Public Sector Executive Podcast

On this week’s episode of Public Sector Voices we are joined by two key members of the National Association of Local Councils, Chief Executive, Jonathan Owen and Chair Sue Baxter.

NALC has been supporting town and parish councils since 1947, by lobbying Government, advising councils and improving and developing the sector, but their challenges now are perhaps greater than ever. 

Sue and Jonathan approach their roles from different angles giving a rounded account of the landscape of local councils, from their relationships with Ministers to local business owners.

With around 10,000 parish and town councils across England, their size, and diversity vary greatly, but the pandemic has shown that the importance of having these councillors on the ground, responding directly to the public is making the sector “as relevant as it has ever been, if not more than ever.”

The pandemic has accelerated what was already happening in the sector, which is that councils are doing much more, raising much more funds to support their local communities, getting involved in things they might not have got involved with in the past and Jonathan believes that local councillors should be at the centre of building back stronger and more resilient local communities.

Devolution, digital development and desires for a restructure, Jonathan and Sue covering everything from the perspective of the first tier of local government. 

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On this week’s episode of Public Sector Voices we are joined by Martina Kane, Policy and Engagement Manager, at The Heath Foundation. She is calling for young people’s future & current health to be taken seriously by eliminating stress and uncertainty surrounding work and housing. 

Martina explains how young people’s health is heavily influenced by the wider things that’s around them and why getting people off to the best possible start in life is so crucial. 

She also illustrates through her organisations research the barriers young people face when trying to find secure work and secure housing. 

Following Rishi Sunak’s implementation of the furlough scheme and focus on youth employment, Martina said it was welcomed but hopefully when the economy opens up again a lot of these young people can go back to their workplaces. 

She also discusses how London Youth reported a third of services might not reopen after the Covid-19 outbreak. 

This podcast will tell you all you need to know about ensuring young people are protected for the future with regards to health, work and housing. 

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On this week’s episode of Public Sector Voices we are joined by Cllr Mandy Clare from Cheshire West and Chester Council. As the Leader’s champion of Poverty and Inequality, she is calling for the full Cabinet to declare a Poverty and Inequality Emergency.

Councils around the country have been declaring climate emergencies and taking steps to mitigate against it, but Cllr Clare is hoping that now, local authorities will turn their attention to the pressing issue of poverty, and that Central Government will step in too.

The Poverty Truth Commission has been working to enable these conversations between the lived experience of poverty and the professional experience, to de-stigmatise what it means to be living in poverty in England in 2020.

Using a data driven and evidence-based approach, Cllr Clare wants her council to lead the way and give a voice to communities who are being disproportionately impacted. 

Foodbank use and cost of living have gone up but benefits and employment haven’t, leaving many people in England on the brink of poverty, and with the pandemic only adding to financial pressures, many people need support. 

With shame and stigma surrounding the poverty conversation, children and young people are unable to ask for help or share their experience with others, perpetuating the cycle even further. 

“We talk about weight issues, eating disorders, gender, sex and drugs in schools now but we don’t talk about poverty”

This podcast will tell you all you need to know about ensuring your council is on the right side of history with the Poverty Emergency, and no one in your region is being unnecessarily left behind. 

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This week’s episode of Public Sector Voices, covers a hydrogen transport revolution, with Centre for Policy Studies researcher, Eamonn Ives. 

Eamonn specialises in the environment, devolution and business and regulatory policy and recently authored a report on how hydrogen can fuel a transport revolution.

While the UK economy has reduced its emissions by around 43% since 1990, transport remains the single biggest source, having only reduced by 2% in the same year.

Eamonn talks us through the sectors that are yet to decarbonise and the potential the country has to be ‘first movers’ in hydrogen energy, and reach the countries net zero carbon goals using this ‘miracle fuel’.

His position at CPS makes him primed to have a hand in influencing Ministers and policy on this topic, and he believes they are starting to wake up to the possibilities of hydrogen.

HGVs, Buses and the Railway all stand to benefit from this change but does hydrogen mean bypassing electric?

“The end goal of zero emission transport is what we should be focussing on and it doesn’t matter how we get there as long as we’re getting there.”

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On this week’s episode of Public Sector Voices, Emily is joined by Sir David Bell, whose career in local government spans almost four decades.

Sir David is the current Vice Chancellor of the University of Sunderland and believes universities have a vital role to play in supporting the social and economic bounce back from coronavirus. 

Exams, assessment and teaching have all had to innovate around travel restrictions, but could new practices be the thing that transforms higher education for good?

Sir David talks us through his new role in social housing, higher education as economic anchor institutes and the skills that are going to drive the green economy. 

Above all, the resounding message of the podcast, was the immense importance of local authorities and organisations, who have been the glue keeping communities together through this pandemic.

