‘If you could wave a magic wand, what one law or change would you want the Government to make, and why?' My leader was keen to ask this question of all shortlisted candidates for the four strategic director roles we are half-way through filling.

Following a Local Government Association (LGA) Corporate Peer Challenge earlier in the year, many hours of discussion and a carefully crafted restructure report, we are close to completing Peer Challenge recommendation 1: creating the strategic leadership capacity to take the council from good to great and become an ‘exemplar leader of place'.