Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council - one of the six authority members of Liverpool City Region Combined Authority - has kept devolution high on the agenda, updating staff through regular communications from the chief executive. This case study forms part of our devolution toolkit.
From the very beginning when the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority was first established right through to the deal being announced, the chief executive has consistently talked about devolution in his weekly email bulletin to staff. He has explained what devolution is, spoken about the meetings he has attended with the Liverpool City Region and with ministers in London, and let staff know when the bid was being submitted and an answer was expected.
The chief executive also held a series of planned, face-to-face staff briefings in the run up to the deal being signed, where he spoke about devolution and answered questions from staff. He has been able to dispel some common myths among employees and explain devolution as simply and as clearly as possible.
For some, devolution is very complicated and a new territory, and means "takeovers" or "plugging budget gaps". Being able to speak directly with the chief executive has put paid to some of these misconceptions staff have had.
When the deal with the Government was announced in November 2015, the chief executive placed a huge focus on it in his weekly bulletin, with photographs of the consultation papers being signed. He's then continued to provide updates to staff since.
The council has also used the intranet to keep staff updated on devolution. All chief executive briefings have been uploaded to the site, along with news stories and features about the topic. Nearly 90% of staff live in the area so the council is talking to them in their role as employees but also as local residents, and this seems to be resonating.
It's been quieter recently on the devolution front, but the council has made a point of promoting a consultation exercise about city region governance to staff – again because it's important for them to contribute as residents. Things are picking up pace again and the council is continuing the dialogue with staff as the mayoral elections in 2017 are fast approaching.
Top tips to engage your staff in the devolution agenda
1. Make sure you update staff regularly throughout the process and keep devolution high on the agenda
2. Use different internal communications channels to talk about devolution, including face-to-face updates where you can answer staff questions and explain some of the complexities in a simple, easy-to-understand way
3. Remember that many of your employees are likely to be residents so by keeping them updated internally, you'll be supporting your wider community engagement strategy