Our World Is Local

This episode is the first in a series of on-location special dispatches from the party conferences. In Bournemouth this weekend (22/09-26/09) Cratus spoke to key decision-makers as the Liberal Democrats determined some key policies in what could possibly be their last conference before the General Election.

Account Manager Charlie Murphy spoke to the following figures in the party during this episode:

• Tim Farron MP, former leader and Member of Parliament for Westmorland and Lonsdale
• Cllr Bobby Dean, candidate for the key target seat of Carshalton and Wallington
• Wera Hobhouse MP, Member of Parliament for Bath
• Wendy Chamberlain MP, Chief Whip in the Commons and Member of Parliament for North East Fife
• Christine Jardine MP, Member of Parliament for Edinburgh West
• Cllr Paul Kohler, candidate for the key target seat of Wimbledon
• Jane Dodds MS, Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats and Senedd Member for Mid and West Wales
• Baroness Pinnock, Lords Spokesperson for Levelling Up, Communities and Local Government
• Lisa Smart, candidate for the key target seat of Hazel Grove

The Liberal Democrats feel they are on the up and ready to retake the role of the third major party in British politics. At this conference, we saw them start to carve out a feel for what their pitch might be at the next General Election with new policy on housing, period poverty, integrity in public life and fast fashion. Party Leader Ed Davey focused his time directing fire at the Conservatives, pledging to "tear down" the blue wall. The Leader's Speech included a strong focus on health, particularly on a new 2-month guarantee around cancer treatment on the NHS.

Notably, the leadership was defeated on housing policy by a coalition of members led by the youth wing, Young Liberals, who successfully fought to retain the 380,000 homes per year target the party has in place.

Following a hectic few days in Bournemouth, our attention now turns to Manchester for the Conservative Party Conference which is kicking off this Sunday, and we will be bringing you even more reactions from more party members.

Hosted by Cratus Group Executive Chairman Nick Kilby and the Editor of The MJ, Heather Jameson, the ‘Our World is Local’ podcast is a space to learn about the key figures in local government, highlighting the tremendous work they do for the communities they serve. You can listen to the previous episodes ⁠here⁠.

You can listen to the previous episodes ⁠⁠on Spotify here⁠ and wherever else you listen to your podcasts.

For this episode of 'Our World is Local', Nick Kilby (Cratus) and Heather Jameson (The MJ) are joined by not one, but two special guests.

Chief Executive of Tewkesbury Borough Council, Alistair Cunningham OBE and Cratus' very own Head of Advisory, Charlotte Platten, join Nick and Heather as we look at the relationship between council officers and their members, from two very different perspectives.

Alistair delves into the details about his journey in local government which has seen him serve as Joint Chief Executive at Wiltshire Council, where he played an instrumental role in the reconstruction and clean-up of sites that had been decontaminated amid the Novichok poisoning in 2018, before coming out of retirement to take up his current role in Tewkesbury.

Charlotte then makes her podcasting debut and joins the discussion equipped with the findings of Cratus' recent insight report, 'Council visioning and communications – a study on high performance' which is available to download here. Charlotte and Heather explore the key aspects of the report and get stuck into the challenges that persist within member-officer relationships.

Hosted by Cratus CEO Nick Kilby and the Editor of The MJ, Heather Jameson, the ‘Our World is Local’ podcast is a space to learn about the key figures in local government, highlighting the tremendous work they do for the communities they serve. You can listen to the previous episodes here.

Hosted by Cratus Group Executive Chairman Nick Kilby and the Editor of The MJ, Heather Jameson, the ‘Our World is Local’ podcast is a space to learn about the key figures in local government, highlighting the tremendous work they do for the communities they serve. You can listen to the previous episodes ⁠here⁠.

You can listen to the previous episodes ⁠⁠on Spotify here⁠ and wherever else you listen to your podcasts.

For this latest episode of 'Our World is Local', Nick Kilby (Cratus) and Heather Jameson (The Municipal Journal) are joined by the Chief Executive of the award-winning Barnsley Council, Sarah Norman.

Barnsley Council made history and became the first authority to win two of the most prestigious awards in local government in the same year; the Local Government Chronicle's Council of the Year, and Authority of the Year at the MJ Awards.

In this conversation, Sarah talks about the recent transformation in Barnsley and how the town has adapted in the years leading up to its recent award success. The regeneration and investment within Barnsley has been underpinned by evidence-based research that has resulted in an impressive increase in footfall despite budgetary constraints.

Hosted by Cratus Group Executive Chairman Nick Kilby and the Editor of The MJ, Heather Jameson, the ‘Our World is Local’ podcast is a space to learn about the key figures in local government, highlighting the tremendous work they do for the communities they serve. You can listen to the previous episodes ⁠here⁠.

You can listen to the previous episodes ⁠⁠on Spotify here⁠ and wherever else you listen to your podcasts.

It's the Local Government Association (LGA) Conference week and the whole sector convenes in Bournemouth for the biggest event on the local government calendar. Last week, Nick and Heather were joined on the podcast by the new Chair of the LGA and Leader of Telford and Wrekin Council, Councillor Shaun Davies. 

