Creating and Sustaining a Culture of Psychological Safety in Local Government

In today’s complex, high-pressure, and rapidly evolving public sector environment, psychological safety is not a luxury it’s a strategic imperative. For local government professionals, cultivating a workplace culture where individuals feel safe to speak up, take risks, admit mistakes, and express their authentic selves is essential to driving innovation, fostering inclusion, and safeguarding wellbeing. Local authorities are at the frontline of public service delivery. They operate under intense scrutiny, tight budgets, and rising community expectations. In such a context, psychological safety becomes the bedrock of effective leadership, collaborative problem-solving, and resilient teams.

What Is Psychological Safety and Why Does It Matter?

Psychological safety, a concept developed and popularised by Harvard Professor Amy Edmondson, refers to “a belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes.” It is the shared understanding within a team or organisation that interpersonal risk-taking such as challenging the status quo, admitting errors, or offering dissenting views is not only tolerated but actively encouraged.

In local government, where decisions directly impact communities and where trust, transparency, and accountability are paramount, psychological safety enables:

• Better decision-making through open dialogue

  When staff feel safe to voice concerns or offer alternative perspectives, decisions are more robust, inclusive, and reflective of diverse viewpoints.

  
  

• Increased innovation by encouraging experimentation

  Innovation thrives in environments where people are not afraid to fail. Psychological safety allows teams to test new ideas, iterate, and learn without fear of blame.

  
  

• Improved staff wellbeing and retention

  Employees who feel heard and valued are more likely to be engaged, resilient, and committed to their roles. This reduces burnout and turnover critical in a sector facing recruitment and retention challenges.

  
  

• Greater inclusion for neurodiverse and marginalised employees

  Psychological safety is a cornerstone of inclusive workplaces. It ensures that individuals from all backgrounds, including those with neurodivergent traits, feel respected and empowered to contribute fully.

“When people feel psychologically safe, they are more engaged, more creative, and more committed to their organisation’s mission.” Amy Edmondson, The Fearless Organisation

The Local Government Context

Unlike many private sector organisations, local authorities are mission-driven. Their purpose is to serve the public good, often in challenging circumstances. Yet, the hierarchical nature of many councils, combined with political sensitivities and risk aversion, can stifle open communication and innovation.

Psychological safety offers a pathway to transform organisational culture from one of compliance and caution to one of curiosity, courage, and collaboration. It empowers staff at all levels to contribute ideas, raise concerns, and challenge assumptions without fear of reprisal. This is especially vital in multidisciplinary teams, where housing officers, planners, social workers, and finance professionals must collaborate across boundaries. Psychological safety ensures that no voice is lost and that diverse expertise is harnessed to solve complex problems.

The Evidence: Why Psychological Safety Works

Psychological safety is not just a feel-good concept it’s backed by robust evidence across sectors, including the public sector. When employees feel safe to speak up, challenge ideas, and admit mistakes without fear of embarrassment or retaliation, performance improves across the board.

• CIPD (2022) found that 74% of UK employees who feel psychologically safe report high job satisfaction. This correlates strongly with lower absenteeism, higher engagement, and better retention.

• Google’s Project Aristotle a multi-year study of team effectiveness revealed that psychological safety was the single most important factor in high-performing teams, even more than technical expertise or team structure.

• McKinsey & Company research shows that organisations with high psychological safety are:

  • 27% more likely to be innovative

  • 50% more likely to retain top talent

  • 76% more likely to engage employees in continuous improvement

• In the UK public sector, psychological safety is increasingly recognised as a driver of transformation. A 2023 NHS England report linked psychological safety to improved patient outcomes, reduced staff burnout, and better cross-functional collaboration.

• The Local Government Association (LGA) has highlighted psychological safety as a key enabler of inclusive leadership and effective scrutiny, particularly in politically sensitive environments.

“Psychological safety is the glue that holds high-performing teams together. Without it, innovation stalls, trust erodes, and people disengage.” Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)

How to Create Psychological Safety in Local Government

Creating psychological safety is not a one-off initiative it’s a cultural shift that requires sustained leadership commitment, structural support, and behavioural change. Here are five key strategies tailored to the local government context:

1. Model Vulnerability and Openness

Senior leaders and managers must demonstrate that it’s acceptable to not have all the answers. By sharing their own mistakes, asking for feedback, and inviting challenge, they signal that learning and growth are valued over perfection.

