We are delighted to extend our work with Liverpool City Council as trusted advisors on a major transformation project, and to have signed the next phase of our collaboration together to build better futures for everyone in the city.

In 2022, Inner Circle was appointed by Liverpool City Council as implementation partners for the Finance Improvement Programme – a key recommendation of the Commissioners. Following a competitive tendering exercise we were subsequently appointed as LCC’s Strategic Transformation Partners for the “Stabilisation Phase” of their improvement plan under a 7-month contract extendable to a full year.  In recent months we’ve supported the Liverpool team to define and mobilise its first phase transformation programme, assure in-year savings proposals (totalling £50m) as well as define and deliver key workstreams including Children’s Social Care, Adults Social Care, Customer Experience, Neighbourhood Model, ICT.

In their third report to the Secretary of State in Feb 2023, the Commissioners reported: “There has been a step change in the urgency and grip demonstrated to tackle the challenges facing the Council.”

At the heart of our work has been a commitment to social value and developing the capacity and capability of Liverpool to deliver improvement without the need for external support. This has meant delivering thousands of hours of training and development activity, providing coaching and mentoring for Council staff.  The Council’s in-house transformation team is now 25 strong with a plan to be over 40 by autumn 2023. Inner Circle has also delivered work placements for 18 unemployed graduates in Liverpool including time with the team at their head office in London.[1]

“Our team of public sector experts has many years of experience working inside and alongside local authorities on 21^st century challenges. We know that radical transformation and rebuilding civic trust in institutions is the only way to foresee and prevent future crises. We are grateful to Liverpool and its brilliant Council changemakers for the opportunity to design and deliver innovative, forward-looking public services with them – and we are proud of the quality of our response to the challenge,” said Chris Naylor, Director at Inner Circle.

“Inner Circle’s success lies in the success of future leaders to maintain their organisations’ relevance and viability in a world marked by inequalities. Our capacity to deliver that lies also in redefining consultancy as a symbiotic, regenerative relationship with local government. It is with both of these aims that we are working together deliver strong public services and people-centred models of sustainable, place-based growth – so everyone can live a good life,” said Jamie Ounan, co-founder of Inner Circle.

[1] https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1140978/Liverpool_Commissioners_third_report.pdf