“I think, as the pandemic has demonstrated, you ned people who know their local areas extremely well they know how to make local services work how to join them up, how to coordinate them – you can’t do that sitting in Whitehall.

“I think it’s really important that we don’t penny pinch when it comes to supporting local authorities.”

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On this week’s episode of Public Sector Voices, Emily is joined by the Director of National Innovation Centre for Data, Steve Caughey, to highlight the potential of using data to it’s full potential within the public sector and beyond.

At less than two years old, the centre is at the start of its journey to equip the public and private sector with the skills needed to harness the unlimited power of data. 

With just under half of Europe’s organisations currently struggling to fill data analytics role - which incidentally are handsomely paid - Steve explains how we are a long way from being able to satisfy the demand.

Steve warns of the dangers of outsourcing your data, saying that ‘outsourcing your data is the same thing as outsourcing your innovation’ and if you take a look at the world today, we need innovation now more than ever.

With real examples of using data to make the lives of the people better, the podcast is there for people who know all there is to know about data, and those who don’t. 

Particular emphasis is put on the potential of using data on the interface between health and social care, to create a more integrated and efficient service. Not one to be missed. 

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This week, Leader of Isle of Wight Council, Dave Stewart, Joined host Emily Rodgers on the Public Sector Voices podcast. The Island has received national attention throughout the coronavirus crisis for piloting the Government’s controversial track and trace app.

With a modest population of 140,000 people, 40% of which are retired, how did this beautiful hub for beaches and tourism get 54,000 people to join the fight?

Leader Dave Stewart attributes the Island’s success to communication, between Central Government and themselves, themselves and their residents, and everyone in between. He also praises the island for being ‘digitally well advanced’, something he was very grateful for once the lockdown kicked in.

Council finances, beach safety and compliant communities are all covered in this week’s podcast, as Cllr Stewart divulges the council’s financial reserves and the fortunate position they are in, compared with others.  

The Isle of Wight, having successfully pioneered the track and trace scheme, is now ready to welcome back visitors to the island, with a ‘safety first’ approach, and is focused on “reengaging and reenergising our economic position.” 

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This week leader of Malvern Hills District Council Sarah Rouse joined host Emily Rodgers on Public Sector Voices after being recognised in the #EverydayHeroes campaign for her leadership since taking over the council.

The area suffered from severe floods that devastated businesses only to be hit with the pandemic as they began to recover, making Cllr Rouse’s first year as leader go from crisis to crisis.

Being a small market town has its benefits, but it also means you have to ‘shout a little louder’ to get the support needed to survive, and with Malvern’s unemployment figures tripling since April, they’re going to need all the support they can get.

Cllr Rouse talks of rescued chickens, emergency planning courses and the importance of putting party politics aside to work for the residents. 

A podcast to celebrate the good work being done and still to do in the Malvern Hills District and across all councils fighting the same battle. 

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Marvin Rees was elected as Bristol Mayor in 2016 and has taken the city on a transformative journey through climate change action, social mobility and more recently an energised conversation around race inequality. 

Rees joined host Emily Rodgers on the Public Sector Voices podcast this week to discuss the events of the last few weeks and the wider problems the country faces when true diversity is neglected. 

He calls it ‘a big time of self-reflection for Bristol’ as people deal with the symbolic removal of the Colston statue, whilst advocating for the delivery of a full education of Britain’s history. As he puts it; ‘half the truth is no truth’.

Rees talks about the dilemma of being a black politician, under representation of minorities in local Government and the importance of good leadership to tackle institutional racism. 

But as the Mayor points out it’s not about guilt, it’s about open lines of communication to shape a country that works for everyone. 

Listen to this week’s episode of Public Sector Voices for a frank and honest portrayal of the landscape of the city and what can be done to improve it. 

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Sir Richard Leese, long-standing leader of Manchester City Council joins Public Sector Voices host, Emily Rodgers to discuss the events throughout his 24-year reign and the future landscape of the city.

It is a task that is still ongoing, but rebuilding Manchester up from where is was all those years ago has taken the industrial city, with a falling population, to the thriving, buzzing hub it is today – all under the watchful eye of Mr.Leese. 

A huge part of the vision for Manchester going forward, is the 2038 zero emissions target, something the Council is keen to beat. Making the next five years absolutely critical.

Retrofitting, active travel and a green Council fleet are among the key drivers of reaching that goal, as well as promoting healthy lifestyles across the region to build a strong and healthy population and build an economy of the future ‘using the real strengths that we already had.’

There is already an abundance of good news coming from the city, with Manchester being one of the healthiest places for people to return to work, but as Mr.Leese says “It’s not time to go wild yet.”

Join us on a journey through Manchester’s history and feel part of its future on this week’s episode of Public Sector Voices. 

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