Summer Podcast Playlist

Whether you’ll be jetting off for your holidays, or embarking on a lengthy summer road or rail journey, you’re probably wondering how to best pass the time spent travelling this August?

While a game of ‘I Spy’ can only get you so far, and sustained screen time in a moving vehicle could induce motion sickness, podcasts can provide a happy medium between relaxing as you gaze out the window while also learning new information and staying up to date with the latest trends.  

Now that we’ve established how you’ll spend your time travelling this summer, you’ll probably want to download a set of episodes ahead of time so that you can happily listen offline to conserve battery and mobile data. 

To save you from that decision fatigue, Cratus Group has published our “2024 Summer Playlist” which features enough riveting content to get you to and from your various holiday destinations over the next few weeks.  Happy Listening!

This playlist includes the following episodes: 

Local Authority of the Year with Mike Harden.

The most recent episode of Our World is Local features Mike Harden, who is the Chief Executive of Knowsley Council – the recent winners of the Municipal Journal’s Local Authority of the Year. In this conversation, Mike talks to hosts Nick Kilby and Heather Jameson about his journey into local government while unpacking the success of Knowsley Council that led to them winning its plaudits at the MJ Awards this past June.

 Meet the Leader with Cllr Vikki Slade.

Back in June, prior to the General Election, Nick Kilby was joined by then-leader of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, Vikki Slade. Since this episode, Vikki has gone on to become elected as the Member of Parliament for Mid Dorset representing the Liberal Democrats. Avid listeners of Cratus Group podcasts will be used to Vikki as the co-host of the ‘What Has The Environment Ever Done For Us’ series, but in this conversation she turns from co-host to guest speaker as she joins Nick Kilby to talk about her time at the helm of BCP Council. 

50 Shades of Planning – Episode 128 : Labour of Love.

If you are looking for a lengthy extravaganza of a podcast episode then look no further. This special episode of Sam Stafford’s 50 Shades of Planning podcast is a 1 hour, 47 minute bumper edition that amalgamates several conversations that took place in July 2024 ahead of the Government’s review of the National Planning Policy Framework. Hear from experts across the planning world that cover a range of topics from new towns, devolution, housing targets and much, much more.

Meet the Leader with Cllr Petrina Lees.

For the July edition of the Meet the Leader series, Nick Kilby is joined by Cllr Petrina Lees, Leader of Uttlesford District Council. Cllr Lees represents the Residents for Uttlesford group who have controlled the council since 2019, with her becoming the council’s first female leader back in December 2021. During this episode, Cllr Lees talks about her journey into local government which began at the parish level after a 30-year career in nursing.

Meet the Leader with Cllr Peter Marland.

Leader of Milton Keynes Council, Peter Marland joined Nick Kilby in the studio back in June to tell the story of his time in local government, which includes the unexpected story around being issued letters patent when Milton Keynes was given city status in 2022. 

A Lifetime of Service with Sir Bob Neill. 

In this latest episode of Our World is Local, hosts Nick Kilby and Heather Jameson are joined by Sir Bob Neill, just a few weeks after the dissolution of parliament which brought an end to his 18-year stint as MP for Bromley and Chislehurst.  This insightful conversation celebrates an illustrious career in central and local government, with many fascinating stories such as the time Sir Bob stood and won against now-Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Nigel Farage in the 2006 by-election which began his parliamentary journey.