Organisation Membership: Sefton Council

Sefton Council is using its Organisation Membership of the Institute of Economic Development (iED) to raise the profile of economic development, provide professional recognition and development opportunities for colleagues, and connect its work with the wider profession.

Mike Mullin, Head of Service – Business Growth & Investment, had personally been an individual member of the iED for over 35 years before making the case for Organisation Membership for Sefton Council more widely. Having worked in local government since 1979, initially in planning before moving into economic development and business support roles, Mike joined the Institute after arriving at Sefton in 1991.

“When I came to Sefton, I was looking for a recognised qualification and joined the iED,” he explained. “I then got my Diploma in Local & Regional Economic Development (1996-98), as it was back then, which included a 6,000-word dissertation on oil and gas exploration in Liverpool Bay! It has steadily grown from there. I think highly of the iED and wanted to make sure Sefton wasn’t missing out. I was going to conferences and events at my own expense. Then, several years ago, I worked out it would probably be cheaper to have Organisation Membership, which it absolutely is for what we get out of it.”

Today, a wide range of colleagues are registered through Sefton Council’s Organisation Membership, extending access to iED insight, in-person and online events, and professional development opportunities across the authority.

One of Mike’s principal objectives in establishing Organisation Membership was to strengthen the visibility and recognition of economic development – both within Sefton Council and beyond.

The Sefton Economy Cell is a multi-service group of council officers responsible for leading local economic growth, business support and recovery initiatives. It brings together services from across the authority and monitors and guides the implementation of the Sefton Economic Strategy and associated action plan. InvestSefton, the council’s enterprise, business growth and inward investment service, is also under Mike’s remit.

“I wanted to raise the profile of economic development through iED Organisation Membership,” Mike said. “Everything the council does touches the economy. I wanted to make sure economic development was seen as being alongside areas such as planning and, hopefully, one day it will become a statutory function as opposed to just a nice thing to do. We’re not a statutory function, as we know, and I know we’re fighting to change that. The biggest thing we can do is continue to push government around economic development becoming a strategic function for local authorities.”

Mike’s own experience demonstrates the professional development opportunities available through the iED and why these remain important to him.

“Going back to my diploma, this is something I’m proud of because I didn’t go to university. I left school at 16,” he revealed. “I took a longer route through more technical qualifications, through planning where I worked as a technician, then public administration, and then sort of morphed into economic development in our team. Colleagues have come from different routes – housing, planning, tourism, employment and learning, and regeneration – and therefore have different qualifications and degrees from those particular disciplines.” Mike has since gone into to achieve a MMP Post Graduate Diploma (Enterprise) through the ILM.

This has reinforced Mike’s interest in creating professional development opportunities for colleagues, particularly those building their careers in economic development, through iED membership and training: “I’ve even attended two Early Career Network sessions. Despite being the most senior of those present (!), I thought they were really good and a fantastic opportunity for young up-and-coming economic development professionals.”

Organisation Membership has also provided opportunities to showcase Sefton Council’s economic development work to the wider profession. The council has been recognised three times at the iED Annual Awards. Its Economic Growth and Housing Service was shortlisted for Team of the Year; Stuart Barnes, Director of Economic Growth & Housing, was named a contender for Leader of the Year; and its Salt and Tar project was a finalist for Most Innovative Project of the Year.

“This has undoubtedly raised our profile,” Mike said. “It’s all part of that whole drive to push economic development to the forefront. Cllr Marion Atkinson, Leader of the Council, gets it. She actually said the economic development strategy is our most important strategy, which is fantastic, really, from a personal and professional point of view, but also from a corporate point of view in terms of how she values it.”

The iED Annual Conference has been another longstanding benefit of membership for Sefton Council. Mike has been a regular attendee over the years, using the event to hear the latest thinking, learn from other practitioners and maintain connections across the economic development profession. The Institute’s wider events programme also provides opportunities for colleagues to engage throughout the year, something Mike sees as increasingly valuable as demands on officers’ time make shorter and online opportunities particularly accessible.

“I think the increase in webinars is a good idea,” he shared. “People are busy and may not always have time to travel. I also value opportunities for smaller boroughs and councils to contribute to the wider economic development conversation, and the iED provides an important platform for their voices and experiences.”

Case study developed: September 2026