The unpredictability of Westminster politics means that as we head into a key phase of local government reorganisation, we do so unexpectedly, with a new secretary of state.
While the name behind the ministerial desk may have changed, it would be surprising if the Government's priorities of simplification, efficiency and accountability were to shift.
What is less certain is what will happen to our people. This question is critical because it is talent that powers public services and, ultimately, decides whether reorganisation succeeds or fails.
We may not have a crystal ball to look ahead to how people will feel in 2027 after two years of uncertainty, but history gives us some clues.
Instead of different institutions ‘owning' an issue, we must treat cross-sector collaboration as the ultimate talent development opportunity. Rather than each council, NHS trust, or police force desperately trying to retain ‘their' people, we could create structured regional pathways that let talented individuals build varied, challenging careers across the entire public sector.
With every previous wave of reorganisation, talent has left. Senior leaders take the opportunity to move on, those already considering private sector opportunities leave, and a portion of the newest entrants conclude they have joined at the wrong time. Disruption unsettles people at every stage of their career and the result is a drain of capability and knowledge just when it is needed most. That is before you count the damage to talent attraction. Reorganisation doesn't just make it harder to keep good people, it makes it harder to recruit new ones.
If we are to meet the great people challenge that lies over the horizon we need an organising philosophy for local government reorganisation that focuses on talent.
That means making reorganisation a reason for talented people to stay with us and come on our future journey.
If there is one thing we know from change in the sector over the past 15 years, it is that this will not happen by accident. Nor will it happen if we simply replicate existing service functions and lift and shift job families into an organisation with a new name on the door. The answer lies in thinking about talent development beyond organisational boundaries.
Instead of different institutions ‘owning' an issue, we must treat cross-sector collaboration as the ultimate talent development opportunity. Rather than each council, NHS trust, or police force desperately trying to retain ‘their' people, we could create structured regional pathways that let talented individuals build varied, challenging careers across the entire public sector.
If a professional can start in local government, move to health commissioning and then to blue light services, all while staying committed to public service, imagine the gains in culture, insight and knowledge of how a place works.
I saw first-hand how the Greater Essex approach showed what becomes possible when leaders park their i The unpredictability of Westminster politics means that as we head into a key phase of local government reorganisation, we do so unexpectedly, with a new secretary of state.
While the name behind the ministerial desk may have changed, it would be surprising if the Government's priorities of simplification, efficiency and accountability were to shift.
What is less certain is what will happen to our people. This question is critical because it is talent that powers public services and, ultimately, decides whether reorganisation succeeds or fails.
We may not have a crystal ball to look ahead to how people will feel in 2027 after two years of uncertainty, but history gives us some clues.
Instead of different institutions ‘owning' an issue, we must treat cross-sector collaboration as the ultimate talent development opportunity. Rather than each council, NHS trust, or police force desperately trying to retain ‘their' people, we could create structured regional pathways that let talented individuals build varied, challenging careers across the entire public sector.
With every previous wave of reorganisation, talent has left. Senior leaders take the opportunity to move on, those already considering private sector opportunities leave, and a portion of the newest entrants conclude they have joined at the wrong time. Disruption unsettles people at every stage of their career and the result is a drain of capability and knowledge just when it is needed most. That is before you count the damage to talent attraction. Reorganisation doesn't just make it harder to keep good people, it makes it harder to recruit new ones.
If we are to meet the great people challenge that lies over the horizon we need an orga nstitutional egos and create opportunities for people to work where their skills can have maximum impact, not just where their contracts happen to sit.
When talented professionals can see the whole system – understanding how housing affects health, how policing connects to social care, how education shapes economic development – they become more effective at solving the wicked problems that span boundaries.
A talent drain is not inevitable: it is a choice. And the only way we make local government reorganisation work in our favour is to ask: ‘What can we do to make reorganisation the reason talented people want to stay?'
This requires new and deliberate choices about how we design roles, careers and development pathways which look different from what we do today.
It means designing careers and services around places and outcomes, rather than departmental or public service silos. Job descriptions need to change to span boundaries and tackle cross-cutting challenges. We will continue to need technical expertise, but not without people who can think systemically and work collaboratively across organisations.
Instead of development programmes that deepen specialisation within departmental silos, we need structured placements or rotations that build understanding of how the whole public sector works.
This requires a fundamental rethink in how we approach workforce planning during reorganisation. Rather than each organisation protecting its own talent pool, regional partnerships need to plan collectively for the skills and capabilities the whole area needs. This requires genuine collaboration between local authorities, health systems, police, fire services and other public bodies to create shared talent strategies, rather than competing for the same people.
At leadership level, the question should be: ‘Are we creating the kind of careers that make talented people excited about public service?' If the answer is ‘no', then we have got it wrong.
And none of this happens without systematic change to the way we organise our leaders and our people. I have argued for HR to be at the top table among the statutory roles – to move from the golden triangle to a golden square that includes people strategy as a core function. If we are serious about talent and people, this reorganisation is when we must make this happen.
Without a strategic focus on ensuring talented people stay and leaders measure up to the new challenges, even well-intentioned reorganisation will drift back toward familiar institutional patterns.
All of this requires patience. Building regional talent pipelines takes time, as does developing cross-sector relationships, creating cultures that value collaboration over competition.
And so, patience is a driver of success, not an obstacle to it. The alternative – quick restructures and rapid savings – creates the instability that drives talent away.
When the reality of local government reorganisation hits home, I believe people will follow the opportunities we design for them. That means it is really based on the intent we have today.
It is also worth stepping back and considering that what is at stake is not just the success of reorganisation in a single city or region.
The way we confront the challenges of local government reorganisation and how we emerge on the other side will tell us a lot about the ability of public sector organisations to evolve and how well they can meet the needs of the citizens who use their services.
We know from experience more reorganisations will follow, so let us try now to do something different, something we know will make a difference.
If we fail, we will be back again in five years' time asking the same questions about where our talent has gone, with even fewer good people left to answer the question.
Pam Parkes is president of the Public Services People Managers Association (PPMA)