• In council cabinet meetings or directorate briefings, leaders can start by acknowledging uncertainties or lessons learned.

• This sets the tone for transparency and encourages others to speak up.

2. Encourage Inclusive Dialogue

Psychological safety thrives in environments where every voice matters. Councils should create structured opportunities for staff to contribute ideas, raise concerns, and share lived experiences.

• Use roundtables, listening sessions, and anonymous feedback tools.

• Ensure representation from underrepresented groups, including neurodiverse staff, ethnic minorities, and frontline workers.

Tip: Consider establishing a “Speak Up Week” or “Ideas Lab” to normalise open dialogue across departments.

3. Respond Constructively to Risk-Taking

When staff take initiative or raise concerns, the response matters. If they’re met with defensiveness or silence, trust erodes. If they’re thanked even when the idea isn’t implemented trust grows.

• Celebrate experimentation and learning from failure.

• Avoid punitive responses to honest mistakes.

“Reward the behaviour, not just the outcome. That’s how you build a culture of courage.”

4. Train Managers in Empathetic Leadership

Line managers are the linchpin of psychological safety. Yet many lack the training to support mental health, neurodiversity, or inclusive communication.

• Provide coaching skills, emotional intelligence training, and awareness of hidden disabilities.

• Equip managers to spot signs of distress and respond with empathy.

Only 29% of UK organisations currently train managers to support mental health this is a critical gap in local government.

5. Embed Psychological Safety in Policy

To make psychological safety sustainable, it must be embedded in organisational systems and values.

• Include it in performance frameworks, induction programmes, and leadership competencies.

• Measure it through staff surveys, exit interviews, and wellbeing audits.

Councils can align psychological safety with their Employee Value Proposition (EVP), showing staff that wellbeing and voice are central to the organisational culture.

Challenges and How to Overcome Them

Creating psychological safety in local government is both essential and complex. Councils operate within layered hierarchies, political sensitivities, and legacy cultures that can make change difficult. Below are three common challenges and how forward-thinking authorities can overcome them.

Challenge: Hierarchical Structures

Local government is often characterised by formal hierarchies, rigid reporting lines, and bureaucratic decision-making. Staff may hesitate to speak up due to perceived power imbalances, fear of undermining authority, or concern about “stepping out of line.” This is particularly true in environments where elected members and officers work closely together, and where scrutiny and governance processes can feel intimidating to junior staff.

How to overcome it: Flatten communication channels wherever possible. Create cross-level forums where staff from different grades and departments can collaborate on shared challenges such as innovation labs, service improvement panels, or cross-functional working groups. Empower staff networks, such as those focused on neurodiversity, LGBTQ+ inclusion, or wellbeing, to act as safe spaces for dialogue and advocacy. Digital platforms like Yammer, MS Teams, or anonymous suggestion tools can also help facilitate upward feedback in a non-threatening way.

One London borough, for example, introduced a reverse mentoring scheme where junior officers mentored senior leaders. This helped break down hierarchy, build empathy, and surface fresh perspectives.

Challenge: Fear of Repercussions

Even in well-intentioned organisations, staff may worry that speaking up could lead to negative consequences being labelled “difficult,” overlooked for promotion, or even facing disciplinary action. This fear is especially acute in whistleblowing scenarios or when challenging long-standing practices.

How to overcome it: Build trust through transparency and visible support. Establish clear, confidential reporting procedures for concerns, and ensure they are well-communicated and accessible. Celebrate examples of constructive challenge such as staff who raised issues that led to service improvements. Train leaders and managers to respond with curiosity rather than defensiveness when feedback is offered. This helps to normalise challenge as a healthy part of organisational learning.

Including psychological safety questions in staff surveys and publishing anonymised results can also demonstrate a genuine commitment to listening and improvement.

Challenge: Cultural Resistance

Some teams may view psychological safety as a “soft” concept or irrelevant to the hard realities of public service delivery. There may be scepticism about its value, especially in high-pressure services like housing, enforcement, or adult social care, where the focus is often on compliance, risk management, and statutory duties.

