# PS I ❤️ You Unplugged: English regions collaborative: Supporting councils through change

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZoMvL_4Xw0

[00:00] You might not need us this year, but when you do need us, we're here.
[00:04] So, we do provide dedicated resource and support for chief executives.
[00:08] We're a trusted confident of um senior members and senior officers.
[00:14] They know who to call and we can step straight into that space of being able to help.
[00:32] Hello and welcome to the public sector I heart you unplugged podcast series.
[00:35] I'm Rebecca Davis, chief executive of West Midlands Employers, and today I'm joined by colleagues from our regional collaborative of organizations, Jillian, Stuart, and Kelly-Anne, to talk a little bit more about what we do as regional bodies that are supporting our shareholder councils right across the country.
[00:54] I'll let colleagues introduce themselves.
[00:56] Jillian.
[00:58] Thanks, Rebecca, for having us today.
[01:00] I'm Jillian Bishop, chief executive at North West Employers.
[01:03] Hello, Stuart Young, executive director at East Midlands Councils.
[01:07] Hi, I'm Kelly-Anne Phelix.
[01:08] I'm director of policy and internal services at South West Councils.
[01:11] Brilliant.
[01:12] Now, for listeners who've been hearing a bit about what we do on our previous podcast, we've been diving a little bit deeper into some of the areas of similarity and commonality that we work on.
[01:24] Now, one area which all our organizations, and those that aren't here today, do is host the regional employers organization service within our organizations.
[01:34] Um just going to focus a little bit more on what we do under that banner cuz it can be a bit confusing, can't it, particularly for members and chief executives about what the purpose is and role of that regional employers organization.
[01:47] So, how do you go about explaining that in plain English to members, particularly leaders or cabinet members when they're elected?
[01:56] Well, I think a key area of improvement in
[02:01] Councils is always about delivering value.
[02:04] Um, and the services that we support as part of the regional employers organization is one of the best examples of how we deliver value and how we deliver support to our member councils across the board in terms of council development, uh, in terms of continuous professional development, wider workforce development, HR matters, uh, advisory support, often on very sensitive employment matters, recruitment, coaching, retention.
[02:37] Um, one of the best ways I find to describe it, if you look at workforce matters, which is a huge area of, um, respons- in terms of spend for local authorities, but not least the fact that if local authorities are to be able to deliver their services, they need quality people in place with their support.
[02:57] Um, I mean, so we deliver a significant number of services and we're trusted, confident.
[03:01] Yeah.
[03:01] Of, of, um.
[03:03] Senior members and senior officers.
[03:07] Um, we do a lot of work in that regard and when we demonstrate our value, or update councils on the range of services and support that they've accessed from East Midlands councils, so I'm sure it's the same for yourselves.
[03:25] Actually, the regional employers organization area of work is really strong in that regard and it's really valued as a massive benefit for our local authorities.
[03:35] It's very good in terms of EMC being able to kind of demonstrate that.
[03:39] So, it's a really important area of our work.
[03:42] Yeah, absolutely.
[03:42] Likewise, we provide services very discreetly to leaders, to chief executives, and to the wider HR team around their employment issues that they might be managing within the organization, but it is I think for us something we try and promote that you might not benefit every year from every service that we provide under that.
[04:04] Heading, but it's a bit like an insurance policy.
[04:05] When you need us, we're there at the end of the phone and we will absolutely support you, um, often with no charge associated with that because it is part of what we exist to provide.
[04:17] Um, that trusted space you mentioned, issue, is really important in that ability to deliver the employers' organization services, isn't it?
[04:25] I think as you say, it is the core of who we are as organizations.
[04:30] Um, and I think without getting too technical, I guess we have a core responsibility around the regional joint negotiating committee as well.
[04:41] So, our relationship with our trade unions is really important.
[04:44] And as you say, in terms of maybe some of the key issues or some of the kind of pay award, pay negotiations, building the relationships with our trade unions, and that is part of our core constitution.
[04:55] It's sometimes not necessarily that visible to our member organizations, um, but it is there and we can convene that space and we do build.
[05:06] Those relationships in positive times, because you never know when you might need them when you are in a negotiating environment.
