Public Sector Executive Podcast

In our latest episode, we tackle the critical issue of digital inclusion and the urgent need for equal access to technology in the UK. With over 11 million people digitally excluded, our expert panel discusses the challenges and innovative solutions being implemented to bridge this gap. Discover how local authorities and communities are working together to foster a more inclusive digital future.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the latest episode of the Public Sector Executive podcast, Nadeem Khan, a team leader at the housing charity Shelter joined host Dan Benn to discuss the critical issue of possession and eviction notices.With over a decade of experience, Nadeem shed light on the alarming rise in homelessness due to increasing housing costs and a shortage of affordable homes.Nadeem explained that possession and eviction are often the primary reasons people seek help from Shelter. He emphasised the emotional turmoil that accompanies these situations, with many clients feeling anxious, overwhelmed, and even angry as they face the prospect of losing their homes. Understanding the emotional impact is crucial for housing professionals, as it allows them to provide not just practical advice but also emotional support to clients.Throughout the discussion, Nadeem explored typical scenarios clients might face, such as receiving a notice from a landlord or dealing with rent arrears. Nadeem highlighted the importance of knowing one's rights and options in these situations. He provided insights into the steps professionals should take when advising clients, including fact-finding to assess the individual's circumstances and rights to emergency housing.A significant part of the conversation focuses on the distinction between possession and eviction. Nadeem clarified that while possession is a court ruling requiring a tenant to vacate their home, eviction occurs when the tenant does not leave by the specified date. This distinction is crucial, as it opens up avenues for negotiation and potential delays in the eviction process, allowing clients more time to find solutions.Emergency housing is another key topic discussed. Nadeem explained that local authorities provide emergency accommodation for those who are legally homeless, but the reality of this housing can often be stark. Many clients find themselves in cramped conditions, far from their support networks, which can exacerbate their already difficult situations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today's fast-paced world, the ability to negotiate effectively is more crucial than ever. Whether you're in the public sector, private industry, or simply trying to strike a deal at home, the principles of negotiation remain the same. In our latest podcast episode, we have the privilege of hosting Andy Archibald, a senior consultant at Scotwork, who sheds light on the art and science of negotiation.Andy brings a wealth of experience, having worked across the energy and utility sectors, as well as at the City of Edinburgh Council. His insights into negotiation are not only practical but also transformative. One of the key highlights of our discussion is Scotwork's eight-step negotiation process, a tried-and-tested framework that can be applied across various negotiation contexts.Preparation, as Andy points out, is the cornerstone of effective negotiation. Without thorough preparation, negotiators risk entering discussions without a clear strategy, leading to unsatisfactory outcomes. Andy shares a compelling story of a group that focused too heavily on numbers during preparation, neglecting other crucial aspects of negotiation. His advice? Move beyond spreadsheets and consider all elements that could impact the negotiation process.As we look ahead to the implementation of the Procurement Act 2023, Andy highlights the significant changes it will bring to public sector negotiations. With increased flexibility and freedom, public sector negotiators must be equipped with the right skills and knowledge to maximise value in their deals. Andy's experience in the public sector and with public sector clients underscores the importance of investing in negotiation training to navigate these changes effectively.Throughout the episode, Andy provides invaluable tips on avoiding common pitfalls in negotiation, such as getting stuck in circular debates or making non-specific proposals. By focusing on constructive dialogue and clear, specific proposals, negotiators can steer discussions towards successful outcomes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The world is becoming an increasingly hostile place. With foreign nations often entering the headlines as they breach the cyber security of organisations, it is imperative that government continues to develop its cyber security capabilities.One of the best ways to go about doing this is by ensuring that systems are secure by design, and in order to learn more about this process, host Dan Benn spoke to cyber security expert George Bathurst. Over the course of more than thirty years, George’s career has taken him to some of the world’s biggest and most famous companies, and has recently seen him heading up Ministry of Defence’s transition to secure by design.George commented on the importance of following the secure by design model, saying:“For many years, we’ve seen projects that have just been getting started and they’ve already been hacked. The development servers and things like that have been breached and… whereas three months ago you had a month to respond to a new zero day bug being discovered, with AI now you’ve got just a few hours.”Moving on to what leaders can do to support secure by design development, George explained:“Everybody is responsible, but there’s a danger of that becoming meaningless because if everybody’s responsible, nobody’s responsible. Therefore, what management can do is identify the right people across the organisation – not just in the IT silo – who are responsible for certain types of security or making sure a project is delivered, and make sure that they understand and have the training to do that.”To learn more about the importance of secure by design in the modern world, listen to the latest episode of the Public Sector Executive podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 64 of the PSE Podcast sees Sajeeda Rose, Chief Executive of Nottingham City Council, joining host Dan Benn to talk about her local government background, what the future holds for the city of Nottingham, and the importance of collaboration