Local Authorities Guide: North Lanarkshire Council

The following is a Q&A with Labour Jim Logue, leader of North Lanarkshire council. 

The Public Sector Reform strategy is a key mission of the Scottish Government, what does that mean for you and your council?

More joined-up working with partners to effectively target community priorities is vital. We are also working to reshape how we operate to improve efficiency and outcomes for people and communities.  This includes collaborative working on procurement, joined-up digital services, sharing planned infrastructure and working together to redesign ways of working which has an effective impact on people, such as home support assessments to reduce delayed discharges. Key to this is more co-design with communities, so we really know the best way to deliver effective services.

Are there particular innovative or collaborative ways of working that you can point to in your own council as examples of how you can do more with less?

A clear standout for me is the much-improved breastfeeding rate in North Lanarkshire, thanks to our close working partnership with NHS Lanarkshire. We were the first local authority to achieve Breastfeeding Scotland status – and did so at gold level. This involved all council services exploring what they could do to encourage breastfeeding and working with NHS to make it happen.

Over the last couple of years we have redesigned how we operate, utilising community hubs as central resources where the council and partners co-deliver services in the heart of communities not from remote offices.  Impressive improvements and ongoing engagements with communities are evident and there’s much more to come.  

AI is held up as a potential game changer in terms of public service delivery but on the ground, what contribution is digital technology making to your own approach?

We’ve already installed the infrastructure by laying a 340km network of gigabit-capable ultra-fast full fibre to transform residential, business and public sector connectivity. We have a growing network of public wifi, and all nurseries, primary and ASN schools have connections more than 20 times the previous capacity, and secondary school connections are five times faster than before. All of our 36,000 council homes will be fitted with ultrafast broadband within at least five years – a first of this scale for any council in the UK. This is transformational beyond connectivity; helping people to live independently, enhancing care and safety through smart tech, and increased digital access for children and young people to improve learning and job-ready skills.  

What counts as a good day in the office?

Meeting and engaging with colleagues and officers to gain a clearer understanding of operational challenges, resource gaps and unmet needs, and using that insight to begin driving the necessary improvements.

What keeps you awake at night?

A lot. But child poverty, inequalities and the cost-of-living impacts that are facing individuals and families living in our communities are just unacceptable in today’s society. These are nation-wide issues that should concern us all and we need to work together to address them to make sure no one is left behind.

How do you describe what you do as council leader to a stranger?

If you think about it, council services have an impact on everyone at different ages and stages of their lives. I lead on decision-making around policies, strategies and subsequent action to deliver high-quality services to help improve the lives of people and communities in North Lanarkshire.