Before afternoon coffee, Michael Burton, the Editor of the Municipal Journal, chaired a panel of distinguished individuals from across the East of England and a representative of the event's sponsors, PWC. The full panel was:
- Cllr Jill Tuck, Cambridgeshire County Council
- Cllr Richard Stay, Central Bedfordshire Council
- Joanna Killian, Essex County Council
- Andrea Hill, Suffolk County Council
- Trevor Holden, Breckland District Council
- Andrew Ford, PWC
The first debate was about how to secure some short-term gains from the Total Place-type work going on across the region.
Secondly, the panel turned their attention to whether it will be possible to engage the whole of central government with locality-led initiatives like Total Place.
Next up was a discussion about the need for workforce development to change to reflect the increased need to work across organisational boundaries. There was a suggestion that the "improvement bodies" for different parts of the public sector (like Improvement East) need to work better together. One speaker suggested that current skill levels are not fit for purpose for the challenges we face.
In response to audience questions panelists talked about the need to invest in staff development and to use "bright sparks" to help drive change. The importance of politicians providing strategic leadership was emphasised, as was the role of the voluntary and community sector. Supporting more risk-taking and being supportive when it goes wrong was stressed.
The risk of councils holding back Total Place by talking of "getting control" was highlighted. The debate should be about "collective influence" over resources and services.
A good session. Well done to the panel.
No comments:
Post a Comment