Director of safer communities, Chelmsford city council
How long have you been an SFI trustee?
I have been a senior manager member of the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives since 2002 and have served as a trustee of the Solace Foundation for 12 months.
How does being a trustee feed into your day job?
I am focused on leading the foundation's harnessing talent workstream and I have a particular interest in attracting and retaining talent within local government. This feeds into my directorate's workforce development plan, the mentoring of staff members and supporting Chelmsford's award winning intern programme.
What is the biggest governance challenge facing the public bodies with which you are involved?
How successful the community budgets programme will be in connecting services and budgets at a local level.
Which organisations do you see implementing the most innovative public services and how are they going about it?
Those local authorities with a can-do attitude that are pushing the boundaries, constantly seeking improvement, outward looking and open to new ways of doing things.
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