with the rest of the East Midlands.Playing a core role in the establishment of the East Midlands Combined County Authority, Sajeeda told Dan about the opportunity that is on offer for the region, saying:“I believe that the establishment of a combined authority for the East Midlands is a hugely exciting opportunity for the whole region. As a region, we’ve had significant underinvestment for many years and the establishment of a combined authority is to level that playing field in terms of bringing in significant investment for growing the regional economy.”Looking at Nottingham more specifically, Sajeeda also spoke about the opportunities there are for regeneration and growth for the city:“We’re one of the few cities that are already starting to rethink how we repurpose our city centres to become spaces that are used for multiple reasons, for living, for retail, for leisure and for jobs so it’s hugely exciting. It’s game-changing in the sense that it’s the start of what I would imagine lots of other places will go through in terms of change for the future.”You can hear more about Sajeeda's experiences by listening to the full episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It would be naïve to say that major infrastructure projects in the UK have a successful history of being delivered on time and on budget. Whilst there are many good examples of projects that have been successful in this way, the UK is still underperforming when it comes to delivery, with one of the most notable examples – the High Speed 2 rail link – still causing controversy seven years on from its commencement. In order to explore why major infrastructure projects are failing, and how the issue can be resolved, MIGSO-PCUBED’s David Whitmore joined us on the latest episode of the PSE Podcast. David outlined the evidence that exists to support claims that the nation is underperforming when it comes to infrastructure, saying:“There’s quite a bit of evidence, unfortunately. Probably the main piece of evidence is that the Infrastructure and Projects Authority carries out an annual review of the performance of public sector projects in the public interest, and we’ve seen consistently over the 10-12 years that they’ve been doing that review, more red in the performance of the projects and less green.“It’s not just that our baseline performance is worse than it was 25 years ago, it would appear to be getting worse every year.”David was also asked about the UK’s place in the world, and whether an inability to deliver major infrastructure projects was a UK-specific issue. Bringing in the example of the far-east, David said:“For me, it’s very much a UK issue – you might argue it’s a western world issue.“If you take the example of the civil nuclear programme, that – for me- is probably the starkest example…  About 2007 we embarked on a new nuclear programme to build 16 gigawatts of additional capacity; around the same time, the UAE started a programme to build four nuclear reactors. No contest, we’ve got 100,000 engineers and we’ve built loads of nuclear reactors, clearly we’re going to win that race.“But here we stand today, we’ve built zero gigawatts out of that 16, two of the three projects that started have failed and are no longer in existence… yet in the UAE – using Far East partners and forming relationships with South Korean companies – they’ve built their four reactors.”To learn more about how major infrastructure projects can be delivered successfully, listen to the latest episode of the PSE Podcast now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Whilst not necessarily one of the ‘big ticket’ items that councils are responsible for, the importance of highways cannot be understated. Providing a vital way of getting people to their jobs, their appointments, and their families, roads are integral to most aspects of everyday life in 2024.Despite this, there continue to be issues with roads that should not be happening. When was the last time you saw a pothole? It was probably recently.This is because many councils are without the adequate resources, expertise, or partner to ensure that they can make long-term improvements to their highways. On the latest episode of the Public Sector Executive Podcast, host Dan Benn was joined by Wrekin Product’s Dave Sanders and IKO Road’s Alistair Puddick, to discuss how local authorities can make sure that pesky pothole problems can be solved and highways improved in the long-term.Talking about the challenges that councils face when they’re going about making road improvements and fixing potholes, Alistair said:“We’ve seen that, from 2021, we were looking at £10 billion just to get the roads back up to a maintainable standard. That’s sitting in April 2024 at £16.3 billion. So the situation is only going one way and will probably, in the next couple of years, exceed the £20 billion mark if there isn’t a change in what authorities are doing.”Dave also explained why it is important for authorities to change the way they think about highway and maintenance, saying:“For us, certainly, our message to LCRIG members – and any local authority that’s willing to listen – is that it's changing that mindset from looking at the cost today, to looking at the cost over ten years…… It’s about education for the guys in the local authorities to understand what products are good, what good looks like, and understand the dynamics to products when they get trafficked in the highway.”To hear more from Dave and Alistair on how local authorities can make the right decisions when it comes to highways and maintenance, listen to the full episode now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There have been countless conversations about how to improve transport in the north of England in recent times, with the cancellation of HS2 removing an important potential transport link to the south, and subsequent discussions about improved road and rail connections between the north’s most important cities.Discussing some of the most important aspects relating to the futureproofing of transport in the north of England, some of the challenges involved, and how Transport for the North are supporting this drive, TfN’s Head of Major Roads Owen Wilson joined host Dan Benn on the Public Sector Executive Podcast.When looking into the future of transport, Owen was asked the introduction of new technology, and how it can support transport improvement. Answering by touching on the future of tech, Owens said:“No-one can predict the future can they? That brings me onto the need actually not to be fixated on a particular future, or how that’s going to pan out… We need to be adaptable and flexible and plan for different scenarios in terms of the uptake of technology, but also how that impacts people’s behaviours.