In this article, Mark Smith and Andrew Laird focus in on the organisational behaviour and instincts which can enable or thwart reform efforts. They argue that the latest iteration of the Changing Futures programme must be more than a time-limited pilot - it must become a catalyst for wider public service reform. It is very positive news that the government has announced further funding for the Changing Futures programme. This includes a combination of continuing funding for s

In this article, Georgina Cox and Andrew Laird argue that Radical Place Leadership will not succeed unless finance and resource leadership evolves just as fundamentally as frontline practice and policy. Many thanks to Nina Philippidis, Simon Parker, Adele Taylor and Rob Powell for their contributions to this article. Council finance and resourcing functions are often viewed as a dark cloud... but they can be a bright, enabling light. Across local government, conversations reg

In this article, Prof. Donna Hall and Andrew Laird argue that the principles of Radical Place Leadership need to flow all the way from the council corporate centre to the heart of communities. Many organisations and systems are currently considering a fresh approach to the leadership of their localities. Councils see that traditional models of public service delivery (new public management) have failed. They simply don’t work for real people, families, communities and are def

Client: Kent and Medway area, including Kent County Council, Medway Council and the 12 district councils Date: July 2025 – November 2025 Challenges faced by the client: After the announcement of Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) by central government, Kent (including 2 unitary authorities and 12 district councils) were determined to work across partners and organisations to come up with a joint vision for LGR. The LGR reforms aimed at simplifying the two-tier council sy

The next twelve months will be critical for public services and determine the scale of the reform that will be delivered in the next three years. John Copps picks out some of the areas to watch out for. 2025 felt like stuttering progress for a government that has styled itself as a champion of public services. It was always going to be a tough job, but the rollercoaster of the previous ten years has not been replaced by something that feels like stability. There’s been lots o

Catch up on our webinar where experts discussed key early considerations for Councils and Neighbourhood Boards under the Pride of Place Programme. During this free webinar, our expert panel shared their recent experiences and learning from the Plan for Neighbourhoods programme, reflecting on what works well and the critical conditions required to effectively plan to invest £20 million over 10 years. The Pride in Place Programme is the government’s flagship communities program

Client: Norfolk County Council Date: July - August 2025 Challenge faced by the client : Norfolk County Council (NCC) was navigating the complex landscape of Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) as part of the national mandate to transition towards single-tier unitary authorities. Central government established six headline criteria for all LGR proposals. Under these new requirements, NCC needed to place community engagement and neighbourhood empowerment at the heart of its

As resources tighten, councils are at risk of diminishing to simply being a provider of last resort, statutory public services. In this blog, Kate Copeland and Ross Murray argue that this can’t be allowed to happen. They reflect on their recent work with Norfolk County Council (NCC) to develop a new Community Engagement Model focused on creating a practical path for councils to become true partners with the communities they serve as well as other parts of the public sector.

In this blog, Yannick Mitchell considers the gap between expectation and reality and outlines three practical steps local authorities can...

Catch up for our webinar - How GPs in Durham & Tees Valley have successfully integrated employment support in their practices - which...

When it comes to public service reform, large swathes of public services have been experiencing “delivery paralysis”. In this article, Prof Donna Hall and Andrew Laird explore why this is and what can be done about it. This article kicks off an Autumn of content from the Mutual Ventures team focused on supporting a stronger delivery focus in public services. #GettingStuffDone #DoingTheRightStuff!! Where we’ve been – and where we are… Reading the conference programmes for this

The National Audit Office’s (NAO) most recent report joins a growing number that have sounded the alarm on the crisis in children’s...

Andrew Laird argues that leaders must reject the short-termism of traditional approaches to achieving efficiency savings. Instead, they...

Catch up on our webinar 'Trusting Place' , which discussed the findings of our report to the LGA on place-based working, held on 6th...

T he spending review has given government departments some medium-term budget certainty and with it, the opportunity to launch multi-year...

Client: Local Government Association (LGA) Date: October 2024 - February 2025 Challenges faced by the client: Local government is facing complex challenges which can only be addressed by breaking down service siloes and establishing more effective relationship between central and local. In the context of a new Government and substantial changes to devolved powers and local government structures, the Local Government Association (LGA) therefore sought to identify views from se

With the publication of the 10-Year Health Plan and the announcement that places will lead the rollout of a neighbourhood health service,...

As sufficiency challenges persist, local authorities are increasingly recognising the value of building strong, trusting relationships...

MV and Re:State publish our report commissioned by the Local Government Association (LGA) in support of ‘place-based’ approaches to...

We have published a new guide for councils going through the Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) process – the focus is on the...