We're into the second month of a new year - one which marks the passing of the first quarter of the 21st century - and as usual it's the time to check in on our list of resolutions.
The recent policy blitz from ministers suggest a government in a hurry with their own list of resolutions stacking up – the English Devolution White Paper and local government reform, the mission-rich industrial strategy, and the review of social care. The list continues with NHS reform and wider public service reform too including mining the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to boost growth. This is a list ministers hope won't fall away as the daily grind of governing plays out, especially with advice on whether it's too much ‘plan' and not enough ‘for change' coming from some including from quite a geographical distance!
In response and alongside this, we in local government too will be in a rush with our resolutions. The creation of new devolution deals, the march of the combined authority and, even in places where devolution isn't propelling a change in structure, a set of national ‘missions' and local expectations to meet means a busy start to the year of planning and delivery in town halls. This is against a backdrop of a public who are both restless for change and keen to see basic improvements in their public realm at a very local level. All underpinned by a financial environment that remains at best uncertain beyond March 2026 and at worst extremely challenging as the work on the spending review churns through until spring.
From a leadership perspective all of this speaks to an older, rather than new, resolution with the Government's plan for change accelerating the shift to place-based leadership underpinned by stronger assurance and assessment where accountability is both simplified (with Mayoral authorities taking responsibility for housing, planning, transport and employment and skills etc.) and magnified (with the roll out of integrated financial settlements, starting in areas like Manchester and the West Midlands, and the white paper's long term ambition to align public service boundaries, including job centres, police, probation, fire and health).
Collaboration and nuance rather than command and control will be the order of the day. Senior officers across partners in a place will need to skilfully and adeptly negotiate a more complex system of governance, geography and partnerships to create impactful delivery plans that meet, and exceed, a public sceptical that government (whether local, regional or national) is working for them and making a tangible improvement to their day to day lives.
In all of this, and possibly because we have now passed a whole quarter of this century, there is something of a back to the future moment i.e. a focus on outcomes not outputs, total place budgeting and embracing advanced technology (this time through AI) to drive public service reform.
But the one constant is that local government, at whatever level and scale, remains at the heart of delivery for national growth and the missions-led approach to succeed. As exemplified in recent comments from the LGA chair, it is the local that still matters the most whatever structure or boundary is drawn on the map. In fact. the emphasis on local delivery will sustain and accelerate local government reform as new models of combined authorities think carefully about how they bring the local voice and place into shaping future direction, priorities and plans for the future.
In my previous authority with partners and residents we co-designed a bold and long term strategy for our place looking at how the borough would look and feel by 2030. A good home, safe and people friendly streets, ensuring residents benefit from an inclusive and growing economy and giving young people a good start in life especially so in the youngest years, were among resident's priorities for how we together live a good life. What also came through, like so many places across the country, was the need for a good quality public realm with basic services delivered consistently well and with humanity and care. It is this focus on how communities feel the beneficial impact and have a good quality local experience that will be true test of whether devolution, or any aspects of wider reform, succeeds.
To succeed will mean senior leaders across the sector being true to the essence of what makes a great new year's resolution. Setting a clear plan, taking risks, confidently stepping into discomfort zones and sharing ground where it's sometimes difficult to do so, and together as a sector building, learning and growing with our partners, business and communities to deliver changes that improves lives. And how, through advanced technology including AI, we use and share our systems and data to properly track and assess the impact of devolution and service reform on our places. An impact and resolution which is about making our residents everyday life that bit better, that bit easier, and ultimately, a lot fairer. Let fortune favour the brave this year and make those resolutions worth sticking with.
Stephen Gaskell is the former assistant chief executive - strategy and communities, at Southwark LBC
