This episode is with Lucy Wightman, the Director of public health at Essex and it is  a fantastic exploration of the role of public health in today’s public services and how far from being a specialist niche service area it should be front of mind for every public servant. 

This is the second episode in succession with a public health focus (following the conversation with Kate Ardern). This is very deliberate. At this critical juncture for the government’s levelling up agenda, I want to highlight the key role public health must play in supporting individuals, communities and local economies.

We talk about the complexity of Lucy’s role in Essex, where she sits at a County level but engages with three Integrated Care Systems and 12 district councils – how does this work in practice? How does she influence the key people she needs to?

We talk about the current set of health and care reforms and what the key elements are for a county like Essex and more broadly. Lucy has a particular interest in health inequalities and why, despite some powerful works of research from Michael Marmot and others, this isn’t trending in the right direction. The question of devolved powers is key here. 

And finally, Government can’t and shouldn’t be responsible for all aspects of public health so we discuss the role of business and civil society in ensuring communities are as healthy, happy and productive as they can be.

Radical Reformers ep.48: Lucy Wightman

In the latest episode of Radical Reformers, I get into the detail of the English devolution White Paper with the local government expert Arianna Giovannini. 

We discuss:

💡The potential contradictions in the white paper with power being pushed down to strategic authorities but sucked up from local areas with the abolition of district councils. 
💡The impetus the white paper presents for local places to take action and be bold and creative with public service reform in their areas.
💡The importance of embracing the complexity and collaboration to be able to create real collaboration across public services operating on different geographical footprints.
💡The role of Radical Place Leadership and integrated neighbourhood teams in addressing local need.

Ariana also shared examples from the system in her native Italy and the lessons that we can learn from that. 

It’s a very timely discussion and a real treat for local government and public service reform nerds!


The Devolution White Paper with Arianna Giovannini

In this latest episode of Radical Reformers, Andrew talks to Kersten England, former Chief Executive of Bradford Council and current Chair of Bradford City of Culture 2025.

Kersten highlights the importance of public services really getting to know local communities and understanding the context and contributing factors within people’s lives. It’s the only way to deliver meaningful support which will lift individuals and families out of downward spirals.

Andrew and Kersten discuss the English Devolution White Paper and while a lot of the provisions are welcome, there is a risk that councils end up being squeezed between their statutory social care obligations and the demands of the Regional Strategic Authority.
 
Kersten also shares her views on the bombardment of influencers targeting Gen Z and the importance of leaders understanding this environment in order to communicate and connect with young people.

It’s a great episode touching on councils and place – and ultimately, relationships and community cohesion


Councils, places and communities with Kersten England

In our latest episode of Radical Reformers, I am joined by Kim Wright, Chief Executive of Brent Council.

In London, 1 in 23 children are homeless… think about that for a moment…that’s one in every classroom.

Tackling an issue like this requires a new, more radical way of getting public services to work together. The New Public Management approach of constantly assessing and passing vulnerable people and families from one siloed service to another will not cut it. 

Kim and I discuss the “Radical Place Leadership” work Mutual Ventures have been doing with Brent, which emphasises the importance of putting the person and family first and creating the permission and space for public servants to really understand the core challenges people are facing. This is riskier that sticking to traditional service silos. It requires public servants to have the ability to “fall forward”, which means accepting that not everything will work but also embracing the importance of properly learning the lessons. 

To enable this new way of working, Kim is driving a major culture shift in her own organisation and also across partner organisations and in communities. Kim discusses how she is approaching this. 

Kim is an inspiring leader who knows what needs to happen and has the drive to do it…. oh and she loves Abba!

Radical Place Leadership with Kim Wright

In this episode of Radical Reformers, Andrew Laird is joined by Louisa Mitchell MBE, Chief Executive of All Child, an organisation dedicated to supporting communities in underserved neighbourhoods across the UK to help children and young people flourish.

All child has a crystal-clear purpose and methodology. They identify children who need support, they develop a trusted relationship with the child and the family, and they align public services around the child.  Louisa and her team have achieved amazing results. In the eight years of their existence, they have worked with nearly 6000 children and 2/3 of those children are no longer at risk in their social and emotional health and around 60% have improved their school grades. 

Louisa also talks about the benefit of outcomes contracts and how they make space for trusted relationships and support that’s tailored to individuals. This type of commissioning gives providers power and permission to do whatever it takes to help, rather than ticking activity boxes. 

