as Kersten England explains, continuing this legacy and maintaining a modern shared vision is a responsibility Bradford welcomes.