Specialisms
I specialise in the following areas:
- Leadership Training
- Member Development
First elected in 2002 for Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, Liz has held many positions on the council including Council Leader; Leader of Opposition; Chair of Audit, Governance and Scrutiny; Chair of Planning committee and various portfolios. She has worked under both cabinet/scrutiny and committee models and at regional level.
Liz has also been chair or vice chair of 3 LGA boards – Children & Young People; Innovation & Improvement and Culture, Tourism & Sport. A peer member for over 15 years, Liz has mentored cross-party, undertaken various corporate peer reviews and delivered training, including LGA Leadership Academy.
Through her own company, LG Progress Ltd, Liz has developed a series of workshops to meet the needs of councils for their members and facilitated top team sessions on policy development, working alone or with subject area experts.
Key Strengths/Area of Expertise
- Experienced trainer, facilitator and mentor across local government, bringing in the Councillor perspective.
- Workshop development for members and/or officers, working within council briefs.
- Pre-designed training available providing value for money
- Bespoke facilitation internally or with partners to improve delivery outcomes.
Professional Qualifications
- Over 20 years in local government on a national stage as a Councillor
- BA Hons in Mathematics and Management Studies
- Diploma in Marketing
Testimonials/Case Studies
“I have always found Liz to be a diligent, insightful, approachable and fair LGA peer. Regardless of party background or indeed those without a party, Liz has always given her best and utmost support to whatever you strive to do. I have no hesitation in recommending Liz.”
“Since first taking on more responsibilities at my authority I’ve worked with Liz, it’s a journey that now has me leading my council. She’s helped me reflect on my strengths and where I need to focus to manage the ever increasing demands on my time and capacity. She’s helped me to recognise the importance of taking time for myself and my family in maintaining resilience and that personal development and comfort in a role is something that doesn’t happen overnight. I’ve really valued my time working with her.”
“Such a good training session with Liz. The training was pitched perfectly to the level of the audience. The roles play sessions were great fun, entered into with gusto by all participants and were as much therapy as training. When you do the role play, ask for ‘two hats Liz’, a great way to understand how to manage a difficult meeting.”
“Liz brings 20 years of being a councillor, from backbencher to leader, and it is that experience that makes her training sessions so valuable.”
“Liz’s mentoring was impactful and invaluable to me. She really listens, beyond just your words. She was always available, supportive, kind, fun and always clear and direct with advice and suggestions which I really appreciated, and which really helped me to focus on my cabinet portfolio and achieving council administration’s goals.”
“Liz combines expertise with an engaging style that makes her training sessions practical and enjoyable.”
“An excellent short course sharing insight and developing confidence in the Councillor role . You may feel all alone with your imposter syndrome but when you get talking to fellow councillors in a safe, private space, you find out it’s everywhere! I thoroughly recommend this course to anyone in local politics who feels that lack of confidence is getting in the way of achieving their goals.”
“Loved Liz’s presentation, so helpful to me as a new, inexperienced Chair and Councillor. ”
“I found Liz’s presentation the most useful. I now know I need to do some work on my skills, knowledge and read the constitution in particular.”
“Extremely useful, will recommend, found all 3 aspects useful and you introduced some new ideas as well as a reminders and refresh, delivered effectively and at a good pace. good adult learning”
“I’ll be confident to build up the case to communicate to people and take them with us”
“I’ve found the session incredibly useful. I’ll explore data sources to support my work and plan presentations to take account of your messages. Ten out of ten for this afternoon! ”
“I like the relaxed but formal approach of the speakers. Each section wasn’t too long, so you didn’t lose interest, I liked the interactive QR code polls as that broke up the session “
Notable Achievements/Value Added
- First woman leader in Kingston borough and first to lead a female majority administration
- Councillor responsible for introduction of wholesale new waste collection methodology
- Implemented innovative joint CIC for children’s service
- Successfully spearheaded council ballot for regeneration of large estate
- Represented Local Government Association at various select committees and directly to ministers to lobby on behalf of local government
- Set up new cross party working group on innovation in climate action
- Developed new training workshops to address council’s concerns.
Relevant Sector Knowledge
- Understanding the needs of councillors, as they first step into the role or increase responsibilities through portfolio positions
- General knowledge across all local government services and recognising connections internally and with all partners.
- Working at a national level to get the most for local government
Training/Coaching Programs/Workshop offers
- Workshops for members:
- Political leadership
- Chairing skills
- Stress and resilience
- Navigating systems for new councillors
- Planning for all councillors
- Building trust and effective challenge
- Community engagement
- Understanding and using AI
- Bespoke courses available
- Facilitation for officers or joint officer/members
- Embedding climate action
- Improving member/officer and stakeholder relationships
- Effective planning decisions
- Partnership development
- Bespoke sessions available
- Mentoring for councillors
LGR Experience & Expertise
Liz is a councillor in a London Borough, so has all unitary responsibilities. She has trained, mentored and facilitated sessions across the tiers including town/parish, district and county as well as mets and unitaries, so she understands the current differences and what will be expected of councillors.
Liz was part of the Somerset peer review team brought in to consider their Readiness for Vesting Day.