Our workLocal Government Association national recruitment / Changing public perception and boosting applications
Following our pitch-win and successful pilot in the North East, The Local Government Association (LGA) asked us to help them roll out their recruitment campaign nationally, further challenging the public’s outdated misconceptions of working in local council using benefits that were proven to work.
But this time there was a big difference. A national rollout meant we could put the real stories of real people at the heart of the campaign – and include video in the media mix.
28.9% increase in online applications
As we knocked down barriers and gave people compelling reasons to apply.
It’s always about the positive impact…
222 local councils
have accessed our campaign toolkit, making their own recruitment easier, more efficient and more effective.
36.7% more applicants
per job
Not only increasing the quantity but also the quality of applicants.
Introducing the LGA
The LGA is a cross-party political organisation that works on behalf of councils to ensure local government has a voice at national government level. It represents more than 330 councils across England and Wales to support, promote and improve local government and deliver local solutions to national problems. And one such problem is improving the quantity and quality of people applying for roles.
Building on the pilot
The research, planning and delivery of the regional pilot gave us almost everything we needed for a national rollout. Our campaign platform ‘Make a difference, work for your local council.’ was proven to resonate with the public – helping us exceed the LGA’s targets by 30% – and messaging pillars that had researched well, also performed in the wild.
The only things we were missing were the authentic stories from people already working for their local council. Including real employees this time was important – because we know the power of people-based storytelling.
Introducing Daniel, Kerry, Omaid and Susanna.
Each of our featured council employees had different roles, backgrounds and motivations – and after speaking with them about their journey, we were able to create authentic stories which aligned to our core messaging pillars.
Getting local councils on board
This was a national campaign – but to have the biggest impact without a bigger media spend, we needed local support. And that meant getting local councils on board and giving them the tools they needed to run a consistently branded campaign through their owned channels.
So we created an easy-to-use campaign toolkit, packed with adaptable assets that aligned with the creative and messaging running nationally in digital display, OOH, radio, social and search.
Councils took full advantage… In total, 70% of all councils have accessed the toolkit – and 86% of those said the campaign had positively supported their recruitment efforts at a local level.
A national success story
· Online job applications increased by 28.9% over the campaign period (Nov-24 to Jan-25) – compared to the same period 12 months earlier.
· On average an extra 4 people applied for every position – 14.9 applicants compared with 10.9 the previous year.
· 114 million impressions were delivered across digital display, OOH, radio, social and search, which was 17% above the target.
· Visits to council recruitment and careers pages increased by more than 884,000 across England – while councils were spending less on recruitment advertising.
Changing public perception
By putting authentic stories at the centre of the campaign, backed by real insights, we were able to help soften the recruitment crisis in local government and attract thousands more applicants – shifting public image away from the outdated preconceptions to a modern employer who offers flexibly, opportunity and the chance to make meaningful difference in your community.
testimonial“Storycatchers have been a highly effective partner in bringing this important campaign to life. From the outset, they have understood the complicated local government context that we are operating within, our challenges and opportunities, and our vision for the campaign. Their expertise and professionalism have enabled us to deliver a campaign that truly highlights the brilliant career opportunities in local government and supports councils to address their recruitment challenges.”
LGA Project Lead