Author Profile

Graeme McDonald

Graeme McDonald

Director of the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives

Articles by Graeme McDonald

Tackling local government's leadership paradoxes

By Graeme McDonald | 25 April 2023

With many councils set for 'another set of politically volatile elections', Graeme McDonald turns...

We want to cast our recruitment net wide

By Graeme McDonald | 14 March 2023

Too often, recruitment specifications are narrowly focused on local government achievements, says...

We need to think smarter about age

By Graeme McDonald | 01 February 2023

There is no silver bullet that will solve local government’s workforce challenges but thinking sm...

Finance reform is the Christmas present we need

By Graeme McDonald | 30 November 2022

Delays in financial settlements and an absence of multi-year settlements have some very real cost...

Doing the basics right and doing them well

By Graeme McDonald | 18 October 2022

Those present at the Solace Summit in Birmingham relayed a sense of remarkable resilience in the ...

Without a standards system with teeth there is little deterrent

By ByGraeme McDonald | 06 September 2022

The appointment of a new Government presents an opportunity to refocus and set higher expectation...

We need a diverse pool of talent bubbling through

By Graeme McDonald | 26 July 2022

As Solace continues to cast a spotlight on the lack of diversity among the senior management of l...

Pausing the graduate Fast-Stream scheme could provide a real opportunity

By Graeme McDonald | 14 June 2022

A recent announcement by the Government – to pause the graduate Fast-Stream recruitment scheme fo...

Government must rethink its approach to poor governance and behaviour in councils

By Graeme McDonald | 04 May 2022

Solace supports all of the Committee on Standards in Public Life report's recommendations on stan...

Helping highly vulnerable families to recover, rebuild their lives here, and thrive

By Graeme McDonald | 22 March 2022

Implementing and delivering the Government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme will require more than just...