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LG Challenge sees ten local government officers take part in a series of real-life challenges hosted by councils around the country.
Ten contestants have been selected to take part in LG Challenge 2024. Starting in January, contestants will work in teams to take on five challenges hosted by various councils across the country. Read the 2024 contestants’ biographies below to find out more about their background in Local Government and what motivated them to apply for LG Challenge.
Virginia Ponton:
Created in 2009, the Local Government Challenge brings together talented local government officers to compete in a series of real-life challenges around the country. Between January and May, the 2024 cohort consisting of ten officers will tackle five real-life challenges in councils across the country. Working in teams they’ll offer fresh perspectives to the host council whilst having a unique opportunity to develop and hone their leadership and political management skills.
Faith Scott Deuchar:
I believe I have what it takes to compete in LG Challenge this year because I'm driven, I like coming up with innovative solutions to difficult problems.
Helen Gelder:
I’m really looking forward to meeting new people and working in different councils. I think this gives me a great opportunity to learn in areas that I’m less experienced, and be able to bring that back to me own council but also to help the councils that we’re working with on the challenge.
Marelize De Beurs:
I'm looking forward to stepping into a different space both physically and mentally, with every challenge. And to the actual difference our cohort can make to a place and its people through collective fresh thinking.
Adam Towers:
One of the things I love about my job is just how multi-faceted it is. One day I can be working on spreadsheets, tracking our finances, the next day I can be engaging with the public at community consultation. I think my role has given me a really broad range of transferable skills, and I can bring all of those to the LG Challenge.
Ramisa Yazdani Biouki
I’m an unconventional thinker that always puts people right the heart of everything that I do. I bring lived experience and cultural competence into a space that can often forget how much that really matters.
Martin Chastney:
The LG Challenge is going to be an exceptionally difficult test, but one that I'm really looking forward to. It plays to my core skill set. I love working in teams. I love problem solving and I enjoy finding ways to adapt in new situations. It’s exactly the kind of challenge that I love.
Hannah Barton:
I think we’re in a crucial time where expectations don't match resources and local government is facing lots of new challenges. So we need to be able to embrace the changes coming our way and start thinking more innovatively to be able to face those challenges.
Che-kwon Sterling:
I believe some of the most challenging experiences that I will encounter is, being able to turn round something in such a short space time.
Jack Pearce:
The most challenging aspect for me, I think, will be if there are challenges with areas of local government I don't have much experience of.
Kerry Challoner:
I think the most challenging aspect for me is going to be my self-confidence and belief in myself. I’m quite an analytical thinker, so thinking on my feet doesn't come easy to me.
Michael Barrett:
Contestants will also be competing to win the prestigious £10,000 Bruce-Lockhart Scholarship and the winning contestant will have the opportunity to use that scholarship to implement a project of their own choosing back at their home council, to make a real lasting impact in their local area.
Jack Pearce:
I think the 2024 cohort looks really strong, a great mix of people from lots of different areas of the country and I’m looking forward to getting to know them all.
Hannah Barton:
I’m really excited to meet people from local authorities across the UK who might be facing completely different challenges or similar challenges but in a different way.
Marelize De Beurs:
I have a participative leadership style, so I’ll want to make sure that everyone has a chance to contribute.
Helen Gelder:
My natural leadership style is being collaborative and supportive, based on a restorative approach.
Faith Scott Deuchar:
Collaboration, bringing the best out of each other.
Martin Chastney:
I'll try to be inclusive and clear in my expectations. Mine probably won't be the loudest voice in the room but I hope people see I lead by example and I live my values.
Kerry Challoner:
I think my leadership at the challenges is going to be the motivator.
Che-kwon Sterling
I believe I have a enabling and listening leadership style so I’m able to bring out the creativity out of others.
Adam Towers:
My leadership style is a reflection of my personality that is passionate and conscientious.