[05:15] Um, but then in practical terms as you say, the workforce and HR support that is provided is very much the core element of what our members really do come to us for and know in trusted, yeah, in a trusted space to tackle maybe some sensitive issues.
[05:33] Um, that actually as an organization, they need that external trusted support in order to help them navigate through that, and that is where that really are there when it matters for our member organizations.
[05:48] Absolutely.
[05:48] We are genuinely there to make sure the employer, the organization, um is actually in a strong position and safe, legal, compliant, um and ultimately having that relationship built over a number of years with organizations and leadership executives.
[06:07] Helps to address any issues, doesn't it, that might emerge within organizations that are sensitive and often need that support which isn't clear-cut.
[06:15] It's often very, um, complex.
[06:17] It often requires a lot of judgment, a lot of skill to navigate, um, and I think that is something which as organizations we really do well as effectively registered as the employers' trade union.
[06:29] From our perspective, fulfilling that role, um, gives us confidence to do that.
[06:33] I suppose within that space we try and make sure we're not pigeonholed.
[06:38] It that can often happen.
[06:39] We try and define ourselves a bit like a flower, really.
[06:42] The employers' organization is at the heart sometimes of what we do because that's what we existed at the very heart of being.
[06:48] But around that we've built an awful lot of other employer services which help them, um, deliver their own organizations' aims and objectives.
[06:57] So, tell me a little bit about some of the work that your organizations are doing to really help prepare organizations for the future.
[07:04] Happy to kind of kick off and and building on, um,
[07:07] What Stuart has said in terms of talent, uh, management and support, a lot of support into chief executives as well through, uh, independent facilitation of chief executive appraisal and then providing support, guidance, expertise, uh, if it's a new chief exec coming in, uh, again we can support them in networking them into the region, creating, uh, opportunities for them to, uh, meet new colleagues and to, um, uh, be in be part of our networks, uh, that we have.
[07:36] And similar, um, Stuart, a range of leadership talent support, um, so we do assessment centers, you know, but also coaching and mentoring.
[07:47] And it's really important, I think, as you say, there's the core element, whether that be some of the HR workforce key technical issues, but then in terms of the leadership talent support, succession planning.
[07:58] We've recently launched our regional workforce strategy to really understand, you know, what are the challenges and opportunities of the public sector local government workforce.
[08:09] And how can we provide solutions and opportunities across the board for colleagues coming into local government, because as we know, it's a fantastic sector, it's a great career, but we just need to shout a little bit louder about it.
[08:23] Yeah.
[08:23] Absolutely.
[08:24] And it's often a really under-invested area, isn't it?
[08:26] And I think our ability to do that locally as not-for-profit organizations means anything which councils spend in that area, we get to invest back in both the expertise and the learning.
[08:37] But any income that is generated goes straight back into councils.
[08:41] And I think for us, that's one of the biggest benefits that we say to our organizations, one, often we've got the experience from elsewhere, but secondly, you keep money in the sector, which is really important.
[08:53] So that them kind of having that trusted relationship, they know that we're there to be able to respond in an emergency.
[08:57] So, you know, there are HR emergencies sometimes, and they know who to call and we can step straight into that space and be able to help.
[09:03] I think one member once referred us to as bit like the AA being able to, you know, you know, to call on us and be able to step in with.
[09:10] That support sort of straight away.
[09:12] So, I know that that's a really valued.
[09:13] It's one of those kind of services, I think, unless but until they've used it, they don't quite understand the benefit of it.
[09:18] So, I think it's kind of knowing that it's there, available, and ready to step into that space whenever they need it.
[09:24] Yeah.
[09:25] And and that trust is is really important.
[09:26] That trust element, you know, we're we're trusted organization, but also we're independent.
[09:33] We're there to provide expert independent advice and support.
[09:38] And some of that might be difficult, but it's it's better to hear it from some being a a critical friend.
[09:43] Um but those services that you you highlighted, and I think that's the commonality between our organizations where we deliver that.
[09:50] And sometimes we hide our light too far under the bushel because they're brilliant our services.
[09:54] They're really well valued.
