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Board Trustees
Voluntary, unpaid role (expenses paid)
Quarterly online meetings + one in-person strategy meeting annually
Help shape the future of local government
For more than 40 years, LGIU has been a trusted partner to local government. We empower councils with the capabilities, practical insight and connections they need to lead change and build thriving communities.
Today, local government is operating in an environment of accelerating change and unprecedented complexity. Councils are navigating deepening financial pressures, rising demand across frontline services, structural reform, political volatility and widening inequalities, often simultaneously. These are not isolated challenges and they cannot be solved through piecemeal or one-size-fits-all approaches.
At LGIU, we believe national success is built on strong local foundations. We also believe the future of local government will be shaped not by institutions working alone, but through collaboration, innovation and shared leadership across the sector.
That is why we are seeking up to five external Trustees to join our Board and help guide the next phase of LGIU.
About LGIU
LGIU is a non-partisan membership organisation and registered charity working with more than 260 councils across the UK and internationally. We are an independent voice for local government and a leading hub for ideas, research, practical intelligence and sector collaboration.
We help councils:
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Make sense of emerging trends and policy change
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Learn from peers facing similar challenges
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Build organisational capability and resilience
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Co-create solutions to complex problems
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Shape national debates and reform agendas
Our work spans research, policy, events, international learning, leadership support and cross-sector partnerships. Increasingly, our focus is on helping local government move from complexity to clarity to action.
The opportunity
LGIU is owned and governed by its members. The current Board is composed of leaders and other senior elected members from our membership. As part of a set of wider governance changes, we are now seeking to augment our board with up to five external trustees.
As an external Trustee, you will join a collaborative and ambitious Board responsible for the strategic direction, governance and long-term sustainability of the charity and its subsidiaries. You will work alongside fellow trustees, the Chief Executive and Chief Operating Officer to help ensure LGIU continues to evolve, grow and deliver meaningful impact for councils and communities.
We are particularly interested in individuals who can bring strategic insight, external perspective and senior leadership experience in one or more of the following priority areas:
Public sector system leadership: Current or former senior leaders from local government, the NHS or wider public services, with experience of leading complex organisations through change, reform and uncertainty.
Business model development and commercialisation: Experience of organisational growth, partnerships, income diversification, membership models, commercial strategy or sustainable business development.
Technology and innovation: Expertise in digital transformation, AI, innovation, product development, technology-enabled change or future-focused organisational leadership.
These areas reflect the Board’s agreed strategic priorities as LGIU continues to evolve its model, expand its reach and strengthen its role as a partner for change across the sector.
We would also welcome candidates with expertise in communications and marketing, workforce development, research, membership organisations or international collaboration.
What we are looking for
We are seeking people who:
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Care deeply about the future of local government and local democracy
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Bring strategic thinking, sound judgement and curiosity
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Are comfortable navigating complexity and change
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Can contribute constructively to governance and strategic discussions
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Understand collaboration, partnership and systems leadership
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Are committed to inclusive leadership and diverse perspectives
Previous trustee experience is welcome but not essential.
We are committed to building a Board that reflects the diversity of the communities that local government serves, and we strongly encourage applications from underrepresented groups.
Time commitment
This is a voluntary, unpaid role.
The expected commitment includes:
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Four quarterly online Board meetings each year
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One annual face-to-face strategy meeting or away day
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Reading and preparation time in advance of meetings
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Occasional participation in sub-committees or advisory discussions
Why join us?
This is an opportunity to help shape the future direction of one of the sector’s most respected and influential organisations at a critical moment for local government.
You will join a Board committed to helping councils become more resilient, agile, connected and future-ready - and to ensuring local government has the ideas, evidence, partnerships and leadership it needs to meet the challenges ahead.
As a Trustee, you will help strengthen an organisation that works every day to empower local government to think big, act boldly and shape the future with confidence.
How to apply
To express interest, please submit:
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A CV
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A short supporting statement outlining your interest in the role and the experience you would bring to the Board
Closing date: 26th June 2026
Please also see the advert attached with contact details if you would like to have an informal conversation about the opportunity.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
Settle Stories is recruiting a new Chair of the Board and up to five Trustees, as several long-serving trustees reach the natural end of their terms after years of outstanding service.
