Evaluation shows national campaign is making a difference.
Councils in England face significant recruitment challenges, with nine in 10 reporting difficulties filling staff vacancies according to the LGA’s 2022 workforce survey.
The government-funded and award-winning ‘Make a Difference: Work for Your Local Council’ campaign set out to help councils tackle these challenges.
Co-produced by the LGA, the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and Senior Managers (Solace), regional employers’ organisations and councils, it showcases the huge variety of meaningful and fulfilling roles in local government – from planning to social care, and environmental health to financial management – and how they make a difference in local communities.
Following a successful pilot in the North East of England in 2024, the first national ‘Make a Difference’ campaign was rolled out late last year and into January 2025, with carefully researched advertising on billboards, radio and social media, supported by a dedicated website and a toolkit for councils.
I’m now delighted to report that an external evaluation has demonstrated its effectiveness.
The evaluation included: a survey of 2,000 residents, before and after the campaign; a post-campaign survey of councils, which garnered 126 responses; and analysis of recruitment data from 105 councils.
During the campaign period (November 2024 to January 2025), there were 114 million ‘impressions’ across all media channels combined, which exceeded our expectations in terms of reach and engagement.
In research with the public, people who could recall seeing the campaign felt much more positively about their councils on all dimensions researched. They were also more than three times more likely to consider applying for a job, than those with no recall.
Councils were able to use the campaign in their own recruitment via our ‘Make a Difference’ campaign toolkit.
More than two-thirds (222) accessed the toolkit, and more than one-third (116) used the materials on their own social media channels during the campaign period.
In the council survey, 86 per cent of respondents stated that the campaign had supported their recruitment efforts, with councils that used the toolkit saying recruitment was easier.
The ‘Make a Difference’ website (www.localcouncil jobs.gov.uk) lists all councils and combined authorities in England, and was visited by 241,511 active users during the campaign period, generating 147,094 postcode searches to find council jobs.
Most importantly, the campaign has contributed to an increase in views of, and applications for, council jobs.
Average online applications per job increased year on year from 10.9 to 14.9, peaking at 16.6 in January 2025, compared with 11.7 in January 2024.
The positive findings from this evaluation reflect the strong partnership working with regional employer organisations, and the high level of participation from councils in helping to shape the campaign.
The strength of this collaboration has been recognised with two awards for the pilot phase in the North East, from the Local Government Chronicle and the Public Services People Managers Association (PPMA).
Funding has been secured from the UK Government for 2025/26, providing a fantastic opportunity to build on the first year’s success and learn from the evaluation.
This includes creating a more easily editable toolkit for councils, and the creation of materials that target young people.
It’s a great time to get involved; the LGA will continue engaging with councils and regional employers through events over the summer to shape the future of the campaign.
- The ‘Make a Difference, Work for Your Local Council’ campaign toolkit remains live at www.localcounciljobs.gov.uk. For further information, please email makeadifference@local.gov.uk