Ramisa Yazdani Biouki:
I’m actually really intrigued to see what I come in with and what I leave with and how that can benefit my career onwards and upwards.
Che-kwon Sterling:
Bring on the challenge 2024.
Michael Barrett:
Good luck to all the contestants taking part in the 2024 programme.
You can also view an audio described version of the introduction video on our YouTube channel.
What is your current role?
I started my local government career at Stroud District Council in July 2021, having spent the previous five years in Australia working for not-for-profit organisations and in state government. In my current role as Policy & Projects Officer I work across teams and services to support the development and evaluation of key corporate strategies and I also lead on a range of cross-cutting projects.
I recently led a review into how we could work more effectively in partnership with parish councils, which has been achieved by working collaboratively with multiple stakeholders and balancing their many needs and priorities.
My role gives me the opportunity to learn about the huge variety of work my colleagues undertake, and this drives me to explore improvements and efficiencies both to streamline our work and to ensure we are achieving the best outcomes for the council and ultimately our residents.
What motivated you to apply for LG Challenge 2024?
The LG Challenge provides a unique opportunity to work with a diverse and talented group of officers from across the country and learn from their different approaches to tackling challenges. I believe it’s important to embrace change to ensure local authorities are prepared for the future and can face the unexpected, and the LG Challenge will push me out of my comfort zone and provide me with skills and experience to innovate and creatively solve problems in order to better face challenges and adapt to change.
What is your current role?
As a Team Leader in Lichfield District Councils Development Management Team my role involves leading a team who determine a large number of varied planning applications, provide advice in planning related matters and defend our decisions if they are appealed. We process applications for large scale developments down to domestic extensions and everything in between, ensuring compliance with our local and national planning policies, meeting the requirements of relevant consultees and providing the best service to our applicants and residents. Whilst the vast majority of our decisions are made under delegated authority, I also play a lead part in delivering our Planning Committee, which is the public face of our decision making. This involves me advising and liaising with members in planning related matters and presenting planning applications for determination.
What motivated you to apply for LG Challenge 2024?
I applied to take part in the LG Challenge to push me out of my comfort zone and build my confidence in my own capabilities and to develop my leadership skills. I am also interested to meet other officers from across the country and get an insight into what challenges other authorities are facing and how they are tackling them. I hope that by taking part in the challenge, I will not only enhance my existing skills but also discover different ways of dealing with issues to benefit the council I work for and our residents.
What is your current role?
I work for Cheltenham Borough Council as the Head of Development, a role that I started in July 2022 after a number of years working in residential development for contractors, housing associations and the government.
My role is focused principally on delivering on the Council’s biggest opportunity: the Golden Valley Development. Working with our development partners, HBDXF, I help to shape and progress our proposals for the construction of 1000 new homes and 1m ft2 of commercial office space over the next 10 years. It is a fantastic project where the Council, as a landowner, is using its resources to grow the economy, provide much needed housing and address the climate emergency.
Additionally, I work with a small team to deliver the Council’s wider development portfolio that includes a range of capital projects across the town.
What motivated you to apply for LG Challenge 2024?
When the 2023 cohort visited Cheltenham, it generated considerable excitement and interest that remains alive today. Unfortunately, I missed the visit but the positivity it generated and the obvious benefits it can provide led me to apply for this year’s programme.
Having only relatively recently joined local government, I am particularly keen to see the challenges and solutions faced by other authorities and find ways in which I can apply these in my current role. I also hope that my experience of working in a variety of organisations will provide me with a different perspective that may be helpful to others.
What is your current role?
I have led on place and inward investment marketing at Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council for five years and recently took on the additional responsibilities of leading on economic development. My role is to drive economic prosperity and promote positive narratives that reflect a thriving place.
As part of the Economy and Culture team, I am fortunate to have a varied and impactful role in supporting the local economy, creating vibrancy, promoting pride in place, supporting the delivery of skills and employability activities, and attracting the right businesses and investment.
