WIREDGOV

Town hall stars of the future could soon be set for small screen fame as they gear up for the final stages of the Local Government Challenge.

The annual competition, which pits ambitious council officers against each other to discover if they have what it takes to be a top chief executive, is nearing its finale.

Following a rigorous selection process, 10 council employees were thrown in at the deep end earlier this year to undertake five real-life challenges and demonstrate they have the skills and potential to make the grade. Up for grabs is a £10,000 scholarship to spend on an innovative project to promote localism and the work of town halls.

All the action – successes, mistakes, disagreements - has been captured by TV cameras and the first episode has now gone live (www.policyreview.tv/lgchallenge).

Organised by the Local Government Group in conjunction with host authorities, this year’s contest has seen several firsts - challenges jointly hosted by two district councils; a challenge put together by the Department for Communities and Local Government; and a challenge by a fire authority.

The tasks reflected the current local government climate where councils are facing unprecedented budget cuts and having to save money and deliver services through ever more innovative means. The first saw contestants put forward suggestions for how two district councils could plan for merging their workforces, which will entail many redundancies. Another centred around making Big Society ideals a reality by helping transform derelict land into community projects.

John Ransford, Chief Executive of the LG Group and chairman of the LG Challenge panel, said:

“The huge challenges facing local government today means that now, more than ever, councils need innovative and effective leaders to guide them through the tough years ahead.

“It’s vital we invest in the senior management of the future to ensure local government keeps building on its track record of delivering excellent public services and providing a vision for local areas. These are the people who will ensure services are delivered to meet the needs of their communities and provide the best value for money.

“The LG Challenge is a unique competition, and not one for the faint hearted. Contestants are pitted against tough, real-life challenges with their actions constantly under the scrutiny of the cameras, host councils and judges. But the experience, exposure and feedback contestants gain is unparalleled as a learning opportunity, and host councils also genuinely benefit from their ideas and enthusiasm.

“The contest will hopefully uncover the raft of hidden potential in our workforce as well as promote local government as a rewarding career choice.”

Contestants, split into two teams of five, are assessed on a wide range of competencies from communication and leadership to business acumen and problem solving, and need to showcase their talent as individuals and team players. The four best performers at the end of the five challenges will progress to the semi-final, held at the LG Group’s annual conference in Birmingham next month.

They will form a Question Time-style panel and field questions from an expert audience, before a final pitch to the judges to present their proposals for how they would use the Bruce-Lockhart scholarship. The winner will have their award presented by Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

Local Government and Decentralisation Minister Greg Clark helped put together the DLCG challenge. He said: 

"These rising stars of public service have stepped up to the plate to be tested on the fundamental issues that councils face every single day - from improving efficiency while protecting frontline services to balancing budgets and transforming the local area." 

ENDS

Contact: LGA Media Office
Author:  LGA Media Team, Tel: 020 7664 3333

NOTES TO EDITORS

1) To watch the first challenge, recorded by Policy Review TV, visit - www.policyreview.tv/lgchallenge. The subsequent challenges will be uploaded weekly, with the final round broadcast live as it unfolds.

2) For further information on the LG Challenge visit www.local.gov.uk/lgchallenge. There is also a Facebook group called Local Government Challenge which is regularly updated with pictures and comment, as well as a Twitter account @LGchallenge.

3) The competition, which is open to council staff across England and Wales, features two rounds:

• Round One comprised the five monthly challenges (based around front line service delivery, finance, media/communication, community engagement, and innovation)
• Round Two will see four finalists going head-to-head at the LG Group Conference and face a panel of leading local government figures. The following day they will  face a final interview panel to win the challenge.

4) The Bruce-Lockhart Scholarship is part of the Bruce-Lockhart Leadership Programme which was established in memory of former Kent County Council Leader and LGA Chairman Lord Bruce-Lockhart. The programme aims to develop the next generation of council leaders and chief executives by finding international best practice which can be applied locally.

5) The LG Challenge is entirely funded by sponsorship. The overall sponsor is outsourcing company Liberata UK LTD, and individual challenge sponsors have included American Express and recruitment consultancy Penna. MJ magazine is the media partner.