In this special episode of Our World is Local, Cllr Davies sets out what he would like to achieve in his new role, and calls upon local government to devise a new bill known as the Local Government Act 2025 while advocating for an increased level of collaboration between his colleagues in order to address the fundamental issues affecting people.

Hosted by Cratus Group Executive Chairman Nick Kilby and the Editor of The MJ, Heather Jameson, the ‘Our World is Local’ podcast is a space to learn about the key figures in local government, highlighting the tremendous work they do for the communities they serve. You can listen to the previous episodes ⁠here⁠.

You can listen to the previous episodes ⁠⁠on Spotify here⁠ and wherever else you listen to your podcasts.

In this latest episode of Our World Is Local, Nick and Heather take a look at the state of play in local government following from last month's Local Elections, discussing everything from coalitions to tactical voting.

The pair are also joined by the newly elected Leader of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, Councillor Vikki Slade, for a conversation about the positive opportunities that 'No Overall Control' can lead to as well as the importance of productive collaboration within administrations.

Hosted by Cratus Group Executive Chairman Nick Kilby and the Editor of The MJ, Heather Jameson, the ‘Our World is Local’ podcast is a space to learn about the key figures in local government, highlighting the tremendous work they do for the communities they serve. You can listen to the previous episodes ⁠here⁠.

You can listen to the previous episodes ⁠⁠on Spotify here⁠ and wherever else you listen to your podcasts.

For this special episode, Nick Kilby and Heather Jameson were joined by two guests ahead of the 2023 Local Elections next week.

Firstly, the pair spoke to Trevor Holden of Broadland District and South Norfolk Councils - whose appearance on YouTube as 'T-Dawg', rapping to raise awareness of the new voter ID requirements. Trevor talks about the effectiveness of this campaign and his experiences of election days.

Cratus' own Duncan Flynn then joins to give some insights and analysis ahead of the election. He talks about the Conservative's potential vulnerability in the Home Counties and outlines some key areas for Labour to assert themselves as the next government in-waiting.

Hosted by Cratus Group Executive Chairman Nick Kilby and the Editor of The MJ, Heather Jameson, the ‘Our World is Local’ podcast is a space to learn about the key figures in local government, highlighting the tremendous work they do for the communities they serve. You can listen to the previous episodes ⁠here⁠.

You can listen to the previous episodes ⁠⁠on Spotify here⁠ and wherever else you listen to your podcasts.

In this episode, Nick and Heather are joined by the Chief Executive of Staffordshire County Council, John Henderson CB. Ahead of his departure from the role later this year, John provides an in-depth reflection on his remarkable transition from the military into local government, and the transferable nature of his leadership skills.

Hosted by Cratus Group Executive Chairman Nick Kilby and the Editor of The MJ, Heather Jameson, the ‘Our World is Local’ podcast is a space to learn about the key figures in local government, highlighting the tremendous work they do for the communities they serve. You can listen to the previous episodes ⁠here⁠.

You can listen to the previous episodes ⁠⁠on Spotify here⁠ and wherever else you listen to your podcasts.

Cllr Abi Brown, the Leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council, talks to Nick and Heather about the challenges of leading one of our major cities, the future of Stoke-on-Trent and the importance of culture in creating a sense of place. 

Hosted by Cratus Group Executive Chairman Nick Kilby and the Editor of The MJ, Heather Jameson, the ‘Our World is Local’ podcast is a space to learn about the key figures in local government, highlighting the tremendous work they do for the communities they serve. You can listen to the previous episodes ⁠here⁠.

You can listen to the previous episodes ⁠⁠on Spotify here⁠ and wherever else you listen to your podcasts.

This episode touches on different subjects that are trending in the world of local government, including Levelling Up London, transportation,  the local government's role in the health sector and the upcoming election.

We are joined by Julian Bell, a Cratus Associate and former council Leader of the London Borough of Ealing.

Hosted by Cratus Group Executive Chairman Nick Kilby and the Editor of The MJ, Heather Jameson, the ‘Our World is Local’ podcast is a space to learn about the key figures in local government, highlighting the tremendous work they do for the communities they serve. You can listen to the previous episodes ⁠here⁠.

You can listen to the previous episodes ⁠⁠on Spotify here⁠ and wherever else you listen to your podcasts.

Heather is joined by Local Government Association chairman Cllr James Jamieson to talk about how councils fared in Jeremy Hunt’s Autumn Statement. Has the new Chancellor done enough to keep councils afloat? Tune in to find out......

Hosted by Cratus Group Executive Chairman Nick Kilby and the Editor of The MJ, Heather Jameson, the ‘Our World is Local’ podcast is a space to learn about the key figures in local government, highlighting the tremendous work they do for the communities they serve. You can listen to the previous episodes ⁠here⁠.

You can listen to the previous episodes ⁠⁠on Spotify here⁠ and wherever else you listen to your podcasts.