- Councillor Daniel Matchett has been an LGA peer as well as benefitting from support given to Lancashire County Council
- He was part of the team reviewing Kent’s Health and Wellbeing Board, which he described as a rewarding experience
- The LGA also helped him overhaul Lancashire’s Health and Wellbeing Board, which he chairs
Daniel Matchett became a councillor in May 2025, but was immediately appointed Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing as Reform UK took control of Lancashire County Council for the first time.
With more than 20 years’ experience working as a mental health nurse, he knew the health and care system from the inside. But taking responsibility at a strategic level was a very different challenge.
“I remember Tony Blair saying you start at your most popular and least capable, and you end at your most capable and least popular,” said Cllr Matchett. “It was certainly a big step for me, but a year on we are in a good place – and being involved with the LGA has certainly played an important role in that.”
‘Rewarding experience’
Cllr Matchett has experienced the LGA at work from both sides. Lancashire County Council received support in reshaping its health and wellbeing board and he was part of the team that provided support to Kent County Council.
“Being an LGA peer was a genuinely rewarding experience. Going down to Kent was a two way street - we both got something out of it. I attended Kent’s board meeting, and as an observer I noticed things you simply don’t see when you’re chairing your own.
“I could see people who weren’t interested or engaged. The whole thing had drifted into signing off reports and noting things down rather than real debate. There was no energy. We have the same problem, and seeing it reflected back at me was powerful.
“Talking these issues through with Kent really hammered home the challenge we were facing too — it clarified things in my own mind in a way nothing else had.
“And outside the formal meetings, I had time with the other LGA peers. We went out for dinner, and that informal time was incredibly valuable — a chance to talk openly, compare experiences and really get under the skin of the challenges we all face. It was illuminating, and it reminded me how much we can learn from each other.”
'Turning point'
Shortly after his visit to Kent, Lancashire’s HWB, which Cllr Matchett had started chairing, began to receive support. “I think for a variety of reasons the HWB had been drifting for some time and had become ineffective. Like Kent, it had become about signing things off and minute-taking,” said Cllr Matchett.
“There were also issues agreeing the Better Care Fund (BCF). The board wasn’t where we needed it to be – and Reform UK coming in provided an opportunity to refresh and re-energise things. But having the LGA help was so important too – they have real expertise and knowledge. It's important sometimes to have an independent voice in the room.”
Two LGA experts, a senior council official and an experienced NHS commissioner, were brought in to help in autumn 2025. They carried out one-to-one interviews with a wide range of stakeholders, including NHS leaders, local government officers, housing associations, and voluntary and faith sector representatives. Around 25 people took part in total. The aim was to build a rounded picture of how the system was functioning, where relationships needed strengthening, and what was required to move the BCF process forward.
Following the engagement work, a clear set of recommendations was made to strengthen the HWB and reposition it for the future. Central to this was refreshing the membership and widening participation so that it reflected the full breadth of the local system. This included not just the NHS and public health, but the wider public sector and voluntary and faith organisations.
New members have been invited onto the board, including additional voluntary and faith sector representatives, alongside the fire service, NHS providers and primary care. The council is expected to ratify the refreshed membership at a full council meeting in September 2026.
Relationships are also improving, said Cllr Matchett.
Outside of the formal HWB meetings, there’s been more informal catch-ups and workshops. One held in June 2026 was illustrative of the new energy that has been developed.
“We called it an NHS summit and proved to be a genuine turning point I think. We had all the key NHS and council leaders there and there was a real level of openness and shared purpose that had been missing from more formal structures.
“The atmosphere was completely different - energetic and honest. it was amazing to see. Because it sat outside the formal meeting cycle, with no minutes and no recording, people felt free to speak their minds and confront the real issues. A clear collective ambition emerged to tackle corridor care, recognising how urgent and damaging it is. There is now a shared determination to make visible progress within six to eight months.
“The HWB is in a really good position now. We have a good, engaged membership with the right people at the table and I feel much better equipped to push forward and tackle the challenges we face. My involvement with the LGA and their input in Lancashire has been crucial to that.”