GovernorNorth is made up of Local Authority Officers, with invitations also extended to representatives from the Church of England and Catholic Diocese within the GoverNorth constituency, who provide valuable insights and support. Each Authority is invited to appoint two representatives to the board, with the main goal of providing support, advice, and guidance to its members.
We typically meet twice termly within our regional groups. Most meetings are held remotely; however, we do organise an annual face-to-face gathering. We also use GovernorHub to stay connected, share concerns, and address questions between meetings. Our members are well-acquainted and supportive of one another.
During each meeting, individual authorities are invited to share updates on their service areas, allowing for mutual support and the exchange of best practices. These updates cover Service Level Agreements, workloads, and services provided by each authority. It is worth noting that not all authorities offer a Clerking Service, which has been impacted by academisation.
Regional members acknowledge the competition posed by private providers and the effects of academisation on Local Authority services. In response, the group is developing a marketing strategy to promote our services to schools and Trusts, understanding that schools may seek governance support elsewhere. We maintain transparency as a group if a school approaches another authority.
Membership of Our Region
GoverNorth covers the geographical and administrative areas of the following LAs and Diocesan Authorities:
Darlington, Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, Redcar and Cleveland, South Tyneside, Sunderland, and Stockton
Our Elected Members
We rotate the positions of Chair and Vice Chair among the authorities. Currently, Jane Edminson from Newcastle serves as Chair, while Lucy Duncan from Stockton is Vice Chair; we anticipate changes to these roles at our next meeting. Our regional representative for NAGAS is Kathleen Wallace – North Tyneside.