Living Council (Paperback)

Paperback. "A new way is possible because the old one is no longer working." I didn't set out to write a book. Like many of us in public service, I've spent years focused on the urgent: budgets, restructures, service redesigns, transformation plans, and the daily push to do more with less. I've worked in councils under pressure, with staff on the edge, and systems stretched beyond what they were ever designed to do. I've also seen sparks of brilliance, neighbourhood teams who solved problems together, frontline staff who innovated in silence, leaders who quietly reimagined what councils could be. And I've asked myself, over and over: Why isn't this the norm? This book is my answer. It's not a theory piece, or a pitch to Whitehall. It's a practical vision born out of lived experience, of leading change in some of the UK's most complex environments, of witnessing first-hand what works (and what doesn't), and of believing that local government deserves a better operating model than the one it's inherited. I've called that new model the Living Council.Because it breathes. It adapts. It learns.It's not locked in hierarchy or weighed down by bureaucracy.It puts prevention before crisis, people before process, and purpose before paperwork.It uses data and AI intelligently, but never forgets the human at the heart of it all.And crucially, it's already happening. All over the country, pieces of this model exist. In districts, unitaries, cities, in libraries repurposed for early help, in digital academies that upskill staff in AI, in multi-agency teams working without ego to prevent escalation before it happens. This book brings those pieces together. It's a manifesto for practice, not theory. A guide for anyone who wants to build something better, whether you're a chief exec, a frontline practitioner, a councillor, a community leader, or someone just starting in local government and wondering what kind of system you've walked into. If you've ever looked around and thought, surely, we can do this differently, you're in the right place. You don't need permission to start. Just purpose. And a team. And the courage to try. Let's begin.JensPart I: The case for change1. The death of the old council2. The era of permanent austerity3. False dawns and expensive fixesPart II: The Living Council model4. A council that breathes5. From data-rich to data-driven6. Prevention is a mindset, not a department7. The AI-native council8. Culture, courage, and breaking the school rules Part III: Putting it into practice9. Designing the Living Council10. The money bit11. The people side12. Governance, risk, and politics13. The first 100 days of a Living Council Part IV: Looking ahead14. A letter to the next generation15. Final thoughts Part V: Appendices & toolsAppendix 1: The Living Council checklistAppendix 2: First 100 days roadmapAppendix 3: Living Council structure modelAppendix 4: Financial reframing workbookAppendix 5: Ethics and governance prompts for AIAppendix 6: Community co-design toolkit Part VI: Essential readingsWhite Paper: From Pyramid to Platform - Rethinking the Council as a Living SystemGreen Paper: Turning the Living Council from Blueprint to Build This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.…