Title

PODCASTS

Inside the Local Authority of the Year

Back in June, Knowsley Council was named 'Local Authority of the Year' award at The MJ Awards. In this episode of podcast Our World is Local hosts Nick Kilby and Heather James speak to Knowsley chief Mike Harden.

Back in June, Knowsley Council was named  'Local Authority of the Year' award at The MJ Awards. In this episode of podcast Our World is Local hosts Nick Kilby and Heather James speak to Knowsley chief Mike Harden. 

Mike's career in local government spans almost 40 years - 28 of them at Knowsley. He talks about the culture and achievements that made the council award-winning. Mike will be retiring from his position at the end of 2024, and will be doing so on an incredibly high note!

Hosted by Cratus Group CEO Nick Kilby and the Editor of The MJ, Heather Jameson, the ‘Our World is Local' podcast is a space to learn about the key figures in local government, highlighting the tremendous work they do for the communities they serve. 

You can listen to the previous episodes ⁠⁠on Spotify  and wherever else you listen to your podcasts.

PODCASTS

A betrayal to faithful financing

By Heather Jameson | 28 November 2025

Asking local government reorganisation areas to divvy up their finances between themselves is something akin to expecting honesty in a game show based on bet...

PODCASTS

Rachel Reeves: The Queen of fiscal drag

By Mike Emmerich | 28 November 2025

The chancellor may have done respectably on putting the public finances on a more secure long-term footing, but her measures do little to stem Britain’s post...

PODCASTS

The Recovery Grant: a vital tool to rebuild local communities

By Cllr Sir Stephen Houghton | 28 November 2025

Overall, the Government’s local government finance reforms appear to be a positive step forward on the path to a fairer future for councils, says Cllr Sir St...

PODCASTS

Counting care costs

By Ann McGauran | 27 November 2025

Councils continue to face steep rises in the cost of care in both children and adult services. As social care chiefs gather this week for the National Childr...