Blog
LGR – you can do it!
If you're stressing about LGR, don't worry - you're certainly not alone. Unsurprisingly given the scale of the task, my recent poll asking comms leaders about their top LGR worries found a whopping 40% are concerned about everything I listed: đŁ where to start; đŁ combatting election fatigue; đŁ internal [...]
Getting your comms ready to deliver LGR
If you're a comms professional leading the work for LGR (local government reorganisation), then you're in for a ride! It will be challenging, inspiring, frustrating and fulfilling - one of the defining projects of your career. Position yourself right and you'll be making sure comms is: 1ď¸âŁ at the heart [...]
50 years of local government
Yesterday, 1 April 2024, marked 50 years since a huge national shake up to #localgovernment structures and public service provision as we know it. Itâs when Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole boroughs were, controversially at the time, redefined as within Dorset county instead of Hampshire - I presume to make the [...]
Public affairs – the must-have skill for 2024. Are you ready?
A general election will almost certainly see fresh national policies on housing, health, education, planning, transport and more, all of which have an impact on local public services and decisions. Add to that potential devo deals, elected mayors, structural change and mergers at a local and regional levels and it's no wonder the regular, [...]
The rise of fake news â a local problem
When I hear the phrase âfake newsâ it is more often than not being spat out by a certain US-politician, using it as a double bluff to dismiss and discredit mainstream news stories containing information that may actually be true that he simply doesnât like, let alone have an educated, [...]
Lifetime Achievement. Who, me???
I was nominated for the Lifetime Achievement recognition in the Comms2point0 #UnAwards23. This is a bit of a long read, and I apologise, but I've been reflecting on this a lot in the last week or so. I was blown away to be nominated by my mentee, Carla Ryan-Griffiths. It [...]
Campaign planning with a difference!
Itâs easy to subscribe to campaign planning theory, but often much harder putting this into practice, combining a strategic approach with practical implementation planning. If you want to turn a model on a page into a valued, integral approach that everyone buys into, I can help, getting you started on [...]
Creativity in campaigns – you can do it!
Have you nailed your campaign planning model but always hand over the creative to your graphics team or an external agency? It's a familiar situation, often borne out of a lack of time but also a lack of confidence in our own abilities to actually be creative. Yet we all have [...]
It seems I am a trainer….!
I suppose it shouldn't come as a huge surprise - I've spoken at numerous industry events during my career, and am a mentor through the LGcomms Future Leaders programme. So I guess wanting to support the sector and help others progress means that running training sessions is a natural next [...]