How to overcome it: Link psychological safety directly to performance outcomes. Demonstrate how it improves service quality for example, by reducing errors, enabling faster problem resolution, and increasing customer satisfaction. Use data to show impact, such as reduced sickness absence, improved retention, or higher engagement scores. Frame psychological safety as a leadership competency and a core enabler of effective governance, not just a wellbeing initiative.

Psychological safety is not about being soft it is about creating the conditions for accountability, learning, and continuous improvement. In a sector where public trust and service quality are paramount, it is a critical foundation for success.

Local Government in Action

While psychological safety is still an emerging concept in many councils, a growing number of local authorities are demonstrating leadership in embedding it into their organisational culture. These efforts are not only improving staff wellbeing but also enhancing service delivery, retention, and innovation.

Camden Council

Camden has embedded psychological safety into its leadership development programme, focusing on inclusive behaviours, active listening, and a feedback-rich culture. Leaders are trained to model vulnerability, invite challenge, and create space for diverse voices particularly from underrepresented groups. Since implementing these changes, Camden has reported improved staff engagement and a more inclusive working environment, contributing to a 12% increase in internal mobility and retention within key service areas.

Greater Manchester Combined Authority

GMCA uses peer coaching and reflective practice to build trust across departments. These methods allow staff to share experiences, learn from one another, and develop a deeper understanding of the emotional and relational dynamics that underpin effective collaboration. The authority has seen a 15% improvement in cross-departmental collaboration scores and a 9% reduction in voluntary turnover over two years.

Essex County Council

Essex has developed a comprehensive Wellbeing Strategy (2020–2025) that integrates psychological safety into its organisational development and people transformation agenda. The strategy includes leadership training, wellbeing champions, and a performance system that embeds wellbeing into everyday practice. According to internal surveys:

• 58% of staff feel satisfied with frameworks in place to manage wellbeing.

• 55% believe the council is good at promoting wellbeing.

• Essex has seen a 17% reduction in staff turnover in departments where psychological safety initiatives are embedded.

Fife Council

Fife takes a proactive and joined-up approach to employee wellbeing by raising awareness, offering mental health training, and promoting psychological safety through team-based interventions. Their efforts have led to improved morale and a 13% decrease in sickness absence, particularly in frontline services.

Southwark Council

Southwark has introduced “safe space” forums for staff to discuss workplace challenges anonymously. These sessions are facilitated by trained wellbeing leads and have helped surface issues that were previously hidden. Since launching the initiative, Southwark has reported a 10% increase in staff satisfaction and a 7% improvement in retention among early-career professionals.

National Trends and Impact

A 2025 scoping review identified 61 active local government workplace health programmes across the UK, representing 21% of councils. These initiatives focus on general health, mental wellbeing, and psychological safety. However, regional disparities persist, with Southern England leading provision and other areas lagging behind.

The same review found that:

• Stress, anxiety, and depression account for 49% of work-related ill health in UK councils.

• 17.1 million working days were lost in 2022/23 due to mental health-related absence.

• Councils with embedded wellbeing strategies reported:

  • Up to 20% improvement in staff engagement

  • 15% reduction in turnover

  • 18% increase in internal promotions and career progression

Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR)

The OSR has publicly endorsed psychological safety as a foundation for improving data quality and organisational culture. Their refreshed Code of Practice encourages statistical leaders to create safe environments for raising concerns and sharing ideas, reinforcing the link between psychological safety and public trust.

Local government is uniquely positioned to lead by example. By embedding psychological safety into leadership, HR practices, and service design, councils can create workplaces where staff thrive and where communities benefit from more responsive, resilient public services.

Final Thoughts

Psychological safety is the foundation of a resilient, inclusive, and high-performing local government workforce. It enables staff to bring their whole selves to work, to challenge constructively, and to innovate without fear. In a sector where public trust, accountability, and adaptability are critical, psychological safety is not a soft skill it is a strategic asset.

Creating this culture requires courage from leaders, commitment from managers, and trust from staff. It is not about being nice it is about being brave, honest, and human.

“In psychologically safe workplaces, people feel free to express themselves. That’s when real change happens.”  Matt Masters, Truth About Local Government podcast