On paper, our first LG Forum was about no overall control. In practice, it was about leadership: how you build trust and keep an organisation steady when power is shared rather than concentrated.
It started with the language. “No overall control” suggests instability, even a council that has lost its grip. Yet much of what we heard pointed the other way. Some in the sector now prefer “no overall majority”, which describes the arithmetic without passing judgement on it. We think the question is worth asking, because the words we use shape what people expect of councils and of the people who lead them.
Common ground came up again and again. Councillors from different groups tend to agree on far more than they disagree on, especially when the focus is on outcomes for residents. The disagreements are real, but they take up a small part of the agenda and a large share of the energy. The leadership task is making that common ground visible, through early conversations, proper opposition briefings and information shared as openly as the law allows.
Even then, agreement reached in a meeting room doesn’t always survive a public debate, especially once the cameras are on. One practical answer was a short adjournment when a debate starts to turn, giving members time to think rather than react. It sounds small, but it can change a difficult decision.
With so many first-time councillors, member development came through strongly. It no longer starts at induction. Some councils are briefing candidates before polling day, then supporting new members well beyond their first few months.
The wider leadership team matters too. The trust a top team needs during political change can’t be put together once the results are in. It has to be built all the time. Good governance helps as well: an early review of the constitution, and clarity over who takes which decisions, give people confidence when the politics is less predictable. Together, they keep political turbulence away from frontline services.
Can you lead when you don’t hold all the levers? It’s a question more senior officers in local government may soon have to answer. Technical expertise still matters, but building consensus and earning trust across every group in the chamber are moving to the centre of senior roles.
The mood was more hopeful than you might expect. Many felt that shared power can sharpen officer leadership and lead to decisions that reflect a wider range of local views.
Perhaps that’s the real lesson. With a clear majority, much of the direction is settled before anyone walks into the room. When power is shared, leaders have to earn influence with every group, on every decision. The councils learning to do that now may end up better led for it, whatever the next election brings.