Special advisers
Local Government Leadership is uniquely committed to providing political development and support that is true to an individual political party’s tradition.
As such we have three political special advisers working with us from each of the mainstream parties: Christina Dykes, Conservative; Paul Wheeler, Labour and Erica Kemp, Liberal Democrat. LG Leadership also provides support to the Independent group of councillors.
Christina Dykes (Conservative)
Christina has 25 years’ experience in politics and public affairs and is an expert in both the political process and Conservative politics. In addition she has made a marked contribution to the recognition of the importance of political leadership as a unique concept requiring its own skill set and development opportunities. She also has a role at the Leadership Centre as an adviser and as a political mentor.
She is the special adviser on community cohesion to the shadow Attorney General Dominic Grieve MP and to The Conservative Parliamentary Friends of India.
Christina is the former director of candidates and development at Conservative Central Office where she jointly devised the first ever assessment centre used in a political environment. The system allowed the party to identify potential candidates for political office through a professional assessment of skills – cutting across gender, race, religion and social background. It has won critical acclaim from both the Equal Opportunities Commission and the Commission for Racial Equality – and is still in use.
Clare Whelan (Conservative)
Clare is a Conservative councillor on a London authority to which she was elected in 1990, since when she has held many senior positions both in administration and opposition, including as a Cabinet member, Chair of Scrutiny and Mayor.
Clare serves on the Local Government Association's Environment Board, Finance and Strategy Committee and European & International Strategy Group. She is a Local Government Improvement and Development accredited peer. In addition to the Next Generation programme her work with Local Government Leadership has included the Change Management programme for councils and the innovative Be A Councillor programme about attracting council candidates for the 2010 elections.
She is a non-Executive Director of the Waste & Resources Action Programme and was a Conservative Candidate in the 2009 European elections. Until recently Clare was the National Director of the Tory Reform Group and Conservative Mainstream. Having previously run the office of an MP in 1990s she has now returned to Westminster to work for a former Conservative Secretary of State.
Paul Wheeler (Labour)
Paul is the founder of the Political Skills Forum. The forum works with local councils, political parties and national agencies to increase the profile of local political leadership and improve the skills of existing and future councillors.
He has direct experience of the political process as a former constituency agent. He was a member of the advisory group set up by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on political modernisation.
Paul worked for the Improvement and Development Agency (now Local Government Improvement and Development) as assistant director in charge of political governance issues. He was responsible for major initiatives including the Leadership Academy for members in leadership positions now attended by over 800 members.
He has a column in the MJ, the trade magazine for local government and has had comment pieces published in the Guardian. He is also the joint author of In Defence of Councillors.
Erica Kemp (Liberal Democrat)
Erica has been a Liverpool City councillor for more than 14 years and has held numerous portfolio positions. She has experienced both being in opposition and in control.
She specialises in building capacity within councils at all levels and is an accredited peer for Local Government Improvement and Development. She has extensive experience mentoring leaders, cabinet-members, non-executive members and political groups across a range of councils from districts to unitaries, in opposition and control - including the transition from opposition to control - across the country including Durham, Camden and Milton Keynes.
Erica has also completed 13 Corporate Performance Assessments for the Audit Commission and also carried out council peer reviews.
She is a former teacher with 20 years’ experience teaching pupils with learning and behavioural difficulties.
And to mark her 50th birthday, Erica ran the London marathon!
Steve Hitchins (Liberal Democrat)
Steve Hitchins has worked successfully with a number of councils who have faced different challenges and he has run the Liberal Democrat element of Be a Councillor for three years and now works on the Total Place pilots and Local Civic Leadership programme.
Steve chairs the Haringey and Islington Provider Services Alliance for the NHS after eight years as vice chair of Islington PCT.
He also chairs the UK branch of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and sits on their international board. This charity raises over $150m for research into finding a cure for type 1 diabetes.
Steve is a board member of Newlon Housing Trust and chairs their regeneration charity Newlon Fusion. He also works with a number of private sector companies principally contracting with local government or the health service.
After 25 years running a manufacturing engineering company in north London Steve was Leader of Islington Council for six years during which time they were called ‘the fastest improving council in the country' by the Audit Commission.
