The State of Leadership in Local Government
Effective leadership and management significantly impact public sector performance, including in local government. This report, leveraging insights from an expert roundtable, recent survey data, and case studies, delves into the performance and challenges of leadership and management in local government.
Research reveals that while local government leaders recognise the crucial role of leadership quality in organisational success, only 67% deem their senior leadership effective. Other key challenges identified were low morale, limited performance management and inadequate recruitment, with only 45% of leaders feeling confident in their organisation's ability to attract talent.
The report proposes actionable recommendations and highlights four successful examples of organisations benefiting from strong leadership and management practices.
Key research findings
Only 67% think that senior leadership in their organisation is effective at ensuring the organisation succeeds, raising questions about how widespread good leadership is.
(University / Institute name go here)
Less than half (only 45%) of surveyed leaders and managers agreed that in 2022, the leadership in their council was effective at attracting talent.
(University / Institute name go here)
40% of leaders and managers said the senior leadership in their authority were poor at motivating staff or failed to do it at all.
(University / Institute name go here)
Only 44% think that their organisation is performing well in ensuring accountability for failure and just under a quarter (24%) think addressing staff underperformance is poor.
(University / Institute name go here)
Proposed Improvements
Focus on Management and Leadership
The Office for Local Government (Oflog) should prioritise leadership and management quality. Building an accurate picture of the current state and promoting the adoption of best practices can significantly improve leadership standards in local government.
10-year workforce strategy
The Department for Levelling-Up Housing and Communities (DLUHC) should collaborate with stakeholders to create a 10-year workforce strategy for local government. The strategy needs to include a funding increase for councils to improve recruitment and retention of staff across all levels.
Establish a leadership academy
To aid the development of leaders and managers, DLUHC should establish a leadership academy, so that all levels of management in local government can have access to consistent high quality leadership and management training.
Diversify the workforce
The workforce strategy should recognise the wealth of experience that can come from outside the local government. Introducing a direct entry system for experienced leaders seeking a career change can bring fresh perspectives from other industries.
Browse our Policy and Research Work
Autumn Budget 2024; CMI Submission
CMI’s representation to the UK Government’s 2024 Autumn Budget.
The Management Mission
CMI has partnered with the Social Market Foundation to examine the state of leadership & management.
Walking the walk?
This report identifies a critical yet overlooked factor for driving change: the role of managers.
Mission Possible – A plan for a stronger managed UK
Read CMI’s policy paper setting out key areas of challenge for a new government.