[09:57] Um and it's an important element of our service offer because when we talk about the employers organization, we really talk about sector-led support, um fundamentally, um at nil additional cost or marginal cost.
[10:13] To be blunt, it's one of the benefits of membership, isn't it?
[10:15] Where we will provide this expertise, this advice and support at far cheaper rate than you'll get it elsewhere because that's one of the benefits of members.
[10:20] That's what you get from a collective, collaborative, local authority club, for want of a better phrase, where we deliver effective service.
[10:28] You can trust it.
[10:30] Um but also it's delivered on behalf of the sector and for within the sector.
[10:36] Yeah, absolutely.
[10:36] And it's that collective benefit that we provide is something that's very hard to shout about, isn't it?
[10:43] It's not something any of us can put in our annual benefits reports.
[10:47] It's not something we can provide case studies on because it is in that trusted space.
[10:51] And I think that's where we often try to articulate that value in a way which is um not drawing attention to any one organization, but is really trying to say this is such a valued part of your membership, and you might not need us this year, but when you do need us, we're here.
[11:08] Um and again, not every person in the organization knows when we.
[11:13] Might have been involved, and that's the other hard part, isn't it?
[11:16] We can be sort of sat providing advice, difficult guidance, or just being a sounding board sometimes for conversations for either officers or members, um or more directly involved in work.
[11:27] And it's it's been able to draw that together.
[11:29] Um how do you go about making sure members value that work?
[11:34] Because particularly at the moment we have seen in our region, um, we had quite a lot of stable membership, I think, of our shareholder board and that over recent years has changed.
[11:44] There's a lot more political change, um, and building those relationships is important, but you do feel as though it takes a long time.
[11:50] Yet, we're seeing a lot of change and rotation really on our board.
[11:55] How do you go about doing that?
[11:56] Um, one of the key areas of our work is around partnership and relationship management.
[12:01] Um, and and supporting change.
[12:05] If you work in a political environment, um, like a local authority politically led, there will be change.
[12:08] Um, and there will be change of leadership, there will be change of, um,
[12:14] Uh, officials.
[12:16] You need to sit down and just update them in terms of, "Actually, we're going to welcome to your role."
[12:20] Um, there are roles and responsibilities and services and support that we provide on behalf of your local authority, and I just want to make sure that you're fully aware of that, and actually, how can I help?
[12:30] How can my organization help you?
[12:31] What do you want to see achieved over the next 6, 9, 12 months, and how can we support in that?
[12:37] Yeah.
[12:38] Um, and we we provide people-centered solutions, so we need to practice what we preach and work with, you know, work with individuals and build those relationships.
[12:48] Uh, so a priority for us in terms of under- for our members understanding what they can access, but it's also how they access and who they access.
[12:57] So, as you say, Stuart, actually meeting with colleagues, you know, it's a lot easier now in the in the virtual space, um, but building relationships with existing leaders, chief execs, senior officers, but also making sure that where there are changes that we, uh, introduce ourselves very quickly.
[13:15] Um, and build that relationship and articulate who we are, what we do.
[13:20] And when we do that, you know, people say, "Really? Is that what we can get?"
[13:24] Well, I didn't know.
[13:25] You know, so it is constantly, I think, uh making sure that we reiterate, we reinforce via a whole series of of mediums, whether that is face-to-face, regular catch-ups, but also communication, making sure again that people are aware of what they can access and what value they can have from their membership and the support that's available.
[13:46] Yeah, and it's such a crowded space, isn't it?
[13:48] It's people's diaries are so full, it's really hard to get involved and get time with the right stakeholders sometimes.
[13:54] And it does take more time, I think, um certainly for myself and our leadership team.
[13:58] It's It's having those strategic conversations and joining the dots.
[14:06] One of the big, oh, I think, benefits for us as a regional employers organization service has been our ability to add capacity into our region and address challenges that no one.
[14:17] Council could address on their own when it comes to workforce.
[14:20] And we've been able to do some quite big scalable projects.
[14:23] So, we manage the regional workforce priorities fund and invest heavily in the workforce programs over each year.
[14:30] Um, how have you been able to sort of, I suppose, bring together councils for initiatives in your region, which has really maximized their ability to address those challenges for you?
