Julie Close

I have 30 years valuable experience as a youth and community development worker, various management roles and finally as Chief Executive of a community anchor organisation. During that time I've learned how to effectively facilitate consultations and meetings, develop networks and partnerships and to engage in strategic meetings with local authorities, health, Police and partners. I've successfully negotiated contracts and secured funding from local and national trusts and foundations and government funds, generating income of £1.4 million pa. I now want to use this experience to work with a wider range of people as an independent consultant.

The Covid pandemic has emphasised that there is a different and better way of working with people, and their communities. Grassroots neighbourhood action, where people took care of each other, has kept people safe and well. We need to work together differently as individuals, society and partners and I'm looking for opportunities to make this happen. The new normal requires us to invest in our communities to ensure they are sustainable, resilient and inclusive. I intend to play a key role in this process by facilitating partnerships and collaborations, developing frameworks for community conversations and consultation.

I'm involved in strategic thinking nationally through The Better Way Network and Locality's Keep it Local Campaign.

I believe that the Better Way Network evolving principles are crucial in shaping the way we work together. Those that are particularly important to me are:

• Prevention is better than cure (invest early and prevent problems)

• Building on strengths is better than focussing on weaknesses (asset based approaches)

• Relationships are better than transactions (relationships create the bond between people)

• Collaboration is better than competition (let's work together better)

• Local is better than national (we need grassroots community led action)

• Principles are better than targets (talk about outcomes not outputs)

This is reinforced by Locality's Keep it Local that asks us to:

• Think about the whole system not individual silos

• Co-ordinate services at a local neighbourhood level

• Increase local spend to invest in local economies

• Commission services collaboratively so they are "local by default"