It was the kind of million miles an hour day we all experience in today's local government world, when I got the email from my assistant chief executive asking if I would consider entering the Local Government Challenge.

I started my local government career quite late, not getting going until 2009 when Cornwall Council formed. The pace of change and amount of improvement we were making gave my professional development a violent shove, and within a short amount of time I knew a career in the public sector was what I wanted to pursue.