Meet The Leader

For this latest episode of Meet the Leader, Nick Kilby (Cratus) is joined by the Leader of Cotswold District Council, Councillor Joe Harris.

During this conversation, Cllr Harris talks to Nick about his inspirational journey in local government which began with him being first elected at the age of 18, and subsequently becoming the youngest Mayor in the country at just 20 years old.

Fast forward to today, Cllr Harris is the Leader of the first-ever Liberal Democrat administration in the councils history, and also serves as a county councillor and as Leader of the Liberal Democrats group on the LGA. Having already spent 12 years representing the people in his community, Cllr Harris also casts an eye forward to what the future may look like for him after his time on the council comes to an end.

Hosted by Cratus Group CEO Nick Kilby, the Meet the Leader podcast is a space to learn about the leaders in local government, highlighting the tremendous work they do for the communities they serve. You can listen to the previous episodes ⁠⁠on Spotify here⁠ and wherever else you listen to your podcasts. You can also follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

For this latest episode of Meet the Leader, Nick Kilby is joined by Councillor Vince Maple who was elected as the new Leader of Medway Council in May. Labour took control of Medway Council for the first time since 1998, and Cllr Maple had led the party in opposition for 11 years before taking control this year.

During this conversation, the pair discuss Cllr Maple's journey into politics which began as a public transport-loving, Labour-representing nine-year-old and saw him gain experience through roles within the Department of Work and Pensions and the Home Office. We also find out whether or not the iconic election night clip of a victorious Cllr Maple running to his team was staged or not.

Hosted by Cratus CEO Nick Kilby, The Meet the Leader podcast is a space to learn about the leaders in local government, highlighting the tremendous work they do for the communities they serve. You can listen to the previous episodes here.

Hosted by Cratus Group CEO Nick Kilby, the Meet the Leader podcast is a space to learn about the leaders in local government, highlighting the tremendous work they do for the communities they serve. You can listen to the previous episodes ⁠⁠on Spotify here⁠ and wherever else you listen to your podcasts. You can also follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

For this latest episode of Meet the Leader, Nick Kilby is joined by the Leader of Manchester City Council, Bev Craig, to shine a light on her personal journey in local government, and the work that is being done in Manchester.

Originally moving to Manchester in 2003 for university, Cllr Craig has been an elected councillor for over a decade and is nearly two years into leading the city council.

Through this conversation, Cllr Craig speaks on Manchester's unfinished devolution journey, while praising the council's relationship with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the maturity that exists within the city region's governance. Cllr Craig also talks about addressing the social challenges that all big cities face, as she is passionate about applying a social focus to the lens of economic growth.

Hosted by Cratus Group CEO Nick Kilby, the Meet the Leader podcast is a space to learn about the leaders in local government, highlighting the tremendous work they do for the communities they serve. You can listen to the previous episodes ⁠⁠on Spotify here⁠ and wherever else you listen to your podcasts. You can also follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

For this latest episode of Meet the Leader, Nick is joined by the Leader of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, Councillor Gareth Roberts.

This episode explores Cllr Roberts' journey in local government, looking at his various roles in opposition as well as the political transformation of Richmond that he has witnessed.

The pair also discuss the importance of changing the perception of local government and look ahead to Cllr Roberts' future ambitions in the London Assembly and Westminster.

Hosted by Cratus Group CEO Nick Kilby, the Meet the Leader podcast is a space to learn about the leaders in local government, highlighting the tremendous work they do for the communities they serve. You can listen to the previous episodes ⁠⁠on Spotify here⁠ and wherever else you listen to your podcasts. You can also follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

No two councils in this country are the same, and that is especially true when considering Epsom and Ewell Borough Council. Since its inception in 1937, the local authority has been controlled by Residents Associations - and is currently one of two RA controlled councils in the entire country, along with Uttlesford.

The majority group of the Residents Associations of Epsom and Ewell has been chaired by Councillor Hannah Dalton since May 2021, and for this episode of Meet the Leader, Cllr Dalton sat down with host Nick Kilby.

During this episode, the pair discuss the unique political setup that exists within Epsom and Ewell, alongside the dynamics of this independent grouping of councillors who have had majority control over the local authority for almost 90 years.

Hosted by Cratus Group CEO Nick Kilby, the Meet the Leader podcast is a space to learn about the leaders in local government, highlighting the tremendous work they do for the communities they serve. You can listen to the previous episodes ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.

Hosted by Cratus Group CEO Nick Kilby, the Meet the Leader podcast is a space to learn about the leaders in local government, highlighting the tremendous work they do for the communities they serve. You can listen to the previous episodes ⁠⁠on Spotify here⁠ and wherever else you listen to your podcasts. You can also follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.