Keeping local public servants in the picture: the 21st Century Public Servant

Catherine  Needham; Catherine Mangan

Keeping local public servants in the picture: the 21^st Century Public Servant

Catherine Needham^*
, Catherine Mangan

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Local public servants are facing a range of challenges including recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, austerity, the cost of living crisis, and rising awareness of systemic inequalities. They have to work with partners in complex systems to support people holistically and inclusively. This article summarises research done in 2014 and again in 2024 to understand what it means to be an effective public servant. As well as sharing our key findings, the article highlights how the use of rich pictures to present the work to the sector gave the work a formative rather than summative quality. The work changed and insights deepened through ongoing dialogue with people working in local government, police, fire and health services. Across five projects (two with public servants, two with councillors and one on Covid-19), the common theme has been storytelling as a form of knowledge exchange.

Original language	English
Journal	Public Policy and Administration
Publication status	Accepted/In press - 17 Dec 2025

Bibliographical note

Not yet published as of 07/01/2026.

Access to Document

NeedhamC2025Keeping_AAM
This is an accepted manuscript version of an article accepted for publication in Public Policy and Administration & https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/journal/public-policy-and-administration. The reuse of this version reuse is restricted to non-commercial and no derivative uses.
Accepted author manuscript, 182 KBLicence: Other (please specify with Rights Statement)

Cite this

@article{d546b4233b8c46afbc11c1c1103fe372,

title = "Keeping local public servants in the picture: the 21st Century Public Servant",

abstract = "Local public servants are facing a range of challenges including recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, austerity, the cost of living crisis, and rising awareness of systemic inequalities. They have to work with partners in complex systems to support people holistically and inclusively. This article summarises research done in 2014 and again in 2024 to understand what it means to be an effective public servant. As well as sharing our key findings, the article highlights how the use of rich pictures to present the work to the sector gave the work a formative rather than summative quality. The work changed and insights deepened through ongoing dialogue with people working in local government, police, fire and health services. Across five projects (two with public servants, two with councillors and one on Covid-19), the common theme has been storytelling as a form of knowledge exchange.",

author = "Catherine Needham and Catherine Mangan",

note = "Not yet published as of 07/01/2026.",

year = "2025",

month = dec,

day = "17",

language = "English",

journal = "Public Policy and Administration",

issn = "0952-0767",

publisher = "SAGE Publications",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Keeping local public servants in the picture

T2 - the 21st Century Public Servant

AU - Needham, Catherine

AU - Mangan, Catherine

N1 - Not yet published as of 07/01/2026.

PY - 2025/12/17

Y1 - 2025/12/17

N2 - Local public servants are facing a range of challenges including recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, austerity, the cost of living crisis, and rising awareness of systemic inequalities. They have to work with partners in complex systems to support people holistically and inclusively. This article summarises research done in 2014 and again in 2024 to understand what it means to be an effective public servant. As well as sharing our key findings, the article highlights how the use of rich pictures to present the work to the sector gave the work a formative rather than summative quality. The work changed and insights deepened through ongoing dialogue with people working in local government, police, fire and health services. Across five projects (two with public servants, two with councillors and one on Covid-19), the common theme has been storytelling as a form of knowledge exchange.

AB - Local public servants are facing a range of challenges including recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, austerity, the cost of living crisis, and rising awareness of systemic inequalities. They have to work with partners in complex systems to support people holistically and inclusively. This article summarises research done in 2014 and again in 2024 to understand what it means to be an effective public servant. As well as sharing our key findings, the article highlights how the use of rich pictures to present the work to the sector gave the work a formative rather than summative quality. The work changed and insights deepened through ongoing dialogue with people working in local government, police, fire and health services. Across five projects (two with public servants, two with councillors and one on Covid-19), the common theme has been storytelling as a form of knowledge exchange.

UR - https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/journal/public-policy-and-administration

M3 - Article

SN - 0952-0767

JO - Public Policy and Administration

JF - Public Policy and Administration

ER -