What motivated you to apply for LG Challenge 2024?
In serving the people and businesses I see when looking outside my window, I am acutely aware of my duty to have a positive impact on people, place, and planet. Working for a local authority is a fantastic opportunity to bring about positive change, and the better we officers understand the wider workings of these complex organisations, the better equipped we will be to connect dots and make good things happen.
Grappling with real-world challenges beyond the scope of the day job alongside talented officers from diverse backgrounds, will accelerate this understanding in a way that no course could, and result in learnings and connections that will last a lifetime.
What is your current role?
In the past four years I’ve worked in various roles in local authorities, ranging from strategy and policy to homelessness and social care. I have enjoyed working in both operational and strategic roles, and especially enjoy environments and teams where I can use skills from both. Having most recently worked in project management within social care, I am starting a new role as a Strategy and Change Delivery Lead, implementing an exciting government-funded project within children’s social care.
What motivated you to apply for LG Challenge 2024?
There were so many reasons I applied for LG Challenge, but one of the most important was to have an opportunity to test innovative solutions and solve problems in service areas I am not familiar with. Public sector leaders today require more than subject matter expertise, and I believe that working proactively with other service areas, understanding and serving an entire organisation’s (or sector’s) priorities, promoting innovation and using resources creatively are essential skills for maintaining and strengthening local authorities’ ability to deliver for residents in the context of uncertainty and reduced resources. I hope the programme will allow me to develop these skills, as well as to learn from the experiences and approaches of colleagues working across other local authorities. I am really excited to meet the other participants. I know I will have so much to learn from them that I can take back to my own local authority.
What is your current role?
I’ve worked in local government for just over 33 years and held numerous roles during this time building my knowledge and experience of public sector services. I am the overall lead for ICT and Digital at NELC, this involves leading, managing and developing the Council’s ICT and Digital functions including infrastructure, digital platforms, ICT assets, cyber security and resilience, applications, ICT support functions and business partnering. It is a hugely varied role, both exciting and challenging in the current climate. I enjoy engaging in regional and national groups to develop and support a collaborative approach to tackling the challenges we face in ICT and Digital in the public sector. This year has seen me get more involved in digital work with the Integrated Care System hosting the Digital Lead role for our Health Care Partnership and I’ve also played a key role in developing the digital strand for the Greater Lincolnshire Devolution developments.
What motivated you to apply for LG Challenge 2024?
I see this as a great opportunity to further develop through collaboration, problem solving and looking at new ways of tackling the current challenges in the public sector. It will also give me the opportunity to work outside of my comfort zone, having worked in North East Lincolnshire my whole career I am excited at the opportunity to experience new perspectives, see how other Councils are tackling public sector challenges and work with others from a range of services and backgrounds. I am looking forward to working on real challenges whilst developing my skills, knowledge, and experience.
What is your current role?
I work in a small team which is responsible for building the profile of the council, increasing the visibility of our work regionally and nationally to enhance our reputation as a forward-thinking and leading local authority. We build constructive relationships with decision makers, stakeholders, and organisations across a variety of sectors and bodies to influence key national policy. We also deliver proactive engagement strategies that help showcase Buckinghamshire as a county and enable the council to achieve its corporate aims.
I help deliver programmes including the Buckinghamshire Swan Envoy scheme, bringing together inspirational Buckinghamshire residents with the council to promote the county and take part in events and projects. I also lead on the production of briefings for senior officers and councillors, including political horizon scanning and assessing the implications of new legislation. Finally, I am the lead officer for the Armed Forces Covenant and facilitate our Civilian-Military Partnership Board.
What motivated you to apply for LG Challenge 2024?
I wanted to take part in the LG Challenge as it is a fantastic opportunity to broaden my skills, expand my networks and gain insight into new areas of local government, including seeing how other authorities with different political dynamics work. I was excited to take part in challenges hosted at councils across the country and tackle tasks which require thinking creatively and strategically to respond to real issues. It also sounded like a great way of meeting new people across the sector with similar ambitions to improve services and outcomes for residents.