Who We Are
A world where every voice, empowered by story, helps build our shared future.
Settle Stories is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation based in the Yorkshire Dales. Since 2010, we have used the power of story to educate, to empower, and to endure. We have reached over 200,000 people across 44 countries and 6 continents. We pioneered hybrid live-streaming for storytelling events in 2019, a year before the pandemic made it necessary. In 2025, funded by the British Council, we collaborated with Msitu Wa Ndoto to broadcast live performances from Africa's oldest burial site, a 76,000-year-old cave in Kenya, connecting artists from the UK and Kenya to audiences worldwide. We are now looking to expand this work, broadcasting from unusual and culturally significant places across the globe.
In schools, our Stories for Schools platform brings the nation's finest storytellers into classrooms through filmed content aligned to the national curriculum. The Storyful Way, our mindfulness-integrated storytelling methodology, is validated by Sheffield Hallam University for its outcomes in emotional well-being and resilience. Judges for our annual Children's Story Competition have included Sir Michael Morpurgo, Joanne Harris MBE, and Anne Fine. Closer to home, Settle itself sits at the heart of everything we do: for 15 years we have preserved the stories of the Yorkshire Dales through oral history projects, heritage archives, and the world's first Listening Gallery, housed in a phone box, keeping local voices alive for future generations.
We have a strong and committed Board, and several trustees have stayed well beyond their original terms. That is a testament to the organisation. In line with good practice, the time has come to bring in fresh voices.
Our current Chair has served two distinguished terms, steering Settle Stories through the pandemic and into its strongest ever position. The organisation is well placed for Arts Council England's next NPO round and the opportunities ahead.
We are looking for an enthusiastic Chair and Trustees who share our values and our passion for the power of story. We are also keen to hear from individuals who would welcome supporting us in a specific area on an advisory basis.
What we are looking for
We are recruiting for Trustee roles and, for those who cannot commit to a Board seat, non-voting Advisor positions.
Applications for both roles are particularly welcomed from women, those from BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and Person of Colour) backgrounds, and from those based in Yorkshire and the North.
All Trustees must:
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Have an understanding and acceptance of the legal duties, responsibilities, and liabilities of trusteeship.
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Be confident to work digitally using Zoom/GMeet and shared docs.
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Have strong networks and the willingness to build and share them.
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Exercise good, independent judgment.
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Have the ability to think creatively.
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Have a willingness to speak their mind.
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Have the ability to work effectively as a member of a team.
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Adhere to Nolan’s seven principles of public life: selflessness, integrity, objectivity,
accountability, openness, honesty, and leadership.
We are seeking Trustee candidates with one or more of the following:
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arts practice - people with working experience of the cultural sector from a practitioner and/or manager perspective;
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business skills - commercial experience in earned income growth, B2B sales, or scaling subscription or digital products.
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digital expertise – specifically including:
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web design and user interfacing (UX/UI);
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digital security and infrastructure;
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digital marketing/performance marketing;
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HR and people development - strategic people leadership: organisational culture, equality and inclusion, workforce development.
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finance, legal, and governance experience - commercial finance, charity law or governance, with experience of mixed-income organisations.
Advisors should:
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Be able to demonstrate a high level of skill in one of the areas listed above, and be willing to support the Chief Executive and her team whenever advice or views on service delivery and development is needed. An understanding of Charity Commission requirements is also desirable.
Being an advisor is a flexible arrangement between the charity and the individual. The length of the term will be agreed on an individual basis.
The Chair role
We are looking for a committed individual who has a passion for story and literacy.
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the skills and time to be able to lead a medium-sized Board effectively and efficiently within the legal and best practice guidance set out by the Charity Commission;
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the skills and time to provide regular support (remotely and in person) to the CEO and staff team at Settle Stories;
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An understanding of the issues facing small, ambitious charities, and specifically cultural/arts council-funded charities.
Registered Charity
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Settle Stories is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation based in the Yorkshire Dales. Since 2010, we have used the power of story to
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.