Matthew Masters
Leadership and Workforce Adviser, Local Government Reorganisation Initiative
Role within the Local Government Reorganisation Initiative
Matthew Masters contributes leadership, culture and workforce capability insight to the Local Government Reorganisation Initiative. His focus within the LGR Series is how council restructuring and unitary authority creation are experienced in practice by senior leadership teams, managers and the wider workforce.
He provides perspective on organisational design, executive capability, workforce resilience and culture during Local Government Reorganisation in England.
Professional Background
Matthew is Head of Executive Workforce Solutions at OPUS People Solutions, a local authority trading company. He leads executive interim and permanent search activity and supports councils in securing senior leadership and specialist capability across complex public sector environments.
He is also host of the Truth About Local Government podcast and a leadership coach and culture consultant, with particular expertise in neurodivergent leadership and inclusive organisational practice.
His work centres on strengthening leadership pipelines, building resilient workforce models and improving organisational effectiveness across local government.
Areas of Expertise
- Leadership capability during Local Government Reorganisation
- Workforce strategy and organisational design
- Executive recruitment in local authorities
- Workforce capacity assessment and resilience planning
- Organisational culture and performance
- Neurodivergent leadership and inclusive practice
- Value for money in public sector workforce models
Relevance to Local Government Reorganisation
Local Government Reorganisation creates significant organisational uncertainty. Leadership transitions, workforce integration and cultural alignment are central to whether new unitary authorities succeed.
Matthew's work focuses on evidence based workforce strategy, executive capability assessment and culture design. His contribution strengthens the Initiative's analysis of how governance reform translates into practical organisational performance.