Pam Donnellan, CEO, Bournemouth Borough Council

The most pressing issues for Bournemouth Borough Council in 2008 are financial and people-related says Pam Donnellan, CEO of the organisation.

With growth in funding from central government limited to two percent, efficiency will no doubt find its way to the top of the agenda of many local government teams. Donnellan says “it is forcing us to think very carefully about the planning and delivery of services, including partnering and outsourcing options.”

The biggest personnel challenge for all local councils in 2008 is expected to be the implementation of the Equal Pay Act. “The key to success here will be achieving the balance between delivering the new pay and grading structure without reducing staff headcount to pay for it” says Donnellan.

Leadership is a topic of particular interest to Donnellan who believes that many of the recruitment and retention challenges faced by local government over the last few years could be effectively overcome with exceptional leaders in place. “I feel it is often the case that senior people within local government see their role as management, not leadership. They move from one management role to the next without developing strong shared values and networks, across the communities they serve.

This ‘act local’ approach has to be complemented by a ‘think global’, or at least ‘think strategic’, attitude according to Donnellan. Strong leaders can make the difference between a local council being an employer of choice verses being an employer of last resort, so it is important to find the right person.

Donnellan admits that specialists with skills in planning, legal, accountancy and particularly IT are difficult to recruit and retain. The lack of people locally with these skills is cited as a reason for the difficulty. “At a national level we are falling behind our European neighbours when it comes to equipping our workforce with the relevant skills, and at a local level the South West is falling behind other regions of the UK, especially the South East, to the point where skills gaps in these areas are now significant”.

“We need to start promoting a culture of high achievement and high ambition with a greater investment in secondary education" says Donnellan. “With the demise of the Learning and Skills Council local authorities will have a key role to play in changing the way we all look at skills development, but it will require greater commitment of local firms as well public sector organisations to change the way we invest in our local people.”

There is strong agreement with other CEOs that the public sector suffers from a negative perception with young people. Donnellan says “we are seen as overly bureaucratic and young people just don’t believe we have a culture where innovation is rewarded.”

As a result it is more difficult to appeal to young people, and while they may not consciously think it, Donnellan feels that young people see a “democratic deficit” in local government where their ability to make a difference is still restricted by overly burdensome regulation.

Biography

Pam Donnellan joined Bournemouth Borough Council in 2002 as Director of Social Services, and became the Council’s Chief Executive at the end of September 2005.

Pam holds a Masters Degree in Social Policy and originally trained as a Probation Officer and Social Worker. She has had a varied career in both the statutory and voluntary sector, working mainly in inner city areas.

Before coming to Bournemouth she worked for 20 years in London, firstly in Waltham Forest and then in Haringey as an Assistant Director in Social Services. In 1995 Pam moved to the City of London and was Director of Social Services, prior to moving to Bournemouth.

Since becoming Chief Executive, Pam has begun a transformational change programme to develop a Community Leadership model of local government.  She is secretary to the Local Strategic Partnership, Bournemouth 2026, which has over 170 partner organisations.  She is keen to promote greater collaboration with Poole and the wider urban conurbation to make sure that Bournemouth moves forward as a prosperous town that is inclusive, safe and green.

http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/