A bit about our speakers - Justin Griggs
Posted on: 17 July 2012 by: Carl Haggerty - No Comments
The 4th installment of our speaker series gives us the opportunity to introduce Justin Griggs - Head of Policy and Development at The National Association of Local Councils
The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) is the recognized membership and support organisation representing and promoting the interests of 9,000 local councils and their 80,000 local councilors in England.
NALC provides support and advice through a network of county associations, which provide a local support service for member councils. This includes providing guidance and information through training, briefings and newsletters, as well as signposting to other sources of information and support. County associations also represent the views of local councils to a wide range of bodies at county and regional level.
Working with county associations and other important partners such as the Society of Local Council Clerks, we are actively involved in lobbying the Government and other organisations at a national level to advance and protect the interests of local councils.
Justin Griggs is the Head of Policy and Development at the National Association of Local Councils, the nationally recognised membership and support body representing the interests of 9,000 local (parish and town) councils and their 80,000 local councillors in England.
He has responsibility for NALC’s policy, public affairs and parliamentary work as well as improvement and development initiatives. Last year the leading local government journal LGC included Justin in their LGC50 publication on the most influential people in local government.
Justin has been advocating and championing local councils at national level on a wide range of policy and development agendas since joining NALC in 2000. Through a number of roles he has also played a key role in developing the services and organisation of NALC, securing significant funding and investment in a range of sector projects and initiatives such as the National Training Strategy.
Areas of work in recent years include influencing the local government white paper and subsequent legislation; the report of the Councillors Commission; the white paper on community empowerment; and the role of local councils in the Coalition Government’s localism and decentralisation plans, including new powers in the Localism Act and neighbourhoods policy in the Open Public Services white paper.
Justin was also involved in the Commission for Rural Communities participation inquiry into strengthening the role of local councillors as an expert adviser. He is a member of the Monitoring and Verification Board which awards the Certificate in Local Council Administration and helped establish the Institute of Local Council Management, where he continues to promote and support the development of the clerk’s profession as a board member.
A regular speaker at a wide range of conferences and events at national and local level, Justin also contributes to the local government media on policy, improvement and local democracy including on his blog at www.nalcjustin.wordpress.com and Twitter at http://twitter.com/justingriggs.
Justin is currently spearheading NALC’s campaign in London to raise awareness of local councils and the positive difference grassroots democracy and community action can make to people and communities. He is actively involved as a supporter and adviser to the Campaign for a community council in Queen’s Park, Westminster who will be the first ever parish council in London when established in 2014.
Originally from south east Kent, Justin joined NALC in January 2000 from Stoke-on-Trent City Council, where he worked on corporate strategy and local government re-organisation prior to unitary status, and then in a further period in democratic services and local government modernisation. Justin has also worked in the private sector.
Justin has an honours degree in Business Studies, a postgraduate diploma in Business Administration and is a Member of the Chartered Management Institute.
Justin is 38 and lives in Kent with his partner Jude and their toddler son Joseph and baby daughter Poppy. In his spare time Justin is a school governor and as a keen runner plays an active role in Plumstead Runners running club in south east London. An ‘eclectic’ range of music as well as the books and films of James Bond and Harry Potter are among Justin’s other interests and passions.
Tags: Justin Griggs, NALC
