Blog: 05 January 2024 - Rachel McKoy, LLG President

Happy New Year to you all! I hope the return to work (for those of us back) hasn’t been too punishing….   

Reflecting on the bumper year just passed, LLG has achieved a great deal in raising the profile of lawyers practicing in local government within the sector. This has crystalised in so many ways but notably through our collaborative working with sector partners including the LGA, Solace, CIPFA, Grant Thornton, LGiU, ADSO and CfPs. Through this, we have succeeded in establishing “a seat at the table” and will continue to eat the elephant one bite at a time! 

So, what have we done? Well, we have curated and launched our Inspire Programme for aspiring Monitoring Officers, the only bespoke programme of its kind nationally, to ensure we have the tools required to face the complexity of the role as it now stands. 

On the publication front, just to mention a few keynotes, we also successfully commissioned the “Changing Role of the Monitoring Officer” report with LGiU and Brown Jacobson, contributed to the drafting of the LGA Risk and Assurance Framework and the Grant Thornton Preventing Failure in Local Government Report, and are working on a guidance note for Statutory Officers in partnership with Bevan Brittan. 

Raising the role and profile of Monitoring Officers has been a focus of my presidency and I have used every platform to anchor and amplify that message with notable success. I’ve been very busy. I look forward to continuing this focus on good governance through the launch of the Local Government Chief Executives Development Framework sponsored by the LGA, Solace and DLUC) which will be piloted later this month. It is a privilege to be part of the facilitation team for this programme and hopefully make a meaningful impact within this space. Exciting times!  

Looking forward to the year ahead, I am excited to see what it holds for LLG and us all. However, alongside the day job, it is important for us to take that time out to recharge, be kind to ourselves, and have fun. 

Therefore, LLG will be forming a team to participate in The Public Sector Challenge 2024, taking place on the 6 September 2024 to climb the Yorkshire Three Peaks. 

https://publicsectorchallenge.co.uk/ 

Get in touch if you would like to join us! 

Rachel McKoy  

LLG President