[14:41] Well, there's um there are a number of different service areas for um where there has been uh mutual support that we've been able to provide a a platform uh to support.
[14:53] And actually, I sometimes I think we shouldn't underestimate almost the the positive intent in the sector, where you have more experienced um officials or or councils willing to support, whether it's mentoring or whether it's a loose advisory support role.
[15:11] Um less experienced because they want to see other councils and other service areas flourish.
[15:17] Um and there's.
[15:19] Part of our role is to enable that, that kind of mutual support, peer support um uh across the region.
[15:27] Um alongside that, um similar to other regions, there are, you know, region-wide coaching networks.
[15:32] Uh there are region-wide procurements um arrangements we have in place and I we're able to, in effect, centrally procure and pass those um savings directly back to our member councils.
[15:46] And I think that's one of the key roles that regional organizations such as ours can provide.
[15:50] Um not you know uh across kind of policy and and program areas, but also in terms of direct support as well.
[16:00] And again, mentioned the the regional workforce strategy.
[16:01] We've now got cohorts of colleagues working on the key priorities.
[16:06] So again, it's hopefully helping them to address their priorities, but in a collective environment.
[16:13] So there's ways that we bring people together, similar to yourselves, on some real action learning, action planning, and taking.
[16:21] Forward some of the key workforce challenges um that that they have.
[16:25] We facilitate and support subregional work.
[16:28] Um we were asked to uh host uh a leadership event of over 100 people in one of our subregions re- recently.
[16:37] So again, they're thinking about how they develop their leadership and what our role is to help them uh to achieve that.
[16:44] Uh and as you say, through coaching, through uh mentoring, through just connecting people, it is so important.
[16:50] And we have um learning hours.
[16:53] So every month we put on an event for an hour um of a a key topic issue that we know is a key priority.
[16:59] It's virtual.
[17:02] People can join or we record it, so people can listen back.
[17:04] We do have strategic round table conversations, so allowing people time and space, as you say, not many, you know, not many time and opportunity for people to really kind of think about what's the challenge that I've got, how can I work through this with trusted peers.
[17:19] Um so we we we navigate some of.
[17:22] That space, but all in the spirit of, you know, developing our workforce, supporting our talent.
[17:28] Is that that learning and development is really important, isn't it?
[17:30] Because and we all we all understand the pressures on on local authority budgets.
[17:35] And very often the the the training uh budgets can go by the wayside.
[17:39] And I think that's a really important uh service area or support that organizations like us can provide on scrutiny on housing and planning and environmental health.
[17:49] They're the ones that have jumped out at you in terms of priorities for continuous professional development that we've been able to provide.
[17:54] Over 2 and 1/2 thousand officer places have been taken on that annual program.
[17:58] And it's really important because that's a direct need of our authorities in terms of their employment, their workforce support.
[18:05] They find it difficult to provide individually.
[18:07] Collectively though, you can have a joint program and it works.
[18:11] Yeah, absolutely.
[18:13] And we do that well at a national level as well, don't we?
[18:14] We work in collaboratively because actually there's a lot of work that we might do in different regions to establish a program which then has benefit in another region.
[18:21] And it really does keep.
[18:23] That cost down and make it much more affordable to get such high quality input from experts into local government.
[18:28] I know across our region we've found um being able to really generate savings around some workforce initiatives has been quite important, particularly around our WM Jobs platform or our ability to provide a regional agency service through our WM Temps partnership.
[18:42] Um and that ability to show that there's added value, it isn't just always the soft skills.
[18:48] Actually, there's a monetary value to it as well, is really important.
[18:51] Um I know going into the future we're going to be supporting our councils around local government reorganization that are going through that.
[18:57] Um and I know as regions we've all got different offers of support to our councils.
[19:01] Tell me a little bit about how you're supporting that workforce angle of LGR for your councils.
[19:07] We we've been here before in the Northwest.
[19:09] Uh years ago it was Cheshire.
[19:11] Um recent more recently Cumbria moved into a unitary county and now we've got Lancashire who will be going through local government reorganization very.
[19:23] Very shortly.
