LGA principal advisers and regional teams

Principal advisers

• Our LGA principal advisers have extensive experience of working at a senior level in local government and the wider public sector.
• Each principal adviser is responsible for one or more regions.
• We encourage councils to contact the principal adviser for their region to discuss their improvement needs and the comprehensive support we offer.
• Our principal advisers work with existing sector-owned improvement bodies at sub-national level and with colleagues to provide a variety of support including on children’s and adult’s services.
• With significant expertise and understanding, principal advisers can signpost to good and innovative council practice which, in turn, informs our wider improvement offer to the sector.
• Principal advisers contribute to our policy development and lobbying work, and help to identify councils that want to get more actively involved in these areas.
• Councils can also contact the principal adviser or email [email protected] to find out more about LGA membership.

Regional teams

Our principal advisers and regional teams utilise sector based expertise, including member and officer peers, to deliver our regional support programme, including the following offers:

• councillor and officer peer support – helping councils to build greater resilience and enhance political and managerial capacity
• officer and councillor peer mentoring – supporting councillors and officers to deliver priorities and manage challenges
• support and guidance to help councils to address severe issues related to performance and/or finance
• advice and assurance regarding organisational leadership, governance and risk management
• mediation to support relationships between senior councillors and officers
• tailored support to councils developing devolution deals
• top team development for senior political leadership teams to enhance decision-making and leadership capacity
• political awareness support for officers, including monitoring officers
• bespoke finance support, including access to financial improvement sustainability advisers (FISAs) – see our financial resilience and economic growth offer for more information
• service-specific reviews by peers in the sector responding to local challenges in service areas such as children’s services and finance
• signposting to resources and good practice on core council activity
• support to embed better equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) practices, including equalities peer challenges and tools and resources to address EDI issues within the workforce – see our Workforce and HR offer and our Equalities hub for more information
• regional networking events with shared learning opportunities.

East of England

Principal adviser
Rachel Litherland
Phone: 07795 076834
Email: [email protected]

Lead peers
Cllr William Nunn, Con, East of England
Cllr Sharon Taylor, Lab, East of England, East Midlands, South East (lower tier)
Cllr Bryony Rudkin, Lab, East of England, South East, East Midlands (higher tier)
Cllr Sarah Butikofer, Lib Dem, East of England, London, South East
Cllr Jo Beavis, Ind, East of England, East Midlands

East Midlands, North East, Yorkshire and Humber

Principal adviser
Mark Edgell
Tel: 07747 636910
Email: [email protected]

Lead peers
Cllr Glen Sanderson JP, Con, East Midlands, Yorkshire & Humber, North East
Cllr Alan Connett, Lib Dem, South West, East Midlands, Wales
Cllr Lisa Smart, Lib Dem, North East, North West, West Midlands
Cllr Paul Cullen, Ind, North East, Yorkshire & Humber
Cllr Jo Beavis, Ind, East of England, East Midlands
Cllr Sharon Taylor, Lab, East of England, East Midlands, South East (lower tier)
Cllr Bryony Rudkin, Lab, East of England, South East, East Midlands (higher tier)
Cllr Eamonn O’Brien, Lab, North East, Yorkshire and Humber

North West

Principal adviser
Claire Hogan
Mobile: 07766 250347
Email: [email protected]

Lead peers
Cllr Mike Wilcox, Con, North West, West Midlands
Cllr Stephen Houghton, Lab, North West, West Midlands
Cllr Lisa Smart, Lib Dem, North East, North West, West Midlands
Cllr Sue Baxter, Ind, West Midlands, North West

South East

Principal adviser
(Berks, East Sussex, & Surrey)
Mona Sehgal
Mobile: 07795 291006
Email: [email protected]

Principal adviser
(Bucks, Hants, IOW, Kent, Oxfordshire & West Sussex)
William Brooks
Mobile: 07949 054421
Email: [email protected]

Lead peers
Cllr Keith Glazier Con, South East
Cllr Andrew Proctor, Con, South West, Hampshire, Isle of White
Cllr Sharon Taylor, Lab, East of England, East Midlands, South East (lower tier)
Cllr Bryony Rudkin, Lab, East of England, South East, East Midlands (higher tier)
Cllr Sarah Butikofer, Lib Dem, London, South East
Cllr Bob Jennings, Ind, South East and London

South West

Principal adviser
Paul Clarke
[email protected]
07899 965730

Lead peers
Cllr Andrew Proctor, Con, South West, Hampshire, Isle of White
Cllr Alan Connett, Lib Dem, South West, East Midlands, Wales
Cllr Helen Holland, Lab, South West, West Midlands
Cllr Mike Haines, Ind, South West, North West, West Midlands

West Midlands

Principal adviser
Helen Murray
Mobile: 07884 312235
[email protected]

Lead peers
Cllr Mike Wilcox, Con, West Midlands, North West
Cllr Lisa Smart, Lib Dem, West Midlands, North West, North East, Yorkshire and Humber
Cllr Stephen Houghton, Lab, North West, West Midlands
Cllr Sue Baxter, Ind, West Midlands, North West

London

Principal adviser
(London)
Kate Herbert
Mobile: 07867 632404
[email protected]

Lead peers
Cllr Teresa O'Neill OBE, Con, London
Cllr Clyde Loakes, Lab, London
Cllr Sarah Butikofer, Lib Dem, London, South East
Cllr Bob Jennings, Ind, South East and London