South West Councils
Bryony Houlden currently serves as the Chair of the Somerset Corporate Parenting Board and as a Member of the Board of Trustees for Taunton Heritage Trust, both positions held since early 2025. Houlden has been the Chief Executive of South West Councils since April 2011, overseeing a not-for-profit organization that offers HR and organizational development services to local authorities and associate organizations. Past roles include memberships on various boards and committees, including the SW Advisory Board for Canal & River Trust and a board member of Equality South West. Houlden's earlier career includes leadership positions such as Divisional Manager at the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Chief Executive for several regional organizations. Houlden holds an MBA from Imperial College London and an undergraduate degree from the University of Exeter.
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South West Councils
SW Councils supports local authorities, police and fire authorities and other public sector and not for profit organisations with all aspects of their employer role. We also offer a wide range of learning and developmental activities to support our members and partners in developing a highly skilled and motivated workforce. In addition SW Councils Employers Panel constitutes the Employers side of regional consultative and negotiating body with the South West Trade Unions, the South West Provincial Council and works at a regional level with the national Local Government Employers. SW Councils was formed in 2011 but has it roots in forerunner bodies: the South West Provincial Council formed in 1966 and the SW Local Government Association and Regional Assembly formed in 2001. Our vision is: “To help make the South West an even better place to live, work and visit." Our three key overarching objectives are: 1. Supporting member authorities as Employers, encouraging improved performance and capacity across the region through the provision of high quality HR advice and support, and the sharing of accessible information and knowledge on a range of relevant issues; 2. Assisting member authorities and associate members to enhance capacity and service delivery through developmental activities for improved performance and efficiency; 3. Support authorities in sharing best practice and knowledge and in having a South West voice, built on consensus, of issues on national policy and funding, working with the national Local Government Group, when this is deemed appropriate by Members SW Councils offer Associate Membership to other local authority and charity based organisations. Our Associate Membership offers exclusive access to our industry experts. Benefits include: • Free access to our employment service hotline • Discount on Events and Training • Exposure through our Social Media and Newsletters • Regular e-bulletins on employment updates