Birmingham’s troubles are well publicised. A little more than three months ago Clive Heaphy took on the job of running the finance department at the city’s council. Here he reveals his principles for getting to grips with the new role.
Arriving on a cold, crisp January day to take up my new role as chief financial officer for Birmingham City Council, two things struck me immediately. Firstly, the hill up to The Council House, the authority’s headquarters, is deceptively steep (code for how out of condition I was) and, secondly, the imposing nature of the building.
Indeed the latter, I have come to realise, is symbolic of the central role that Birmingham City Council plays in local city and regional life, and how wide its sphere of influence is.
But where do you start in a role like this: an organisation with well-publicised recent troubles but one with a proud and magnificent past and, judging by the number of cranes on the skyline, as well as success in winning the 2022 Commonwealth Games, a bright future ahead.
I’m writing this on day 100 of my time as CFO. The first 100 days are critical in any organisation. The challenges of the role were apparent and one only needs to read the press to discover those.
But joining in the last six weeks of the process for setting a seriously large budget, and immediately getting up speed to with the complexity of the issues, priorities and resources, is no easy task.
You need to distinguish the significant issues from “noise” and focus on what matters. It was also an opportunity to engage with directors, members and others to ensure that what was presented was robust and that the council’s long-term financial stability was central. Bear in mind that Birmingham has already made £624m of annual savings and you get a sense of the task.
The other big challenge was the Commonwealth Games and moving from being named as host city to delivering one of the largest international sporting events in the world.
Because Birmingham stepped in late to replace Durban, we have only four years rather than the normal seven, so everything needs to be done more quickly. The games are a wonderful opportunity for Birmingham to showcase itself and time invested now will provide dividends later. But equally, it is critical to get off the starting blocks quickly to hit our stride and ensure that we deliver a cost effective event.
So, against the backdrop of these challenges, I set myself some rules of the game, broadly stated as:
Don’t Panic!
Any organisation with a £3bn gross budget, £3.3bn debt, a £1.3bn capital programme, a council housing stock of 62,000 and 12,000 employees needs getting to know. But the issues, challenges and fundamentals are no different from any other local authority.
Providing clear leadership
I quickly realised that my team was exceptionally talented technically but, because there had been so little turnover for many years, modernising how we performed our role presented significant cultural and behavioural change. My tone, and the example I set, was critical to winning credibility.
Building relationships
High performing organisations function because they have at their heart good people who work well together. Building relationships with key political leaders and officers was essential. Not just the formal side but the coffee shop chats too. Get to know colleagues and what is important to them.
Building partnerships
In the modern world, no local authority, not even one the size of Birmingham, can work in isolation. Forging effective local and regional partnerships, and actively participating in regional and national networks, is essential. Local government too often fails to act with a single voice.
Quick wins
It was important for me to demonstrate my credibility quickly through finding tasks that would enable me to demonstrate that I was a good hire. My opportunity came in the early days by putting the budget to bed and working with members to strengthen our financial base.
Agree targets
It was critical that I agreed clear deliverables too. It was essential to measure progress and have a clear framework to chart my progress in the role, although the agenda and key actions speak for themselves.
Looking back, yes, a successful 100 days and little that I would do differently. Now for the next 100 days. I don’t expect them to be any quieter but I do expect that I will enjoy them just as much.
Clive Heaphy is corporate director (chief finance officer/section 151 officer) at Birmingham City Council.
