Simon Hope

07/01/2025
Published by Simon Hope at 07/01/2025
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10 years as an interim

As I mark 10 years working as an interim director/manager and consultant, mostly in communications, customers, coaching, and transformation, here are 10 reflections on what I’ve learned to date. 1 Don’t be afraid to take on an assignment that is a little outside your comfort zone. If you have the […]
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03/03/2021
Published by Simon Hope at 03/03/2021
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Is Levelling Up On Slippery Ground?

Are levelling up and devolution real, or are they just warm words and window dressing? Governments of all persuasions have stressed for decades the need to rebalance the English economy, but what has been achieved? The devolved administrations of Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales have all experienced significant and tangible […]
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04/09/2020
Published by Simon Hope at 04/09/2020
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Your employees are people too, so relax

The new BBC director general Tim Davie is to crack down on staff social media posts in the name of impartiality. Maybe that’s fair, it’s the BBC, but what about other organisations? Is heavy handedness, or risk aversion depending upon your point of view, the path to follow? With all […]
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26/05/2020
Published by Simon Hope at 26/05/2020
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COVID 19 – when communications and policy diverge

In a crisis, communications and policy are usually two sides of the same coin. In early April I wrote COVID 19 – when communications and policy collide which looked at what had and hadn’t worked from a communications point of view. Written not long after lockdown began, a lot has […]
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03/04/2020
Published by Simon Hope at 03/04/2020
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COVID 19 – when communications and policy collide

We’re living in extraordinary times. COVID 19 is still on the rise, intensive care beds are filling up, millions are working from home, a 24 hour news cycle needing to be fed, daily media briefings, and a deluge of information, much of it spurious, on digital and social media. Add […]
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23/02/2020
Published by Simon Hope at 23/02/2020
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Should I Stay Or Should I Go Now?

It’s nearly a couple of months into 2020. So how many communications professionals have followed through with your New Year’s resolution to leave your permanent role and move on to pastures new, and how many of you are still genuinely happy with your job? If you’re still wondering whether to […]
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02/11/2018
Published by Simon Hope at 02/11/2018
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Where are all the communicators?

The world of communications and marketing is constantly changing, but are the communicators, marketeers and everyone else keeping up? How do we ensure that specialists walk the walk, and not just talk the talk, and how do we put plans in place so that the non-specialists ie the general workforce, […]
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23/11/2016
Published by Simon Hope at 23/11/2016
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Does local government communications matter anymore?

Today’s autumn statement has shown once again that local government is barely a discussion topic nationally, let alone a priority. As politics is increasingly dominated by Brexit, the economy, Trump, and the sacred cow that is the NHS, what is the role of local government and the communicators that work […]
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19/04/2016
Published by Simon Hope at 19/04/2016
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Devo comms – the uncomfortable truths

Devolution, and how local government should communicate it, is still attracting a lot of attention. So what should you do? And how difficult is the task? Excellent articles by @darrencaveney and @interimboy (£) on the communications challenges facing local government communicators, and by @simonfparker on current progress on devolution, show there are many […]
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22/03/2016
Published by Simon Hope at 22/03/2016
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Relevance – Nothing Else Matters

What makes a good communications team? Why are some communicators in your organisation so well respected? Why is your communications function so highly regarded? Or not, as the case may be. In an increasingly complex world, the answer is a simple one, repeated for good measure. Relevance. Relevance. Relevance. Communications […]
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01/03/2016
Published by Simon Hope at 01/03/2016
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FoI – A Duty Not A Chore

Today’s decision to leave the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act mostly as it is should be welcomed. Perhaps not enthusiastically by some, but the good parts of FoI far outweigh the bad. Public bodies should be open with the people who fund them, be they individuals, businesses, or the media. […]
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12/11/2015
Published by Simon Hope at 12/11/2015
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Future-proofing your communications team

Yesterday I was lucky enough to lead a workshop at #CommsAcad in Coventry, where local government and other public sector communicators had just finished the second of their three-day academy, sharing learning and ideas. The workshop on future-proofing was one of five that formed part of a session on ‘Communicating […]
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07/10/2015
Published by Simon Hope at 07/10/2015
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Is the communications specialist dead?

Today’s excellent Twitter chat, hosted by @comms2point0 and @bencapper looked at the #idealcommsteam and got me thinking. In the current financial climate, can communications teams still afford specialists, or is generalism the new specialism? In his excellent blog post, @bencapper highlighted the challenges he faces in putting together a small team from […]
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20/04/2015
Published by Simon Hope at 20/04/2015
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Shout, Laugh, and Breathe

Shouting and laughing at the same time is difficult, but not impossible. There’s been a lot of noise over the past few days about the nature and number of communications roles in local government. Newspapers, journals, politicians, trade associations, consumer groups (I use the term very loosely) and bloggers have all had […]
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20/03/2015
Published by Simon Hope at 20/03/2015
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Give Us Something To Vote For

With just under seven weeks until polling day, councils are cranking up their campaigns to make sure people are eligible to vote on 7th May. And, quite rightly, they will also be encouraging people to use their vote. But what are the choices available, if indeed there are any choices […]
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