Ep 51. Diversity, equality and representation, Stuart Love

02/15/24 • 18 min

It is the role of local government leaders to make the decisions that will best deliver for the communities that they represent. That much is obvious.

How can they do this, however, if they are not accurately representative of those very communities?

Great strides have been made in ensuring that everyone, regardless of their ethnicity, race, gender, or social class is represented in some way within local government. Chief Executive of Westminster City Council Stuart Love joins host Dan Benn to talk about why this work is important, the different work that is being done in Westminster, and how his background influences his stance on equality and diversity.

Touching on his leadership model, Stuart said:

“I do wear my heart on my sleeve as a leader, and that’s not for everybody. I get that. I don’t think that there’s a one-size-fits-all approach to this.

“The most important thing for me, though, is this has got to be led by the people at the top of the organisation... The whole thing around EDI (equality, diversity, and inclusion) is not something that can be farmed out to somewhere else.”

Stuart also discussed how success in diversity and inclusion can be measured within the public sector:

“The public sector is not very good at talking about why this is such an important thing. But if you look at the changes in our organisation, that fact that our organisation is now much more representative of our communities... the organisation has increased by 10% in terms of our global majority staff over the last six years.

“That means we’ve gone from being around 32% to now 42% of our organisation and, because of that, we have much greater resident satisfaction and residents feel more engaged.”

To make sure you get Stuart’s expert insight on such a key issue for leaders around the country, listen to Episode 51 of the Public Sector Executive Podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It is the role of local government leaders to make the decisions that will best deliver for the communities that they represent. That much is obvious.

How can they do this, however, if they are not accurately representative of those very communities?

Touching on his leadership model, Stuart said:

“I do wear my heart on my sleeve as a leader, and that’s not for everybody. I get that. I don’t think that there’s a one-size-fits-all approach to this.

Stuart also discussed how success in diversity and inclusion can be measured within the public sector:

“That means we’ve gone from being around 32% to now 42% of our organisation and, because of that, we have much greater resident satisfaction and residents feel more engaged.”

To make sure you get Stuart’s expert insight on such a key issue for leaders around the country, listen to Episode 51 of the Public Sector Executive Podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

Ep 50. Myth-busting and unlocking potential, Cllr Anne Handley

In the 50th episode of the Public Sector Executive Podcast, Leader of the East Riding of Yorkshire Council Cllr Anne Handley talks about the upcoming devolution deal for the region and what it can bring to East Yorkshire.

Councillor Handley delved into the potential that East Yorkshire holds, ongoing transport issues and, touching on just how important the deal is for the region, said:

“It’s really important. We are the last part of Yorkshire to actually have any kind of deal...

“...We need the funding like everybody else, and why shouldn’t we have it?”

Whilst discussing some of the challenges that the deal poses, including the consultation around it, Cllr Handley added:

“We need to let as many people know as we possibly can, and do some myth-busting, explain what the positives of this will be and get the local residents on board so that they’re talking about it and know about it. There’s a job to be done to start with because you say the word combined authority and it’s such a misnomer.

“I really wish it wasn’t in purely and simply because we’re not combining.”

To hear more about the devolution deal for East Yorkshire, listen to the latest episode of the Public Sector Executive Podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

Ep 52. What is the point of Local Government? Cllr Pete Marland

The state of council finances is one of the most pressing issues across the public sector right now.

As councils face bankruptcy, cut funding and reduced services, and the demands for those services from communities pile on the pressure, the government is set to announce its budget for the next financial year.

In the 52nd episode of the Public Sector Executive Podcast Cllr Pete Marland joins host Dan Benn to discuss the challenges that councils face. Pete is Chair of the LGA’s Economy and Resources Board and Leader of Milton Keynes Council

Touching on the increase in demand for social care services, Pete said:

“More or less for every ten pounds they (councils) collect, they now spend eight pounds on children’s social care and adult social care. Obviously what that means is that there’s only two pounds left for everything else that councils do.”

Pete and Dan also explored the point of local government if councils aren’t given power to make local decisions, with Pete saying:

“Ultimately, I think there becomes a fundamental question about what the point of local government is if you end up just delivering statutory services set from the middle and not having any local flavour to it.

“What’s the point in local elections if all a local leader has to do every morning is get up and deliver statutory children’s care and not concentrate on what’s right for Manchester, or Lincolnshire, or wherever it may be.”

To hear from a leading voice within local government, listen to the latest episode of the Public Sector Executive Podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.