[19:26] And again, I think as we talked about previously, it's really understanding what the need is.
[19:30] Every region and subregion is different, but actually support around individuals, support to, as we said, to chief executives, because actually they are going through the change as well, um, and their focus is their team and moving their organization forward.
[19:49] So we do provide dedicated resource and support for chief executives, and then we do more broader facilitation support around how do you prepare for change?
[19:59] How do you prepare for what kind of role or what, you know, what you will do next?
[20:06] That may be in a new organization or that may be elsewhere.
[20:08] So colleagues may not have, you know, an interview or may not have kind of refreshed their CV.
[20:14] So there's some practical kind of skills as well that we're providing to individuals.
[20:21] And, and as you say, there's a whole raft of other things for elected members and.
[20:25] also supporting the system to actually
[20:27] move from you know as is to the 2B
[20:30] scenario. So there's there's a lot
[20:32] involved
[20:33] and we're able to respond accordingly.
[20:36] We we haven't been
[20:38] we haven't been full-hardy enough to
[20:40] express a view as to what the structure
[20:41] should be. Basically our view is once
[20:43] that decision is made we support local
[20:45] authorities to get there. So we have a
[20:48] general meeting in a few weeks time
[20:50] when senior folk at MHCLG and those that
[20:54] have gone through LGR recently with
[20:56] other authorities
[20:57] are able to sit down with senior members
[21:00] talk about how to get from here to
[21:02] vesting day.
[21:03] But alongside that there's the nuts and
[21:04] bolts aren't there?
[21:06] The authorities going through our G R
[21:08] will be
[21:09] experiencing similar challenges. Staff
[21:12] will be experiencing similar angst,
[21:15] concerns, for example. Um and actually
[21:18] that's something we are going to provide
[21:20] jointly for local authorities. It takes
[21:22] some of the pressure away from local
[21:23] individual local authorities. But also
[21:25] it plays into that independent role
[21:27] because we're not of that authority
[21:29] giving that advice to that member of
[21:31] staff that may be slightly concerned or
[21:34] have lots of questions about what the
[21:35] bright new dawn may uh may may be. Um
[21:39] so, actually there is an operational
[21:40] role and support that we can provide.
[21:42] But also the kind of wider strategic
[21:44] kind of as an authority how do you need
[21:46] to get yourself in terms of some of the
[21:48] preparatory work. If there's a joint
[21:50] supportive role we can we can provide
[21:52] that's something we'll do.
[21:53] Absolutely. And and there are certain
[21:55] things that are better done
[21:56] collectively, regionally, aren't they?
[21:58] You know, things which you know, will
[21:59] hopefully reduce the ability for
[22:02] councils to uh lose staff and retain
[22:05] staff within those new organizations.
[22:07] And likewise we've taken a view um that
[22:09] the the what organizations will be is
[22:12] the political and we've not been party
[22:14] to that. But the how part is absolutely
[22:17] the practical that we'll be involved in
[22:18] and once our councils know what their
[22:20] destinations are we'll be on those uh
[22:23] journeys with them really and providing
[22:24] that support to them um because I think
[22:26] again the key message for us to our
[22:28] councils is that we have got all the
[22:29] expertise to help you in that transition
[22:32] in a
[22:34] very expert way. And that is part of our
[22:37] membership offer and we really say
[22:39] actually you don't need to go out and
[22:40] buy a lot of that support in. Um I know
[22:43] there's a lot of consultancies out there
[22:44] who will be um shall we say circling
[22:46] with intent. But for us we are very much
[22:48] there saying you own this. We are sector
[22:51] led but independent and here is a
[22:53] trusted friend um and that is I think
[22:56] collective experience with all of it,
[22:57] isn't it? So, it's been absolutely
[22:59] brilliant talking about the regional
[23:01] employers organization part of the
[23:02] services we provide. Um, thank you ever
[23:05] so much.
[23:06] You're welcome.
[23:06] Thank you for listening today to us talk
[23:08] a little bit more about the Regional
[23:10] Employers' Organisation service that we
[23:12] provide. You'll be able to hear a little
[23:14] bit more from us as a regional
[23:15] collective um in the next podcast. Thank
[23:18] you.