“It’s a bit of a cliché, but the smartphone has really changed the way people behave in the last two decades. Thirty years ago could that have been predicted?“So, we need to be adaptable and flexible to changing technologies.”Transport systems around the UK, especially in the north, have seen their fair share of challenges in recent years. Owen expanded on some of challenges faced by authorities, and what can be done to help organisations overcome them, saying:“Policy certainty is critical. We’ve seen a bit of chopping and changing over recent years in terms of policy and investment in transport, so it’s really important to have greater certainty in terms of what the ambitions and outcomes we’re aiming for are.“I think the critical challenge is reshaping how we appraise investment in transport in the future.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Transport, as an enabler, can play an integral role in many of the priorities that government of all levels are trying to achieve. Whether it is connecting communities to the services that their lives revolve around, or bringing trade into economic centres, the transport network is an important place to start.Chief Executive of Transport East, Andrew Summers, spoke to host Dan Benn about the organisations Annual Review for 2023-2024, commenting on achievements, goals, and some stumbling blocks that have been encountered in the region.Expanding on the importance of transport in driving improvement around the country, Andrew said:“Transport is ultimately one of a number of enablers that support economic growth, a better environment and better outcomes for society, and indeed, part of our transport strategy was to try to articulate what those priorities were for us, and to then determine how we went about our work.”Considering the makeup of the East as a region, Andrew also touched upon the importance of keeping rural communities connected to both each other, and to the economic hubs nearby, saying:“One in three people in the East live in a rural community, and for us that’s about 1.2 million people. So that’s a significant amount of our population.“We’ve done a lot of analysis about their accessibility and it’s pretty concerning. Two thirds of those live in what we class as a transport desert – that is, they have no access to education, training, skills, work by any means apart from the private car – and we have explored this a bit further. This creates significant transport-related social exclusion.”To hear more from Andrew on the successes and challenges of being responsible for transport developments in one of the most rural regions of the country, as well as what the future holds for transport in the East, listen to the latest episode of the PSE Podcast now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At the beginning of July, it was announced that we would be getting a Labour government for the first time since the Conservatives won the 2010 General Election. This saw Sir Keir Starmer become Prime Minister, replacing Rishi Sunak – who subsequently announced his intention to step down as Leader of the Conservative Party.In the short space of time since they came into power, the new government has been getting to work to deliver on some of its key priorities, including furthering devolution, prioritising clean energy, and nationalising our railways. But what does this mean for local government?On hand to answer that question, and reflect on the results of the general election was Cllr Sam Chapman-Allen, Chair of the District Council Network, who joined host Dan Benn on the 59th episode of the Public Sector Executive Podcast.When discussing what would be on his wishlist for the new government, and its relationship with local government, Chapman-Allen said:“We’ve had a good relationship with government, but actually we’ve seen external pressures outside of the UK Government’s control – which has either slowed programmes and activities, or caused activities to be paused because other programmes have taken that attention. Actually, we need a grown-up conversation around certain areas, such as asylum and immigration so we will ensure that that those individuals who comes to England are provided safe, appropriate homes and housing….“I think the second part is around our finances and making sure we actually have a robust conversation, understanding where their appetite is to support local government on the day-to-day expenditure, but also where is our appetite to support some of those big intervention pieces around regeneration, levelling up…?”To hear more from Sam on how the new government can work alongside councils, and how this changing of the guard can bring benefits to communities, listen to the latest episode of the PSE Podcast now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Artificial intelligence is one of the most exciting technology developments in recent times.Whilst it has seemingly endless possible uses across a number of sectors, AI can also bring major improvements for local authorities. To discuss the potential benefits, risks and challenges of authorities utilising artificial intelligence, Kent County Council’s Fil Kamps joined host Dan Benn for the latest episode of the PSE Podcast.Discussing some of the benefits of AI for the public sector, especially when it comes to productivity and efficiency which has been a hot topic in recent months, Fil said:“There’s a number of benefits to the customers and residents of these organisations… the end users will benefit. I think the primary way they’ll feel it is actually not the most obvious; it’s the changes to backend processes that will improve delivery times against services, the processing of requests that come in.