In this article, originally published in The MJ, Max Wide explores the leadership choices posed by reorganisation and reflects on how collaboration, cultural integration and private sector insights can help shape future-ready councils. The bids are in. Web channels...
A case study on how the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire VCSE Alliance is finding voice, influence and stronger partnerships across health and care. What did the work set out to achieve? The BNSSG VCSE Alliance Leadership Programme set out to...
Boosting Middle Leaders is a practical leadership development programme run in collaboration with the Local Government Association and designed to strengthen both the capacity of, and connection between, councillors and officers from across the country. Now in its...
Now should be the time to reflect, learn and proceed with insight and refreshed practices if the new strategic authorities and the ingenuity of their leaders are to get off to a solid start, writes Max Wide. It has been 14 years since the first strategic authority was...
We recently brought together a Community of Practice on Place - a collective of leaders working in local systems, exploring what it means to lead for place when place itself is changing shape. Not simply a geographic label, place was understood as emotional,...
It’s a pretty punishing time, some might say ‘impossible’ moment to be a leader in local government. As the demands on public services intensify — with rising inequality, fractured social trust, and complex place-based challenges — the resources to meet them continue...
As the conversation around devolution and local government reform sharpens, the tension between centralisation and meaningful local autonomy is more palpable than ever. Councils across the country are navigating expansion, mergers, and restructuring - all while...
On 18 June 2025, we welcomed friends, partners and collaborators to the BT Tower in London to mark a significant milestone: 21 years of the Leadership Centre. Over two decades, we've had the privilege of working alongside leaders across public services, local...
Writing for the Leadership Centre are devolution experts (pictured left to right) Cllr Ruth Dombey OBE, Toby Savage and Elise Wilson. Ruth is the former Liberal Democrat Leader of Sutton Borough Council and a member of the Committee on Standards in Public Life. Toby...
The Leadership Centre’s flagship programme, Future Vision, has long stood as a beacon for senior leaders navigating the complexities of public service. Since its inception in 2012, the programme has continually adapted to meet the dynamic challenges faced by leaders...