By Rob McCleary, Communications Manager, Gedling Borough Council, and LGcomms Future Leader
Day 2 of the LGcomms Academy began in an unexpected way…at midnight, on a barge, surrounded by fellow Future Leaders. After a night of karaoke, including a pitch-perfect rendition of Valerie by our group, we danced into the early hours aboard the iconic Thekla nightclub. Yes, the one that floats.
Thankfully, the sessions did not start until 10am, giving us just enough time to recover and prepare for another full day of learning.
We began with Mandy Pearse and her session titled What Good Comms Looks Like. Mandy shared insights from the Public Sector Comms Benchmark survey, highlighting what is working in our field and what is not. The data-driven approach offered practical ways to influence senior leaders using evidence rather than opinion. For anyone considering the Future Leaders programme, a full day with Mandy is one of the highlights.
Next came a powerful session on using film to support campaign objectives, led by Stephen Maud of Cloud9Media. His work with councils brought community stories to life and showed just how impactful video can be in public sector storytelling.
A quick mention for the lunch—this year’s fully vegetarian menu was a hit. I had the courgette with rice and it was absolutely delicious.
Then came one of the most memorable sessions of the day. Rats the Size of Cats was delivered by Rishi Shori, Deputy Chief Executive at Birmingham City Council. As breaking news emerged about Angela Rayner and Unite, Rishi shared the challenges of managing communications during the Birmingham bin strikes. His honesty about things that could have been done better and his praise for a small but dedicated team of 12 officers was both refreshing and inspiring.
We also heard from Bristol’s Local Democracy Reporter, Alex Seabrook, who stepped into what was described as the Lion’s Den for a lively debate on the role of LDRs and their relationship with councils. One key takeaway was that press releases alone are not enough—journalists need more than just copy-and-paste content.
Finally, the so-called Graveyard Shift turned out to be anything but dull. Helen Reynolds, supported by a fantastic expert panel, explored the future of internal communications. Using creative props and bold ideas, like not posting on the staff intranet for two weeks, the session challenged us to rethink how we engage our colleagues. The key message was clear: artificial intelligence will not replace us, it will strengthen us.
As a current Future Leader, these two days were incredibly valuable. The insights, the honesty and the shared experiences all resonated with the real challenges we
face in our roles. A huge thank you to the LGcomms executive team for their hard work, and congratulations to Chair Louise Neilan for hosting such a fantastic event.
Looking forward to next year already.