Catherine Staite is Director of the Institute of Local Government Studies (INLOGOV) at the University of Birmingham in England. Catherine leads her university department to bridge the gap between local government research and practice. Prior to INLOGOV, Catherine was the Director of Organisational Development and Policy for OPM, an independent research and consultancy institute for the public sector leaders, policymakers and regulators. Catherine has had other previous roles including Non-Executive Director of a high security British hospital, Vice-Chair of a healthcare trust and a member of the Board of Visitors for a local prison. In 2015, Catherine Staite was ranked in the top 100 most influential people in local government in the UK by the Local Government Chronicle.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
3:54 What drives the productivity of local government?
5:24 The paradox of less money and stronger communities
8:24 How is communication being used to make stronger local communities?
9:35 Why is local government reluctant to start a two-way conversation with residents?
14:19 Why technology adoption is challenging for local government in the UK
16:11 How best practice is shared in local government in the UK
19:04 What is the skillset of local councillors?
21:42 Are communicators valued in local government?
24:51 What is the dichotomy between the political and the managerial?
27:33 How will communications regain its function in the UK local authorities?
29:55 The myth of how clustering councils moves further away from the people
33:31 How can communications help local UK government move towards clustering?
Selected links
Connect with Catherine Staite on Twitter @CatherineStaite
Visit the University of Birmingham’s Institute of Local Government Studies (INLOGOV) Website
Find out more about post-graduate programmes in public management at INLOGOV Website