Case Studies
Michael Pilcher, Chief Accountant
I joined Bristol City Council as Finance Business Partner in 2015 following a move out of London. I had previously trained and worked in the NHS. In starting my Local Government career supporting People Directorate I was able to bring knowledge and skills learnt in the NHS to support social care whilst learning new skills working in a political organisation with different financial framework.
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After supporting the People Directorate I moved to a central role leading on the Council’s Medium Term Financial Plan and budget setting and was involved in discussions with Mayor, Cabinet, Senior Executives and Scrutiny.
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In 2019 I was appointed Chief Accountant leading across the service, the role enables me to get involved in many of the wide range of services and investment we make as a Council from economic regeneration and housing delivery to social care transformation and integration and all staff across the Council are passionate about delivering services which support the citizens of Bristol.
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I love the diversity of the Council services, engagement with politicians and Government departments; there is always something new to learn and be involved in!
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Gait Collins, Finance Manager – Transformation
I joined Bristol City Council as a qualified accountant, having spent time in the private sector as an auditor. I initially joined as a financial accountant and have progressed through several roles to my current position as Finance Manager for Transformation.
During my time at the council, I have worked in a range of functions. I have worked in a business advisory capacity, providing financial advice to services ranging from housing, transport and citizen services. This gave me great insight into the operations of the council and also meant working directly with heads of services and directors. I have also worked in corporate finance, doing treasury management dealings and preparing statutory year end accounts. As well as providing financial expertise, I have been responsible for managing teams, which have included apprentices who are training and at the start of their career to more knowledgeable and experienced members. In my current role, I lead on various workstreams which require me to matrix manage and work cross-functionally with various teams outside of finance, fostering collaborations.
As well as opportunities for progression and variety of experience, I have had many opportunities for learning and development. In 2018, I was privileged to be one of the first cohort on Bristol's Stepping Up to leadership programme, which was set up to address the lack of diversity and fair representation in senior leadership positions. This continued with me studying for an MBA, which is fully sponsored by the council through an apprenticeship and allows me 20% in work time to fulfil my studies. There have also been chances for getting involved with shaping the organisation and the wider city, through working with staff-led groups such as embRACE (the council's BAME staff-led group).
Working at Bristol City Council can be challenging as the environment is so dynamic, driven by changes in political leadership, regulation or cuts to funding for local government. However, it can also be very rewarding, and it's certainly never boring!
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Denise Hunt, Finance Business Partner - People
I’ve always been passionate about working in Local Government and have enjoyed a varied career working in a wide range of councils. This has been predominantly in Finance but has also included opportunities in the NHS and Adult Social Care in Strategic Planning, Service Improvement and Transformation and Change.
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I started my career as Trainee Accountant at Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council and have worked in Finance and Audit in Avon County Council, Cardiff Council and currently in Bristol City Council, where I work as a Finance Business Partner, for the People Directorate, working in Adult and Children’s Social Care, Public Health and Education.
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I enjoy working for Bristol as it allows me the opportunity to make a difference and deliver services, which help improve people’s lives. Bristol is a dynamic Council with great values and opportunities. I’ve enjoyed it so much I’ve done it twice, having recently returned to Bristol after five years working in the NHS.
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