Truth about Local Government

In this episode, Matthew Masters sits down with Faraz Baber to explore what great public–private partnership really looks like in practice and why it is critical to unlocking housing delivery and economic growth across the UK.
Drawing on his experience working across both local government and the private sector, Faraz shares a candid view of where partnerships succeed, where they fall short, and what genuinely drives delivery. The conversation moves beyond theory to focus on the practical realities of collaboration: trust, leadership, shared ambition, and the balance between commercial drivers and public value.
Bringing this to life, Faraz reflects on two major regeneration schemes he played a central role in: Grand Union in North West London and Canalside South in Wolverhampton. These case studies demonstrate the transformational impact that effective partnerships can have, turning underused or derelict land into thriving communities, delivering thousands of new homes, creating jobs, and driving long-term economic growth.
The discussion provides honest insight into the challenges that still exist, from planning and funding constraints to the complexity of aligning stakeholders; but also offers clear, actionable advice for senior leaders on how to create the conditions for success.
This episode is essential listening for Chief Executives, Directors, and leaders across the public and private sectors who are serious about accelerating housing delivery and making regeneration schemes a reality.

In this episode, I sit down with Steve Moore, former Chief Executive of NHS Devon and a senior NHS leader with more than 15 years’ experience operating at board and system level across complex, highly regulated environments. We explore what it really takes to lead public sector organisations successfully: setting direction in ambiguity, balancing performance with purpose, leading through financial and operational pressure, building trust with stakeholders, and creating cultures that can sustain improvement. This is a conversation about leadership in the real world: how to make difficult decisions, carry people through change, and keep outcomes for communities at the centre.

In this episode of The Truth About Local Government, Matthew Masters speaks with Esther Bangura, a Neurodivergent Money Coaching expert, about a topic rarely explored openly in the public sector, our relationship with money.
The conversation unpacks how neurodivergence can shape financial behaviours, from avoidance and overwhelm to impulsivity and perfectionism, and why traditional approaches to budgeting and financial planning often fail to resonate. Esther shares practical, realistic strategies for building systems that work with, not against, how neurodivergent individuals think and operate.
They also explore the wider implications for workplace wellbeing, performance, and inclusive leadership, highlighting why financial confidence is not just a personal issue, but a professional one. This episode offers both reassurance and actionable advice for anyone looking to take greater control of their finances in a way that feels achievable and sustainable.

In this episode of Truth About Local Government, Matthew Masters speaks with Natashia Leader, Founder and CEO of BrightPaths Support CIC, about why so many children and young people still struggle to access the right emotional wellbeing support early enough. Public descriptions of BrightPaths Support CIC say the organisation provides early intervention support through one-to-one mentoring, group workshops, and family-centred approaches, working with children facing challenges including anxiety, behavioural issues, and neurodiversity-related needs.
Together, they explore why children can fall between the gaps in statutory provision, why school avoidance and unmet emotional needs are rising pressures for councils and schools, and what happens when support only arrives once problems have escalated. The conversation also looks at what effective partnership really means, not just between local authorities and schools, but with community-based organisations that can offer earlier, more flexible, and more relational support. This is a conversation about prevention, capacity, and what local government and its partners can do differently if they want better outcomes for children and families.

In this episode of The Truth About Local Government, Matt Masters is joined by Simon Higgins to explore why local government must focus on prevention, and why corporate services have a critical and often underestimated, role to play in making prevention succeed.
While prevention is often associated with frontline services, Simon and Matt argue that sustainable, effective prevention only works when it is led, enabled and protected by corporate leadership. Drawing on Simon’s experience of preventative work at Cumberland, the discussion examines how corporate services such as finance, HR, policy, commissioning and data can either unlock or unintentionally undermine preventative approaches.
The conversation explores why too many councils intervene only when people reach crisis point – when outcomes are worse, costs are higher and options are limited – and why shifting upstream is essential for supporting communities, managing demand and protecting public services.
This episode offers practical insight for Chief Executives, Corporate Directors of Resources and senior leaders on:
Why prevention must be treated as a corporate and system‑wide responsibility
The conditions required for preventative strategies to work in practice
How leaders can move beyond short‑term pressures to embed long‑term preventative thinking
What success in prevention actually looks like, and how to sustain it
A timely and candid conversation for leaders who want to ensure local government supports residents before crisis hits, not after.