About the curriculum and standards

The Local Government Chief Executives' Framework consists of two components – the curriculum and the leadership standards for excellence.

The Local Government Chief Executives Development Framework hosted on this website consists of two components:

the curriculum – this sets out the seven core themes of the chief executive role and will be taught in a forthcoming programme
the leadership standards for excellence – these present a set of professional leadership standards for local government chief executives.

The framework was created following extensive engagement with the sector, to build a comprehensive picture of the complex accountabilities that local government chief executives hold. The research interviews that formed the basis of the work centred around a discussion on 'what makes a high performing chief executive?' – this feedback was then honed through an extensive consultation exercise with chief executives and the wider sector. The leadership standards for excellence detail the results of this research, setting out the standards which are applicable to all local authority chief executives in England, regardless of the type, or location, of the local authority.

How do the standards work?

For each of the seven core themes of the curriculum, there are several bullet points. Each bullet point, when achieved, is what our research demonstrated as indicators of high-performing or excellent chief executives within the core theme. Taken together, each of the bullet points set a high standard for what excellent looks like in each of the seven areas.

As the standards are part of a wider leadership framework, they have been presented for the intended audience (local authority chief executives) in three stages of development:

acquiring knowledge
gaining experience
sharpening judgement.

How can I use the standards?

Chief executives can use the standards to assess and address their own development needs as they aspire to excellence. We are developing a tool that will help chief executives use the framework for self-assessment, which will be launched by the end of March 2024.
The standards can also be used by chief executives in conversation with democratically elected leaders to help them understand the chief executive role and to inform the annual performance appraisal process.

Tips on using the standards

Understanding the Chief Executive role: In politically-led organisations with members setting the policy framework and officers responsible for delivery, there are areas where the responsibilities intersect and overlap and having a good understanding of how this works in different circumstances is critical to effective working and good governance. The Standards provide a good starting point for understanding the key roles of a local government Chief Executive. They are not a definitive list of all the responsibilities that a chief executive undertakes, and should not be taken as such, but they do provide an overview of some of the fundamental themes that Chief Executives will be grappling with as they develop in their role. It is helpful to bear in mind that not all duties of the chief executive are politically directed, and so a more nuanced conversation may be needed relating to these areas. Therefore, the full range of chief executive responsibilities and duties should be accounted for as part of the appraisal process. It is also important to note that chief executives may not be able to successfully achieve objectives without a mature and effective relationship with the leader and other senior members. Appraisals should reflect this.

Celebrating positive achievements: the Leadership Standards can help provide a common language to talk about development and positive achievements. If a Chief Executive is routinely using the Standards (and accompanying self-assessment tool) to review their development, they can point to areas where they have built their knowledge, experience and sharpened their judgement since their last review.
Discussing development: Local authority Chief Executives come from a range of professional backgrounds – some will belong to a specific profession (for example accountants, lawyers, planners or social care), but others may have come from different sectors or followed a different local government career path. Commitment to personal development is important at all stages of a career, and the Leadership Standards can help chief executives identify and focus their development as they continue to progress within their roles. In advance of an appraisal, the chief executive could share a self-assessment with their Leader, to facilitate an open dialogue about where to focus or invest in their continued professional development for the coming period or specific improvement needs.
Tackling under-performance: Having a clear record of expectations and objectives and regular and honest appraisal conversations is a critical part of holding Chief Executives to account for delivery of the objectives. Where the activity falls short of expectations, Independent facilitation is vital. An experienced and knowledgeable facilitator can assist both parties to agree how to frame both objectives, measures and assess outcomes. They can also be vital in situations where the Leader is new to the role. An independent perspective can support ongoing development (Leader and chief executive) and provide protection and reassurance as well as objective challenge.
Setting objectives: the objectives of a chief executive should focus on the Corporate Plan which sets out the key priorities for the local authority. This should not be an exhaustive list of everything the Chief Executive does, but reflect the key priorities for the Council. Although some of these may not be directly Council responsibilities, how chief executives manage these relationships is key for the appraisal for example the relationship with local health partners. Modelling behaviours and values of the organisation both internally and externally is a key part of this (as it is for Members). The Standards could help articulate these and provide a starting point for discussion on issues such as:
- Effective leadership with councillors and parties;
- Leading change and developing the organisation;
- Enabling effective external partnerships relationships and networks;
- Maintaining focus on strategic and long-term issues for the Council;
- Leading and integrating performance management & risk management within the organization; and
- Maintaining personal perspective and self-knowledge

Ensuring the appraisal is clear about what needs to be done, and the leadership behaviours to achieve this will provide an evidence-based evaluation of achievements and help build a trusting and honest relationship across the political and managerial leadership in a local government organisation.

It is also important to see the appraisal as just one-way of developing a successful working relationship between chief executives and Members. Very regular meetings both 1-2-1 and with the wider political portfolio leads, are standard ways to promoting a clear understanding on both sides about priorities and how to get them achieved.

It is good practice to seek and provide feedback throughout the year through one-to-one, debriefs, and by drawing on wider perspectives such as through 360 feedback from those within and outside your organisation. Both LGA and Solace have support available with 360 feedback tools:

Chief executives 360 online appraisal tool | Local Government Association

Solace 360 - Solace

The standards may be used by recruiters to understand the role and when considering which candidates to refer to councils for chief executive vacancies.