The framework, alongside our new Local Government Chief Executives’ Development Hub, has been developed by the Local Government Association and Solace through extensive engagement with current chief executives and other key stakeholders, including councillors. This engagement with the sector has helped build a detailed picture of the complex set of accountabilities that local government chief executives hold and has resulted in the creation this framework, which sets out the core foundations that underpin the role.
The framework includes seven core themes (the foundations), which form the basis of a new curriculum for chief executive training and a set of leadership standards for excellence that will help new chief executives address their development in three stages:
- acquiring knowledge
- gaining experience
- sharpening judgement.
Given the constantly changing environment that local government chief executives work within, we consider this framework to be a living document with the ability to flex and change over time. We are keen to continue developing this framework and, so, your feedback and comments are welcome. Please email your feedback and comments to us at [email protected]
Context – there’s no better job in the public sector
The local government chief executive role is like no other – the range of the role is considerable, the demands of the role are stimulating, and the rewards of the role are real and tangible – after all, you will be helping a small but significant part of the UK become a better place in which to live, grow and do business.
We know local government chief executives are self-starters – highly motivated and talented individuals – who can take on a wide scope and remit of work. However, this should not prevent them from having support and development opportunities in place to support them to succeed in this highly complex and visible role.
Equipping new chief executives with a route map which sets out their key responsibilities and accountabilities, and a strong set of foundations to start with and develop their role, is essential. Some may be appointed from a specific technical area of expertise. Others may be entirely new to the sector. Whatever their background, the Local Government Chief Executives’ Development Framework will give them the best start in the role and equip them with tools to acquire knowledge, gain experience and sharpen their judgement in the role.
The Local Government Chief Executives’ Development Framework explained
The framework has been developed to clearly define the standard foundation knowledge and skills required for the profession. It will provide a consistent approach for chief executives to develop within their role. The seven themes are those foundation roles that were identified as the essential, core requirements of the role, and each theme is accompanied by:
- a definition for each theme: the seven themes and their definitions form the basis of a curriculum that will underpin a forthcoming training and development programme for chief executives
- a set of professional leadership standards for excellence that describe the requirements for acquiring knowledge, gaining experience and sharpening judgement.
Through developing the framework, we have identified a gap, in that there are no specialist courses or provision in place for local government chief executives on the foundational building blocks of the role and its essential responsibilities, and the likely governance and managerial challenges they may face. We recognise that, in some key responsibility areas, some specialised courses and resources do already exist – for example in emergency / contingency management and returning officer responsibilities. We do not intend to duplicate those. We also recognise that the chief executive role is much broader than the seven core themes we have defined; however, our current remit is to focus on the core responsibilities.
Local Government Chief Executives’ Development programme
We will use this framework as the basis for the curriculum of a new programme, which we will develop and pilot in the 2023/24 financial year, aimed at supporting newly appointed chief executives to create a solid foundation to build upon when taking on the role. The expectation is that they will continue to deepen their knowledge and experience across a broader spectrum of existing and emerging topics over time. This approach is set out as four pillars of support:
- early wraparound support
- a foundations training programme for newly appointed chief executives
- commitment to develop a gateway of accessible resources in one place
- ongoing support for continued development and sharpened judgement.
Acknowledgements
We would like to acknowledge the support and contribution of our steering group and all those interviewed, not least Barry Quirk whose experience and input into the development and consultation on the framework has been significant. A full list of contributors is available at the end of this document.