Following the announcement of plans to give people more influence over the decisions taken by local councils, the Government is facing a call for a ‘fundamental shift in power’. The Chief Executive of the Local Government Information Unit, Andy Sawford, said the proposed empowerment white paper was an opportunity for real change for local government and for communities.
Mr. 

A new survey shows that IT is the major constraint on flexible working within local authorities. The study, by WiseWork, also found there was an increased business focus for the introduction of flexible working rather than the welfare imperative of staff’s work life balance.
Results showed that cost savings had moved from 15th place in 2006 to be the number one driver for flexible working in 2008. At the same time, work-life balance fell from third to ninth in the list. 

Mike Bennett
This article was first published in Public Management and Policy and is reproduced by permission of the Association. http://www.cipfa.org.uk/pmpa/index.cfm
Local government chief executives are unusual and they don’t have much in common. Their job is also unusual spanning many professions and their agenda is set by politicians. To do the job effectively they need ‘nous’, but this does not feature on leadership or development courses.