News: Jason KitCat

Brighton and Hove City Council leader Jason Kitcat on leading change

I’ve been reflecting on the challenges of leading change inside and outside of the council recently.
A few days ago I spoke at a panel event hosted by the University of Brighton to reflect on 40 years of the Equal Pay Act. There was no doubt amongst participants that there was still much work to do, and some interesting reflections that ‘fair pay’ may be a preferred term in today’s diverse world. I was asked to reflect on our experience in 2013 of delivering a system of pay and allowances for the council that was fair and compliant with equal pay law. No easy task even when the majority affected increased their take home pay and the minority who saw a detriment were compensated for three times their annual loss.
In a very different example, resistance to change has also arisen: I’ve recently had to speak about plans now underway to remove half of the cash parking machines on our streets. They are 15 years old and would cost £3,000 each to replace at a time when the use of cash is in decline yet the costs of collecting it are rising. We haven’t taken up the radical Westminster City Council model where, eight years ago, they removed all the machines in favour of phone payment. Instead our approach has been to first introduce optional payment by phone two years ago followed by a reduction in parking machines this year. Cash payment at machines and 150 PayPoint shops remains, as do card payment machines.
Leaders can’t simply always follow public opinion, that risks a permanent status quo. Leading opinion, showing positive alternatives, must be a part of public leadership in my view, even if the journey isn’t always the most comfortable.