The Disabled Councillors Leadership programme has been shaped in co-production with disabled people and councillors, ensuring it responds to the specific needs of disabled leaders. The programme takes disabled councillors through a six-month journey of personal development to accelerate their leadership skills and support them to be resilient and confident local leaders.
Councillor Dr Kate Usmar was elected to Gloucestershire County Council in May 2025 and joined the fourth cohort of the Disabled Councillors Leadership programme in November 2025.
Shortly after becoming elected, Cllr Usmar was appointed to a Cabinet position leading the council’s Adult Social Care portfolio. The demands and responsibility of this role were significant, at a time when Cllr Usmar was also adapting to her new role as a ward councillor. Cllr Usmar was looking for a leadership development opportunity that would help her to manage the demands of the role alongside the barriers that can come with being a disabled person.
When Cllr Usmar discovered the LGA’s leadership offers, she quickly applied for the Disabled Councillors Leadership Programme, as she lives with an invisible disability. Due to the workload that her role entailed, she came close to withdrawing – however she is very glad that she didn’t, and she feels she has significantly benefited from the programme.
Cllr Usmar’s personal highlights from the programme have included:
- Meeting with other disabled councillors from across the country and learning from their wide range of experiences, which she found very empowering.
- Gaining a deeper understanding of the relationship between disability and leadership, and using disability as an asset in your leadership approach.
Cllr Usmar feels that both this programme and the LGA’s New Cabinet Member programme have noticeably changed how she approaches her local leadership role. Her work/life balance has positively improved, which has enabled her to feel calmer and clearer when dealing with the demands of the role. She has found answers to some of the challenges that she was facing, and feels more confident about her leadership abilities. Overall, Cllr Usmar feels she is more competent, willing to take risks, and is more effective in her Cabinet role.