The people powering the nation's best local council

Andy Roberts has worked for Knowsley Council since he was a teenager and loves everything to do with his job - leading the team that works tirelessly to keep the borough clean and presentable. Andy said he's seen many a strange sight in his time but wouldn't change his career for anything - and it is a sentiment shared by numerous council workers across multiple local authority departments.

Earlier this year and despite operating in one of the country’s most deprived boroughs, Knowsley Council was awarded the prestigious Local Authority of the Year Award. Their work in delivering a balanced budget, the protection of vital services and their approach to attracting inward investment were all recognised by The Municipal Journals Awards in June.

Knowsley Council celebrates its 50th anniversary this year and was one of three local authorities shortlisted for the award - the only council in the north west region. These national awards aim to celebrate and showcase the finest examples of local government work across the country and Knowsley's local authority was selected as the winner.

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The council’s submission focussed on its aspirations for the borough and its residents and businesses, its financial management combined and its plan for growth. Furthermore, their role in the regeneration of Prescot town centre - and the plans for Huyton village - were acknowledges as significant achievements in highly challenging circumstances.

For chief executive, Mike Harden the award is a fitting tribute to all council’s staff who he credits as the reason the local authority has been recognised, he said: “We’ve had to deal with some huge challenges, but at the same time we have achieved so much. This recognition is a reward for the 2,500 council staff and all of our councillors who do so much to serve the people of Knowsley."

The ECHO took a look behind the scenes and spoke to council staff across all different local authority departments to see what it's really like working for Knowsley Council and the personalities which drive it forward.

Cllr Graham Morgan, Leader of Knowsley Council and Mike Harden, Chief Executive of Knowsley Council

Mike Harden started his tenure as Knowsley Council's chief executive ten years ago and recently announced he is to retire later this year. The local authority of the year award is of particular satisfaction to Mike because of the challenges the council faced when he first started. During the years of austerity, Knowsley Council's budgets were cut by 50% and made the task of operating in one of the country's most deprived boroughs became twice as challenging.

Mike said: "When I started in this role ten years ago, this council had a workforce of About 5000 people. At the moment, we've got 2500 and we haven't stopped doing anything. The needs have actually gone up because of the pandemic and because the cost of living crisis.

"So what it actually means, if you work for the council is you are now running around twice as fast as you did 10 years ago. We're still helping all those people who need us and we understand the frustration of some people because it may takes a little bit longer.

"What I can say without any doubt and I will continue to say to anybody who will listen - the people who work for this council are going above and beyond on a daily basis.

"When we win an award like local authority the year, it isn't about me as chief executive, it isn't about the leader of the council. It's the workforce. They are the ones who go above and beyond and we wouldn't be as good as we are if it wasn't the fact that they all want to do the best possible job."

Graham Morgan is the current elected leader of Knowsley Council and has lived and worked in Knowsley all his life. He is quick to echo the words of the chief executive and make it clear the recognition for the local authority's work is solely due to the hard work and commitment of all staff. Nonetheless, Cllr Morgan also reserved praise for Mike's leadership and the tough decisions he has made along the way - notably the ongoing regeneration decisions related to Prescot, Huyton and Kirkby.

Cllr Morgan said: "But the important thing for me, because I live here as well, and I love the community, whatever the decisions we make, the first consideration has always got be be: 'will this improve the lives of the people who live in Knowsley?'. And I think that's what we've based our decisions on."

Debbie Yates - Superviser at Huyton Library

Debbie has worked for Knowsley Council in various role for almost 30 years before landing her dream job in 2006 working in libraries. Debbie said: "I actually started for the council cleaner for one of the borough's schools.

"I've always loved libraries and I just love chatting to people and helping them the best I can."

Not long after starting her position in Huyton Library, Debbie wanted to initiate some community projects which she hoped would bring people together. Out of this came the library's reading a and games group which host weekly sessions. On the day we visited, a group of older ladies were playing games and chatting to each other over cups of tea.

Debbie added: "This is an essential community hub and I see it as a responsibility to make this place as welcoming as possible. I actually set the reading and games group up for many reasons but one of the main ones was to address social isolation and help with health and well being.

"There's a lot of stories that touch me. I remember one lady who started to come to one of the groups, and she said she'd recently lost her husband, and she was sick of being by herself. She hadn't been out for 12 months and now she's so grateful to have found these groups so she can come out. Her only regret is and she wishes she'd come into the library sooner."

Dr Dagogo Kinigoma - Business Support Advisor for Invest Knowsley

Dr Kinigoma has worked in Knowsley Council for the last seven years and currently works as a Business Support Adviser. He said he looks forward to every new day and the challenges his role brings.

Known as Kini to his friends, he admits to having a love affair with Liverpool football club and the region as a whole. Kini previously worked as a further education lecturer but was drawn to the direct impact of supporting businesses achieve success.

Kini's main area of expertise now is supporting new start-up businesses in Knowsley. He said: "I love working with new projects and you just don't know whether the next Google is walking through your door.

"I've been a business advisor since 1984 I'm probably one of the oldest business advisors in the country. So, it's nice supporting the start-ups because it's the beginning of somebody's journey and they're filled with excitement. Obviously, my work is encourage that excitement but also offer practical advice on how they get to where they want to be."

Gemma Smith - Team Manager of Knowsley Discharge Team

Gemma has worked as a social worker for Knowsley Council for the last eight years and straight after she qualified in 2016. Gemma grew up in Knowsley and said she always wanted to work in a field where she could help people and before social work, she previously worked as a support worker for people with learning disabilities, Gemma said: "I was a support worker, working with people with learning disabilities before I qualified.

"I've always known since about 13 that I wanted to be a social worker. Always have. I think I'm just really I'm nosy and chatty!

"I like talking to people, getting to know people, and it was never really a question of what I wanted to do in my career. It was just something I always knew I wanted to do. I love working for council. That's why I've worked here since I was qualified."

Gemma's day to day is working with NHS trust hospitals and patients to conduct needs assessments and manage people's transition from hospital to home. Gemma said: "It's quite full throttle a lot of the time and can be very high pressured because we're dealing with vulnerable people and trying to get them the best possible support for their individual situations. At the same time, it is really rewarding when you get to help someone.

"It's a shock coming from a student to a qualified social worker in the local authority. You don't realize the demands for social care until you're actually working in it every day."

Asked how she unwinds and relaxes away from work, Gemma said: "I like walking, I like reading. I've got a dog, so I'll spend a lot of time taking them out and about, just to de-stress. But as busy as it is, we've got a really supportive team. We're all quite close and we all support each other.

Andy Roberts - Streetscene Team Leader at Stretton Way Depot

Andy has worked for Knowsley Council since 1992, straight after school and at 18-years-old. As one of the borough main employers, Andy said he always had his eye on working for the council and feels vindicated by what has been a long and enjoyable career.

Andy and his team are largely responsible for the cleanliness of the borough and they work hard to make sure the the people of Knowsley can be proud of how their borough looks and feels. It can be a tough job, but it's also a job Andy enjoys - especially as he gets to drive a quad bike around

Andy said: "I love the job. It's something different every day. It's so random.

"My main job is on the call-backs, doing the weeds etc. But I could get called up by my manager for almost any task across the borough. Let's just say I've seen a lot of weird things over the years!"