Workforce innovator

Carol Baxter

Barnet LBC

Carol demonstrates everything that is excellent as a Principal Social Worker. She is highly professional, skilled and empathetic, to both people who use services and the social work teams. She doesn't falter from doing the right thing, and gifts her teams with years of experience, outstanding legal literacy and a strategic sensibility that supports Barnet to get the best from adult social work practice. She does all of this with humility and a willingness to consider others’ perspectives and continue to learn from her experiences. Upholding her social work values, she treats everyone with courtesy and respect, regardless of their background and status.

Bradley Yakoob

Birmingham City Council

Bradley Yakoob, Senior Public Health Officer, and Chair of the LGBTQ+ & Allies Staff Network at Birmingham City Council for his delivery of the The PrideWell Summit: Birmingham LGBTQ+ History Month Health and Wellbeing Conference 2024. Delivering the online free to access LGBTQ+ health and wellbeing conference during the National LGBT+ History Month, working with internal and external partners on delivering over 20 webinars focused on the health and wellbeing needs of our LGBTQ+ population. Publishing over 25 hours of LGBTQ+ Health and Wellbeing content on YouTube to continue the learning, sharing, and inclusion.

'Grow your own' Apprenticeship Programme

Durham CC

The Apprenticeship Programme at Durham County Council is an integral part of our Workforce Strategy that helps us to ensure we have a skilled and motivated workforce now and in the future.As a council we feel our offer as an employer is strong and meets the priorities of a younger workforce; who typically place a high value on meaningful work, prioritise growth and development, champion diversity, embrace flexible working, and seek authentic and transparent communication. But we realised we needed to promote this better to reach younger talent and improve the support that we wrap around the programme.

David Herrington

Gravesham BC

In 2021 David took the role of Head of Digital & IT Services with the aim of transforming the services delivered by each team. Drawing on his experience in both fields, David has exceeded expectations in the way in which he provides leadership and management to both services, and also how they then engage with others to improve efficiency and service delivery internally and for customers interacting with the council.David is a true innovator, supported by a skilled team of officers he has invested in and, consequently, who have embraced his enthusiasm and commitment to delivering excellent services.

Dan O'Sullivan

Hackney LBC

Dan O'Sullivan, Head of Market Services at Hackney Council, transformed market trading through the innovative Trading Places programme. Amidst the pandemic and economic turmoil, Dan empowered over 200 local residents to start businesses, provided comprehensive training, and secured strategic partnerships with Barclays and BIRA. His visionary approach and dedication revitalized Hackney’s markets, promoting entrepreneurial growth and reducing unemployment. Dan’s work exemplifies resilience, compassion, and creativity, making him a deserving candidate for the Workforce Innovator Award. His leadership has left a lasting impact on the community, fostering economic empowerment and social inclusion.

Michael Wiktorko

Hackney LBC

Michael Wiktorko is an exceptional individual in local government who has developed innovative solutions to enable Hackney Council to manage a challenging workforce situation in Parking Enforcement and address national and local parking industry problems such as retention and abuse of staff. He has been instrumental in leading its effective implementation, demonstrating the qualities of resilience, compassion, flexibility, innovation and creativity in the face of adversity that resulted in £0.5m annual savings, record-breaking performance and best in the Council staff engagement results.

Simon Fletcher

Lichfield DC

Simon Fletcher, Chief Executive of Lichfield District Council (LDC), is disrupting how local government thinks about workforce challenges and opportunities. He has radically changed LDC for the better, and fundamental to this success has been his commitment to staff belonging and wellbeing. Taking lessons from the private sector, he is committed to creating the best physical, cultural, and rewarding environment, to help us to achieve our objective of becoming the local employer of choice.

Maddi Popoola

Nottingham City Council

The impact of Maddi’s leadership is profound. Her team not only achieves its goals but also thrives in a positive, supportive, and dynamic work environment. Maddi’s leadership style cultivates loyalty, fosters a sense of belonging, and drives collective success. Her legacy is reflected in the accomplishments of her team and the enduring positive changes within her organisation. The team has now grown from 20 practitioners to a staff force of 50. Under Maddi's leadership, the service has also grown to cover an 82% reach of education provisions which has earnt the service the trailblazing reputation and title.

Samantha Hodson

West Berkshire Council

As Talent Acquisition Manager, Sam Hodson has worked exceptionally hard to bring stability to our workforce and decrease spend in support of our financial position. Her innovative and collaborative approach over the past 18 months have seen significant results and have helped to improve outcomes for our community. They have also significantly reduced spend on agency workers by over £2 million in this time period, which has been a vital part of our response to an overspending position. This role is Sam‘s first role in local government and she has undertaken it with kindness, creativity and abundant natural ability.

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