What is your current role?
Che-kwon Sterling, a young and accomplished public-sector professional, currently holds the role of Transformation and Change Manager at Hounslow Council. In her previous tenure at Brent Council, she achieved an impressive six promotions in just five years, setting a standard for community engagement through authentic leadership. Her career is marked by a commitment to values and a knack for cultivating strong relationships, driving dynamic programmes to meet long-term organisational goals. Che-kwon's driving force is making a difference in communities and fighting for social justice. Her academic background includes an Undergraduate and Master's degree in Economics, along with a Postgraduate qualification in Law and Community Leadership. With her extensive experience and passion for change, she continues to be a driving force in the public sector, striving to be the change she wishes to see in the world.
What motivated you to apply for LG Challenge 2024?
I have applied to participate in the LG Challenge with the primary goal of enhancing my skill set to benefit Hounslow Council and its residents. My unwavering dedication lies in supporting care leavers, ensuring they have access to vital resources and unwavering assistance. This challenge offers a unique opportunity for personal growth, improving problem-solving capabilities, nurturing innovation, and aligning with my aspiration to become an inspiring leader for vulnerable individuals. My participation is driven by a profound commitment to making a positive impact, ultimately serving both the council and the well-being of care leavers in our community.
What is your current role?
I am a Project Officer in Wigan Council’s Major Projects team, where I actively support the delivery of our ambitious programme of multi-modal transport and regeneration infrastructure schemes. My work primarily focuses on active travel schemes, making it easier than ever for residents to walk, wheel and cycle across our borough.
As a keen cyclist outside of work, I love how my role in local government brings together my hobby, and my passion for regeneration. I am proud to play a part in building the active travel component to Greater Manchester’s Bee Network, and enjoy the multi-disciplinary nature of my job. No two days are quite the same, from engaging with the public at community consultations, to modelling economic benefits for business cases, my role contributes to making our borough greener, healthier, and more prosperous.
What motivated you to apply for LG Challenge 2024?
LG Challenge presents a unique opportunity for me to build on my skills; apply theory to practical challenges; possibly win the Bruce-Lockhart scholarship; and most of all connect and learn from other local government officers from across the country.
Everything learned from the LG challenge will support my colleagues in Wigan, and bolster our capacity to affect genuine change in our community.
Most of all - LG challenge looks fun! I am keen to visit different authorities across the country, meet new people, and gain a deeper understanding of the many issues, strengths, and opportunities for development and growth across local government.
What is your current role?
I started my local government career by joining Barnet on the National Graduate Development Programme in 2020. After 21 months of working in different areas of the council, I began a permanent role as Partnerships Lead in Adults Joint Commissioning. Despite enjoying this role, and the relationships I built with our voluntary sector, 2023 marked a change as I joined our Comms, Engagement and Strategy team as a Strategy Officer (back to my first placement at the council!).
My role is dynamic and multi-faceted, encompassing strategy development and supporting on cross-cutting work. Recently I have been involved with our LGA Peer Challenge, co-creating our action plan with senior leaders, and embedding recommendations in an increasingly tough climate. Part of this work is to help navigate the cultural shift to a Cabinet system, and establish pathways for the local authority to become member-led.
What motivated you to apply for LG Challenge 2024?
I believe in continuous self-development, achieved by throwing yourself in the deep end! Participating in the LG Challenge will spotlight my strengths and weaknesses, offering me a platform to learn from the team’s wealth of knowledge. I would love to grow my own confidence, see how far my unconventional thinking takes me in scenarios across the country and bring back best practice and learning to Barnet. Ultimately, I’m applying because I envision a long and impactful career in local government, and I want to develop the leadership and decision-making skills necessary to deliver efficient and compassionate services in the borough.