Following Angela Raynor's speech last month, it feels like every day someone is spotting something new or having a different take on something we thought we had figured out. There have been phone calls aplenty behind the scenes, picking apart the timelines and annexes of the correspondence that followed the launch of the Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) and devolution process. The sector's WhatsApp channels haven't stopped buzzing.

What is clear is that this government has called our bluff – wanting us to ‘be the driving force behind transforming the lives of your communities'. Details aside, what we can't debate is that this is a once in a lifetime chance to set things up differently for the next generation – surely what we all want as public servants? Whichever of the four options prescribed by government you are going with, the multiple conversations that you're having with other authorities will all lead towards something that will be a game changer for local people.

As a former civil servant, I can attest to the inner workings of Westminster; this is a major programme, and I suspect there will be one hell of a spreadsheet managing the various criteria behind the LGR submissions that go in this year. Amid the machinery of chaos, the secretary of state has set out a clear direction; this is the biggest transfer of power out of Westminster to England's regions this century. Reform is underway and all roads lead to devolution.

What civil servants can't, and shouldn't focus on, is what the outcomes for local people could look like. Sure, they will want to see what things look like for national priorities – housebuilding, the economy etc – but what about the stark inequality we see every day to which reorganisation could really make a difference? That's up to us to do locally – and do it well, so that our communities stand a chance of connecting with these changes, not just allowing them to pass by.

From our conversations with council leaders over the past few months, we believe there are three big things that we need to pay attention to now to get things right in years to come: capacity, community and collective leadership.

Capacity

One of my fears with reorganisation is we may be in danger of thinking a structural answer will solve a cultural challenge. We still need to be in a transformation and innovation mindset to fix the challenges of failing public services – all this while our capacity to meet rising demand pressures, close that ever-looming budget gap and prepare for regulatory scrutiny feels more stretched than ever.

We will need to find ways to continue with business as usual while we transition to new entities. What new and additional capabilities might be needed as we move towards larger, strategic authorities? How can we find room to do the messy work of bringing people together and creating the capacity that's needed to design well thought out transitions?

Community

How can we best convene members, staff, communities, businesses and partners and involve them in the process of building the proposals that will be submitted in the autumn? This will lay foundations for the strong partnerships that will be needed when it comes to transition.

Whether you're in the Devolution Priority Programme or not, the roadmap is clear; LGR is the route to devolution, and we need our communities to be part of the design and understand what this means for them.

Collective leadership

I hope we can come together through the power of collective leadership, using LGR as a lever to innovate and join forces.

But as we press ahead with getting the job done, it's important to reflect on where we have been. There are lessons to be learned across the country from councils that have gone through reorganisation because of financial challenges or failures in the two-tier system. We need to hear from those running unitary authorities and listen carefully to the lessons now they are on the other side.

We have the opportunity to boldly design a different framework for reorganisation; one that isn't based on failure. While it seems daunting right now, next year we get to focus on designing the what and the how. Government, it appears, is interested in the why and when. What can we do now to ensure innovative approaches remain at the heart of these new organisations; taking the hyper local knowledge of our towns, parishes, districts and boroughs and the market shaping forces of larger authorities? How can we continue to govern the best use of digital technology, community participation and keep a relentless focus on outcomes? And how can we come together as a group of passionate leaders to answer our own exam question for what devolution needs to look and feel like for our communities.

Once the submissions are in and decisions are made later this year, the work really begins to design organisations and services that truly meet the needs of our communities and how we collectively represent ourselves to government matters. Let's not make quiet of the work ahead.

 

Emma McGowan is a Director at Roretti