Sector: local authority & public sector

Analysis 

Over-worked, under-resourced and underpaid: that's the traditional image of working life in local authorities. Our survey does little to dispel the third of those points, but respondents were quick to point out that they saw other benefits to their job, notably in terms of job satisfaction. Recent pay reviews have stayed in the 3-5% bracket, although as in the private sector, our survey notes that pay levels are highest in the South-east and London, and lowest in the South-west. Housing and regeneration director posts carry fairly competitive salaries when compared with other regeneration-related posts, but PSD Group’s O'Neill sees little evidence of

cross-over between private and public sector. “Very few public sector people have private sector housing experience, and it is unlikely that this will change as local authorities are not in a position to compete on salary.”

Marie-Therese McGivern director of development, Belfast council

Present role Six years ago when Belfast announced its determination to become a tourist destination, many doubted it could make it happen. It gives Marie-Thérèse McGivern obvious delight to report that the city welcomed 5.3 million visitors last year and is now a popular destination for weekend breaks. McGivern has been one of the city’s key change agents. As director of development at the council, McGivern brings together both economic development and planning and transportation. Although lacking statutory powers, the council has built up what McGivern calls an “influencer” role. It will have more than that in three years’ time, as a review of public administration will give the council similar powers to English local authorities.

Regeneration activity is booming in the city, and the council has championed key projects in the city centre, like the £300m Victoria Square, as well as opposing out-of-town shopping. Among upcoming initiatives will be a competition to pedestrianise the area around City Hall.

Regeneration people are very different to those in property development. We’re more creative, more open to risk and we see the possibilities

Career path Unusually, McGivern initially qualified as a teacher. An interest in employment and employability led McGivern to work with the unemployed and then to work on enterprise initiatives. This took her to the post of head of policy, research and planning at Belfast Regeneration Office, where she worked on both social and economic development and physical regeneration. When the city council’s development department was formed in 1999, McGivern pounced on the job of director. “It seemed like someone had offered me a bowl of cherries, and I still love it,” she says.

Past versus present “The past informs what I do now because I came through processes where the system had failed people or people had failed the system and I was handing out the possibility to change things. I saw the results of poor environments on people. I started out with the notion of transformation. I’ve always believed that every person, and every place can be made better. I also learned skills in transformation and motivation that are key to regeneration. Regeneration people are very different to straightforward property development people. We’re more creative, more open to risk and we see the possibilities.”

Likes about the job “There’s something magical about being in an industry that makes things tangibly better. It is great because you get to shape history.”

Biggest personal regeneration challenge? “I’ve got two. The first is the process of renewing the routes, which is about regenerating Belfast’s 11 arterial routes. The other is the City Dump, a 300-acre dump on the North Foreshore that we have very large plans for. We’re playing with big ideas for the site – 100 acres of commercial with eco-industries and maybe a golf course. That will be the council’s biggest challenge.”

Is regeneration getting tougher or easier? “It is easier in that people are more aware of what regeneration is and what it can do. The arguments are easier. But funding-wise money gets tighter, especially with European cash drying up. We have some big funding challenges.”