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"! 


All In for Greater Manchester with Caroline Simpson

In this new episode of #RadicalReformers, I chat with Kath O'Dwyer, former Chief Executive of St Helens Council and Chair of SOLACE. 

During her tenure at St Helens, Kath led the council through significant challenges, including a poor corporate culture, the COVID-19 pandemic, a cost-of-living crisis, and a ransomware cyber attack. Despite these hurdles, she successfully transformed the organisation, leading to a very positive corporate peer challenge this year. 

Kath describes herself as a “fix it” Chief Exec and she explains why it’s so important to recognise what sort of leader you are and what environment you are likely to thrive in. Trust and honesty are central to Kath's success and she explains the “kindness” of making tough decisions. 

Kath also emphasises the importance of collaboration across local authority boundaries and the benefits of St Helens being part of the Liverpool City Region and the positive impact of regional programs and investments on local communities. 

Enjoy it!


Leading a turnaround with Kath O'Dwyer

In this week’s episode Radical Reformers, we welcome back a duo we’ve had on the podcast before - Scott Darraugh from Social Adventures and Sophie Clarke from We Are Juno.

It’s a rich conversation that touches on topics we’ve been thinking about a lot here at Mutual Ventures, specifically around the challenges in children’s residential care:

- The difficulty of finding suitable local placements so young people are close to their families and communities. 
- The need for a renewed focus on relationships and creating safe, trusting and inspiring environments for young people.
- The role of Regional Care Cooperatives and the need for local authorities and organisations to work together to fix the challenges facing the children’s social care system.

This conversation also contains a strong message about ensuring all children and young people are not only kept safe - but have a “dare to dream” plan and the opportunity to find their “glimmer”. 

It’s very inspiring stuff. Enjoy it. 


The opportunity children deserve with Sophie Clarke and Scott Darraugh

In this latest episode of Radical Reformers, Bas Sadiq, the Chief Executive of the Homerton Healthcare Foundation Trust and the place-based leader for City and Hackney, joins Andrew Laird and shares her incredible journey from an outpatient receptionist to leading one of the most iconic hospitals in London.

Bas discusses the unique role of The Homerton as a community anchor and gives us an insight into her leadership approach, which is firmly rooted in relationship-building. Logistics and structures never trump relationships!

We learn about the importance of the innovative neighbourhood teams which are transforming healthcare delivery in Hackney and the City of London. It is inspiring to hear from an Acute Trust Chief Executive who genuinely sees the bigger picture and understands that the “left shift” towards prevention will require hospitals to cede power to local partners and communities.

If you’re excited by the potential of neighbourhood health and are determined that it doesn’t become a big organisation serving box-ticking exercise, then this is one for you!

Enjoy it!


Caring for the community with Bas Sadiq

The next two episodes of the #RadicalReformers podcast will be a bit different (and hopefully a treat for the public service reform nerds out there!). They will focus on “Relational practice” and “Place working”.

A couple of weeks ago, Andrew spent time with the leading relational practice experts from the UK and further afield at the PERU “Towards Relational Public services” conference in Manchester and recorded snippets with some of the keynote speakers and attendees. 

Relational practice is fast becoming the foundational element of all sensible public service reform thinking and in this episode you will hear from the best in the field including Rob Wilson, Kathy Evans, Emma Lord, Ron Charlton, Toby Lowe and Wendy Lansdown. 

The second public service reform special will focus on “Place working” and will unpack the findings of an LGA report the Mutual Ventures team and Re:State were commissioned to produce. Andrew will be joined by Dr Simon Kaye Prof Donna Hall and the LGA's Eve Roodhouse. Keep an eye out for this in a couple of weeks. 

The team Mutual Ventures believe relational practice and place working are two sides of the same coin and essential if we are to shift towards prevention, reduce demand/cost across the system and re-establish trust between public services and communities. 

The good news is real progress is being made on the policy front. Throughout both episodes, we reference the “test, learn and grow” principles produced by the Cabinet Office, the Spending Review policy announcement on “Community Help Partnerships” and the recent Public Service Reform Strategy from the Scottish Government.

Relational practice and place working feature heavily in the Radical Place Leadership work the MV team have been doing in areas such as South Ayrshire, North East Lincolnshire and Brent and also forms a big part of the reform support we are providing as part of the local government reform process. 

Enjoy it!


Public Service Reform Part 1 - Relational Practice

This is Episode #100 of the #RadicalReformers podcast!
 
We wanted to take the opportunity to thank all the guests who have taken the time to contribute their time and knowledge and the listeners who have given up their own time and continued to support the podcast since the first episode back in 2020. We have had guests from central government, local government, the third sector, Mayoral Combined Authorities and the NHS, all brimming with energy and ideas for improving public services. It’s been a great journey and we hope you have enjoyed it and learned as much as we have.
 
So back to this episode! This is part 2 of a public service reform double bill. The first one was on “relational practice” and if you missed it you can catch up in the usual places. 

This one revolves around a report that the Mutual Ventures team developed in partnership with Re:State think tank on behalf of the LGA entitled “Trusting Place”. As the name suggests, this is all about place working, public service collaboration at a local level, and connection between public services and citizens. As part of this work, we ran a series of workshops and spoke to a lot of public service leaders and thinkers and produced a set of recommendations for the LGA to consider in terms of what their future views might be around place-working.
 
This report has now been published (Link below) and we are fortunate to have the chance to discuss it on this episode with Eve Roodhouse from the LGA and two of the report’s authors Simon Kay from Re:State and MV Non-Exec Director Professor Donna Hall.

https://www.mutualventures.co.uk/post/our-report-to-the-lga-trusting-place-improving-the-lives-of-local-people-through-place-based-appr


Public Service Reform - Trusting Place

In the latest episode of Radical Reformers, I am joined by renowned public service innovator and author, Hilary Cottam.

Hilary has just published her hotly anticipated follow up to Radical Help, entitled “The Work We Need”. It is an inspiring read and I get the opportunity to delve into the main themes with Hilary.

Hilary highlights the increasing challenge of economic inactivity and unfulfilling jobs and discusses the importance of “place” and the social fabric created by local institutions great and small, formal and informal. We discuss the critical role central government, Mayoral Combined Authorities and councils have in “tilting the playing field” to create the conditions for good work. 

Lifelong learning is a key theme of the book and Hilary explains what this means. It’s not about getting a piece of paper with a qualification. It’s about fulfilment, challenge and self-development. We also spend time talking about the potential of the “modern mutual” and the renewed interest from government in this form of organisation, which has proven very successful in many industries including public services. 

Radical Help is a firm favourite in the Mutual Ventures office and our copies of The Work We Need are already in hot demand. We hope you enjoy the episode!

You can get your copy of Hilary’s new book here: https://geni.us/TheWorkWeNeed





The Work We Need with Hilary Cottam

Radical Reformers is back! Listen in to Andrew Laird’s insightful conversation with relational working legend Gary Wallace, a public health specialist from Plymouth City Council.

In this episode, Gary comprehensively debunks New Public Management, highlighting its weaknesses and championing relational working. He shares his expertise on systems thinking, human learning systems, and the importance of creating a healthy system where all the bits of the system work together to support people.

Gary's approach to relational working is a masterclass in itself, offering valuable insights for public-facing practitioners, commissioners, and leaders.

Gary talks about making impactful change and continuous learning throughout this episode. Trying to make big changes can be daunting and seemingly impossible - so we thought it was really powerful when Gary said “Even if you can't change the way your service works, you can change the way you work as an individual.” And that’s where all great change starts really, isn’t it?


Relational Working Masterclass with Gary Wallace

Radical Reformers podcast