Director: Ann Reeder - ann@frontlineconsulting.co.uk

Ann brings extensive experience, knowledge and networks to this leading role in the consultancy, which she established particularly to support councillors in their frontline roles.

She has been an active ward councillor and a cabinet member with a portfolio covering consultation and local democracy. Ann also has experience in a minority administration on a hung council, and in addition spent two years in opposition. She has been on the board of a regeneration project, chaired a town centre partnership and was an environmental lead.

Ann focuses on governance issues on councils, having had practical experience on the working group that introduced new structures in her authority, and having worked in both the committee system and the executive scrutiny split. She therefore is well placed to support any changes arising from the Localism Act 2011. She specialises in community engagement and overview and scrutiny, having conducted reviews across the country. Ann also is interested in the political management of groups, having been group secretary, on the standards committee of her council and the national head of local government for a political party. In that role, Ann worked closely with ministers and local government agencies.

Ann has been an agent at local and Parliamentary elections, so has broad experience of local democracy, electoral registration and representation.

Ann also is an Expert Adviser with the Centre for Public Scrutiny, a Tutor with South West Councils and a Consultant with the Local Government Information Unit.  She has worked with the IDeA (now LG Improvement and Development) and Local Government Leadership (formerly the Leadership Centre for Local Government).

Director: Ann Reeder | Associates: Anthea Sully | Susan Dungworth | Helen Findlay | Ann John | Richard Cotton | Tim Young | Neil Nerva