Becoming a Director of Policy in local government is a bold step into strategic leadership. This guide explores the essential skills you’ll need from political acuity to emotional intelligence and outlines what to prioritise in your first 100 days. With insights from senior officers and key statistics on sector challenges, it’s a practical roadmap for turning ambition into impact. Lead with clarity, compassion, and confidence.

Stepping into the role of DPH means leading with vision, navigating political complexity, and driving change across systems. This guide offers aspiring leaders a clear roadmap: the essential skills to develop, what to focus on in your first 100 days, and the common pitfalls to avoid. If you're ready to lead with courage, compassion, and clarity, this role might just be your calling.

Being a Director of Children’s Services is more than a job it’s a calling. You lead with purpose, shaping lives and safeguarding futures. As Yvette Stanley said, “Great leadership in children’s social care goes hand in hand with great social work. It’s a golden thread from the top of the department to the frontline.” If you’re ready to lead with courage, compassion, and clarity, then the future of children’s services might just be yours to shape.

The Head of Property role in local government is more than managing buildings it’s about shaping places, enabling services, and delivering public value. With estates worth hundreds of millions, strategic leadership is essential. From compliance and sustainability to stakeholder engagement and digital transformation, success demands vision, resilience, and collaboration. If you're ready to lead, ask: how can our estate better serve our people, our services, and our future?

The Director of Housing is one of the most influential roles in local government combining strategic leadership, technical compliance, and community impact. Success means mastering financial oversight, political navigation, and resident engagement, while avoiding pitfalls like rushed change and micromanagement. It’s not just about managing homes it’s about shaping lives with empathy, integrity, and purpose. Lead with confidence, grounded in truth and fairness.

The Director of HR in local government plays a vital role in shaping the future of public service. This is a leadership position that demands strategic thinking, emotional intelligence, and a deep understanding of workforce transformation. From using data to drive decisions to leading cultural change and championing inclusion, today’s HR leaders must be proactive, resilient, and people-focused. If you are ready to lead with purpose, this could be your next great chapter.

Public procurement now accounts for nearly a third of UK public spending, placing Directors of Procurement at the heart of public service delivery. With the Procurement Act 2023 in force, councils need leaders who combine strategic insight, commercial acumen, and a commitment to transparency and social value. This blog explores the skills needed to succeed, what to prioritise from day one, and the common pitfalls to avoid offering a roadmap for those ready to lead procurement

Digital transformation in local government is more than technology. It is a leadership challenge that demands bold thinking, inclusive design, and strategic vision. Directors of Technology must lead change that improves lives, from tackling legacy systems and building cyber resilience to driving data-led decisions and digital inclusion. With public expectations rising and satisfaction falling, the sector needs visionary leaders now more than ever.

Stepping into the role of a Section 151 Officer is one of the most significant transitions in local government. Drawing on insights from experienced S151s across the UK, this guide shares five timely lessons to help new and aspiring officers navigate political complexity, build resilience, and lead with confidence. It’s not a checklist it’s a companion for one of the most critical roles in public service.

In local government, we are rightly focused on seismic shifts reorganisation, devolution, funding formula changes, housing targets, and...

In the pursuit of truly inclusive public services, local authorities must confront a difficult but necessary truth: gender inequality is...

In local government, we pride ourselves on serving communities with integrity, professionalism, and respect. These values are not just...

In today’s local government landscape, leaders are navigating unprecedented levels of complexity, scrutiny, and change. From financial...

As we approach 2026, Chief Executives in local government are navigating one of the most complex and high-pressure environments in recent...

Local government is in the midst of profound change. Structural reforms, shifting governance models, and increasing pressure to deliver...

Section 114 notices are no longer rare events. As financial pressures mount across the local government sector from rising demand and...

In the complex and ever-evolving world of local government, one issue remains persistently under-addressed: the development of officers...

In recent months, headlines have spotlighted the age of local government leaders both officers and elected members. But this fixation on...

In local government, where the pressure to deliver is relentless and the political landscape is often complex and contested, the...

We throw around the phrase “future ready”  a lot in local government. It appears in strategies, transformation plans, and funding bids....