“AI is helping to improve and streamline a lot of those processes in the backend whilst keeping human decision making at its core.”Fil also touched upon the skills that the public sector workforce might need as it embraces AI, saying:“I think we started to see this shift in public sector workforces when Covid hit and everything went from being in person in the office, to being online and digital… That change in working practices really placed an emphasis on people’s ability to pick up technology and to have a decent level of digital literacy to be able to work in a public sector organisation.” To hear more from Fil about how organisations across the sector can use AI to drive major improvement, as well as some of challenges that may be faced along the AI journey, listen to the latest episode of the Public Sector Executive Podcast now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Digitalisation is a big part of the future of the public sector, however organisations need to make sure that their digital ambitions don’t leave communities lagging behind, or unable to access the services they need.Discussing how organisations across the sector can transform digitally, bring communities with them, and his career in digital inclusion, Cambridgeshire County Council’s Will Plant joined host Dan Benn on the latest episode of the Public Sector Executive Podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Decision making is a crucial part of leading in any industry, never mind the public sector. With decisions being made that can have life changing consequences for entire communities it is vital that leaders are accountable, able to make decisions under pressure, and able to foresee the challenges that they might face in the future.To talk about making decisions under pressure, the journey that the organisation has been on, and his personal career, Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service’s Mark Smyth joined host Dan Benn on the latest episode of the Public Sector Executive Podcast.Talking about some of the challenges that the fire and rescue service faces over the course of the next year, Mark said: “There’s many major threats when you start to look at the national risk registers and you look at dealing with climate change. We’re getting more flooding, we’re getting longer periods of wetness. You’re starting to see the large wildfires and gorse fires that hit the Southeast of England last year.”Challenges don’t stop with climate change, however, as Mark expanded: “There’s challenges in and around the operational side of our culture and changing, that’s major for us. You’ll know that financially and under budget restraints that we have in the world we’re in now, there’s really big challenges around that, and providing the service that the public want with the limited financial resources we have.”To learn more about the type of training that is available for councillors, why it is so important, and the role that central government can play, listen to the newest episode of the Public Sector Executive Podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ensuring that councillors are equipped with the proper skills is essential to making sure that council services run smoothly, and communities benefit from the best value for money. Whilst this may seem like a simple concept, some councils don’t train their councillors take councillor training as serious as they perhaps should.To explore more about the kinds of skills that councillors should be developing, why some councils don’t offer the right training, and how this impacts councils themselves, Cllr Liz Green joined host Dan Benn on the latest episode of the Public Sector Executive Podcast.Speaking about the kind of training that councillors require, Liz said:“Being a counsellor is very different to anything anybody’s ever done before in their life. So, even if you’ve been highly successful in business, you’re still going to need to learn some new skills; things like negotiating and conflict resolution…“Councils can’t do anything by themselves because they need to work with the public sector, the private sector, and with the voluntary sector and you need to be able to influence those in a different way because you are not the direct boss – you can’t tell them what to do.”Liz also touched on the issue of productivity within the public sector, and how this relates to skills and funding. She said:“I was a counsellor before we started austerity in 2010 – it never felt like we had a lot of money to start with so I think we did some improvements in councils. We looked more at our budgets and we scrutinised them more…“We also did more transformation, which is a buzzword at the moment, but improving services, looking at how we used it, how we used our resources of people and assets and builds etc. So I think there was some really good work that went on.“It’s gone way too far now. We just simply cannot afford as councils to keep operating.”To learn more about the type of training that is available for councillors, why it is so important, and the role that central government can play, listen to the newest episode of the Public Sector Executive Podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

21st century problems require 21st century solutions, and nowhere proves this as effectively as the public sector. Whether its using the latest technology to guide policy decisions, or simply making the sector more environmentally friendly, digital and data offer the answers to many of the questions being asked of public sector organisations.Martin Dolce and Dan Westley, from Oracle UK, joined host Dan Benn to talk about the work that Oracle are doing to support cloud, data, and digitisation progress across government. Martin is the Sales Director for Public Sector; Central Government and Defence, whilst also being UK Regional Director for the North West, whilst Dan is Cloud Engineering Director at Oracle.Offering a wealth of knowledge, Martin and Dan were on hand to talk about how Oracle Cloud can support the ambitions of organisations across central government, including by helping them through major projects. Touching on one of the projects that Oracle embarked on with a major government department, Martin said:“We engaged with the Department for Work and Pensions about 18 months ago. They had a stated objective around their journey to cloud; they had about 30% of the business in the cloud and 70% on prem(ises) and they wanted to flip that around.“But they recognised that a lot of their real core applications, that touch us all today… were still on Oracle legacy software and they had deferred upgrading that platform because they were challenged on budget, and so that rolled on and on and they were in a position where there wasn’t a natural migration path…”By approaching Oracle, the Department was able to embark on a journey of transformation that ended up with a successful migration, whilst also building confidence within the department.To hear all about how Oracle has supported organisations ranging from central government organisations, to one of the world's most successful Formula One teams, listen to the latest episode of the Public Sector Executive Podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.