This episode majors on something we come back to time and time again on Radical Reformers – the transformative power of relationships and trust. It’s also a rallying cry to anyone thinking of making the jump into public services, as Louisa started her career in finance, before moving to policy research writing – until she decided, in her words “enough writing, time for some action”


Supporting children to flourish with Louisa Mitchell


We've extended our International Women’s Day celebrations here at MV. Inspired by our recent report and webinar, we have produced a special episode of the #RadicalReformers podcast.
 
Since its launch, from the very first episode with Sophie Humphreys to the very latest episode with Louisa Mitchell, 60% of the guests on the podcast have been women. This is not a contrived thing, it is just where a lot of the leadership talent is! 
 
In this episode, @Andrew Laird introduces six clips from the archive with Theresa Leavy, Arianna Giovannini, Fatima Khan Shah, Sam Plum, Prof. Donna Hall and Naomi Hulston. 
 
A very wide range of topics are covered including, leaning into challenges, championing diversity, the relationship between employers and employees, the right power to devolve to local areas, local government reorganisation and the birth of the “Wigan Deal”.

Enjoy it #AccelerateNow #Internationalwomensday #IWD25


Female Leadership - an International Women's Day special

This week, Andrew Laird is joined by Kate Josephs, Chief Executive of Sheffield City Council. Kate is a former Senior Civil Servant in Whitehall who has transitioned to local government in a City just around the corner from where she grew up. 
 
Sheffield is a city (with three-party political leadership) which has developed an ambitious set of City Goals through community collaboration, focusing on shared ownership and improving public services.

The episode touches on the need for flexibility and adaptability in public service delivery, the power of optimistic leadership and the emerging role of council Chief Executives as conveyors of “place”.

The conversation also highlights the financial and outcomes folly of delivering public services in silos. Better collaboration and the removal of duplication and the need for people to repeatedly tell their story not only improves efficiency, but more importantly can break people and families out of a downward spiral.

Enjoy it!

NB - this episode was recorded before the Government announced it was abolishing NHS England.


Convening Leadership with Kate Josephs 1 0

In this new episode of Radical Reformers, Andrew Laird chats to Graham Farrant, Chief Executive of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council.

It’s a particularly relevant episode for those going through the current local government reorganisation (LGR) process. Back in 2018, Graham was the inaugural Chief Executive of the newly formed BCP Council and this episode is packed with lessons and insight from his experience of leading a brand new council. 

He describes the challenges of the LGR process, the complexities of merging councils and the programme management that’s crucial to do it successfully. It’s a must-listen for those who have recently submitted initial LGR proposals.

Graham is also renowned for bringing business acumen to his various public sector roles. He shares his insights on:

- Budgets and the importance of forecasting and recognising likely overspend.
- The importance of viewing risk management as an integral part of every role – not a separate function.
- The potential financial benefits of public sector funded commercial activities.



The business of running a council with Graham Farrant

In the new episode of Radical Reformers, Andrew Laird welcomes Graeme Duncan, Chief Executive of Right to Succeed, a charity that supports communities in areas of high deprivation to work collectively and give children and young people the best start in life.

In this discussion, Graeme and Andrew discuss the transformative power of building community agency. Graeme notes that the biggest challenge facing our communities isn't just the individual issues like poverty, education, or health - but the lack of control people have in defining their own needs and solutions. True change comes from a collective approach, where everyone works together, rather than top-down or bottom-up methods.

Graeme offers insights into how Right to Succeed engages with different levels of administration, from individual councils to the Liverpool City Region and how this approach has led to significant savings and better outcomes for communities.

Allowing communities to take ownership, builds trust and collaborative solutions that are hard to beat. As Graeme says, if a community chooses an intervention – they will make it succeed.


Creating community agency with Graeme Duncan


In this latest episode of Radical Reformers, Andrew Laird is joined by Caroline Simpson, Chief Executive of Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), Transport for Greater Manchester and the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service. 

Greater Manchester became the first new Mayoral Combined authorities in 2014 and in this conversation, Caroline has a refreshing approach to leadership and shares how she navigates the incredibly complex but rewarding Greater Manchester environment.  

What’s clear from this conversation is Greater Manchester thrives on strong relationships built on trust and transparency, and not being afraid to have difficult conversations. This solid foundation of trust and knowledge of the place makes room for balanced risk and makes Manchester the perfect place for a test and learn approach.

If you take just one thing away from this episode, we hope it’s inspiration from the boundless energy that Caroline embodies as a leader. Times are certainly tough for public services – but all great change starts with the belief that it can be done and as Caroline says, going "All in"! 


Radical Reformers ep.48: Lucy Wightman

Radical Reformers podcast

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