Our Services

Bespoke Research

Politis brings academic rigour and original thinking to local Councils through its Research and Advice services.

With every project managed by a PhD qualified researcher, we bring together academic and operational experience in local government to deliver bespoke, concise research to Councils. Officers and Councillors want clear, honest advice, with brevity. This is what we deliver. Subscribers to our advice service receive a discount on the cost of research projects. We will work with you to deliver the best outcomes for your area.

Advice Service

At Politis, we know that Clerks sometimes just don’t need advice from other Clerks. Most have a wide network of other Clerks to draw upon, and that’s why we offer something different. We combine experience of parish, town, community, district, and unitary councils with academic expertise to give bespoke advice to local councils. We can give this advice for a one-off, or your Council can subscribe to our 365 day advice service, which gives you open access to telephone advice seven days a week. When your Council subscribes to the advice service, you will also receive a discount for our bespoke research projects

Governance Support

Politis uses exceptional people with wide-ranging experience in local government to provide governance support to local councils. The tiers of local government closest to the community often face the most significant governance challenges, with passionate internal and external influences. Our experienced staff can perform the ‘critical friend’ function for Councils, assessing all aspects of the Council’s function and providing confidential guidance for improvement. This can include a staffing structure review, which is particularly useful during service reviews or when critical staff leave and the Council wishes to refocus its services.

Project Management

Working within local Councils, we have experience managing income-generating projects, capital schemes, community-led social initiatives, and projects focused on changes to service delivery.

We can support Council projects delivered by arms-length companies, providing wide-ranging senior Council experience with academic rigour. We can provide operational support on pre-existing projects requiring additional capacity or on new projects requiring leadership to get started, progress, or get the project over the line.

Corporate Planning And ‘Critical Friend’ Function

Corporate planning is one of the most important but seldom achieved priorities for local Councils. With Council Officers increasingly stretched to cover the day-to-day operation of a Council, finding the uninterrupted time to prioritise a corporate plan is difficult. Best practice authorities use these tools to measure performance and identify tangible outcomes for the community.

The additional capacity from Politis can develop a bespoke corporate plan with priorities consulted upon and set by Councillors. We can also use our experience as scrutineers to provide confidential ‘critical friend’ advice on existing services.

Locum Services

Occasionally, we are able to support Councils by providing locum officers. This is often short to medium term, normally whilst a Council recruits its full-time directly employed officer.

If this is of interest, drop us an email here and we will be in touch as quickly as we can. If we cannot assist, we will always be upfront, but also try to recommend someone who may be able to help.