Member officer relationships

www.local.gov.uk

“Let’s be friends”Officer/Member relations

PAS Spring ConferenceBirmingham

Seltzer ColeLGA Associate Consultant

“Introduce a 'Presumption against Interference' in the planning system with residents acting as quality control, rather than officials. Change of Use restrictions should be limited to clear externalities, and local plans should be drastically stripped back – no density targets, or top down regulation of minutiae like car spaces, bike standards or the number of hotel rooms. If less than half of the people in the immediate vicinity object, planning permission should automatically be granted subject to appropriate compensation.”

Policy Exchange 'Economics Manifesto' (February 2015)

Planning 'under siege'

Both are committed to public service

Both try to deliver quality planning services

Both deal with the same customers

Both face the same/similar challenges and constraints

Both have a community leadership role to play

Officers & Members: they're all in it together

The political environment, especially on planning issuesSense of mutual suspicionBalancing competing interests/demandsExternal pressures/challengesFurther complicated by:

Cabinet/scrutiny relationsCabinet/backbencher relationsAdministration/opposition relations

Cultural differences

However, things sometimes go wrong. Here's why:

“They have a tendency to be obstructive.” “I don’t trust them.” “What exactly is it that they do?” “There’s always a legal reason to not do what we want.” “They’re totally risk averse when it comes to regeneration.”

“The council would work much better without them interfering.” “They have a tendency to let politics gets in the way.” “Slagging us off in public reduces public confidence.” “They get ambushed by a resident complaining about the new

Tesco, then come and give us a kicking.” “They’re totally risk averse on developing brownfield sites!”

A sense of mutual suspicion

Policy

Range of 'influencers'

Self

Values

Beliefs

Friends

PartyGroup

Image

Cost / VFM

Risk

Priority

TimingImpact

BenefitsLeader

Electorate

Senior officers

Social/Media

Wife/Partner

Colleagues

Manifesto

Resources

Family

Religion

Opinion polls

Professional Officers reports

Community leaders

Pressure groups

Past experience

Staff

Current events

Me

Member/Officer cultural differences

Characteristic Politicians Managers

Values and philosophy

Political and party values Professional and managerial values

Conversation and language

• ‘What do you hear?’• Storytelling about real

events• Interests and symbols

• ‘What do you know?’• Reports based on data,

information, money, people and things

Authority and career • Representatives who make choices

• Political allegiances, experience and promises

• Power• Conflict, compromise,

change• Rely on votes

• Experts who organise and deliver

• Professional experience, credibility and fit

• Knowledge• Harmony, co-operation,

continuity• Rely on position

Performance • Respond to the public wanting practical results in the shortest time

• Respond to performance indicators and longer term

A commitment to the local planning authority as an

entity in itself, rather than to individual political group(s)

A mutually beneficial working partnership

A timely response to enquiries and complaints

Professional advice, not influenced by political views or

preference

Integrity, mutual support and appropriate confidentiality

Reasonable member expectations of officers

Political leadership, direction and understanding of

the planning process

A mutually beneficial working partnership

Distance from the day-to-day management of the

authority

Not to use influence or pressure to gain special

treatment for themselves or others

An understanding of the need for work/life balance

Reasonable officer expectations of members

Division of labour

Politicians Managers

Leadership Lead role Negotiated role

Management Negotiated role Lead role

Management deals with complexity – making happen what should be happening.

Leadership deals with change – making happen what wouldn’t normally happen.

What areas of leadership should managersengage with and what areas of managementshould members engage with, in planning?

'Leadership vs Management'

Invest in the relationship

Establish protocols based on exemplary behaviour

Recognize different strengths and perspectives

Be clear about roles and responsibilities

Emotional Intelligence

Partnership working based on:

Mutual respect

Honesty

Openness and transparency

Ground rules for success

Acknowledge that conflict is inevitable (Humans!!!)

Identify the source(s) and cause(s) of the conflict

Avoid 'bad communication'

Agree a commons set of values, goals & purposes

Use established procedures, 'institutions', channels & forms only as a last resort!

What to do when things go wrong

Action plan: 'less conflict, less 'competition', more collaboration'

“A collaboration is a purposeful relationship inwhich all parties strategically choose to cooperatein order to accomplish a shared outcome….

….You are a collaborative leader once you haveaccepted responsibility for building – or helping toensure the success of – a heterogeneous team toaccomplish a shared purpose.”

Hank Rubin, President – Institute of Collaborative Leadership

Member officer relationships

www.local.gov.uk

Thank you for listening!

Seltzer ColeAssociate Consultant, LGA