Stepping into a role at Havering London Borough Council offers a chance to make a direct difference in local government, public services, community life, and civic wellbeing. Whether you’re applying as a caseworker, planning officer, social worker, HR specialist, finance officer or environmental services operative, each role has a unique job description, required competencies and a public-service mission. In this blog post I, Jerry Frempong (with over 25 years’ experience in career coaching), guide you through 30 fully explained interview questions and answers for differing job roles at Havering. I cover simple opening questions, competency-based and STAR model questions, ending questions, and the do’s and don’ts of interview conduct.
Below is a brief summary of some of the more common roles at Havering, their responsibilities and approximate pay bands (based on the 2025 Pay Policy Statement and Indeed/PayScale data) so you have context for how to tailor your answers.
Chief Executive: As Head of Paid Service, the Chief Executive leads the strategic direction, corporate management, liaison with councillors, and oversight of all divisions. The role is on grade G18, with full-time equivalent salary between about £194,529 and £201,672 (2024/5) per Havering’s Pay Policy Statement. Havering Democracy
Strategic Director (People / Place / Resources): These roles report to the Chief Executive and lead major portfolios (e.g. adult social care, housing, regeneration, finance). Grade G17, with salaries from approx. £154,701 to £173,487 (depending on point) Havering Democracy
Director (G16): Operational senior management in major service areas (e.g. Children’s Services, Planning and Environment, Finance). Salary around £131,220 to £150,006 (various spinal points). Havering Democracy
Assistant Director / Deputy Director (G13–G15): These are middle to senior managers heading sub-divisions (e.g. housing strategy, regeneration, public health, client services). Salaries vary from ~£90,120 up through ~£122,997 depending on grade and market supplements. Havering Democracy
Other employees / staff grades (non chief officers): Most roles (administrative, technical, professional, operational) are paid via NJC, GLPC Outer London or other local government pay spines. The average salary across Havering staff is reported as ~ £33,317 per PayScale data, and roles such as Business Support or Executive Support Officer are quoted around £30,500–£34,000 on Indeed. Payscale+1
Because of this broad range, your answers in an interview should reflect the level of responsibility, leadership, and complexity appropriate to the grade you’re applying for.
Now, let’s go into 30 interview questions and answers (grouped by type), each with detailed explanation. Use these as templates, adapt to your experience, and weave in your knowledge of Havering’s services, values and priorities (e.g. community focus, local accountability, regeneration, equality impact, sustainability).
These are often asked at the beginning to set rapport and ease you into the interview.
“Tell me about yourself.”
Sample answer:
“Thank you. I’m Jane Smith, and over the last eight years I’ve worked in local government roles focusing on housing and regeneration. In my current role as a housing policy officer at a district council, I led a programme refurbishing 200 homes, working with consultants, tenants, and funding bodies. I’ve gained experience in stakeholder engagement, project management and regulatory compliance. I’m particularly drawn to Havering because of its ambitious regeneration agenda, and I believe my skills in partnership working and data-led planning would help deliver positive outcomes in your borough.”
Why this works: It’s concise, covers your key experience, and links your strengths with what the council does.
“What attracted you to this role at Havering?”
Sample answer:
“I’ve followed Havering’s ‘Learn & Grow’ programme and your focus on local regeneration, community engagement and sustainable growth. I believe local government offers a unique opportunity to balance policy, operational delivery and community impact. In this role I see I can bring my experience and grow further, while contributing directly to the borough.”
Reference: Havering’s Learn & Grow scheme shows their commitment to professional development. Havering Careers
“What do you know about Havering London Borough Council?”
Sample answer:
“Havering Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Havering, responsible for services such as planning, housing, social care, waste and environment, and local regeneration. Its aim is to deliver value for residents while promoting sustainable development and equitable services. The council operates a pay policy that includes senior roles on G16–G18 grades. I also understand that the council has a ‘Learn & Grow’ framework to develop staff.”
Use your own research here (council goals, local issues, recent projects).
“What are your strengths?”
Sample answer:
“My strengths are stakeholder engagement (I build trusting relationships with elected members, community groups and officers), data analysis (I read, interpret and communicate performance metrics), and problem solving (I’ve taken on complex service redesign challenges in past roles). I’m also highly organised and comfortable working in a political and legislative environment.”
“What are your weaknesses or areas to develop?”
Sample answer:
“I used to find public speaking in large forums challenging, but in the last two years I’ve taken training and volunteered at local seminars to build confidence. I now feel much more comfortable and see it as a continuing area for growth.”
Be honest but frame it in a growth mindset.
Interviewers at local government often lean heavily on competency or behavioural style questions, particularly using the STAR model (Situation, Task, Action, Result). You should structure your answer with that model to show real examples. Below are 20 sample competency questions with model answers.
“Describe a time when you led a project and had to deliver it under tight timescales.”
Model answer using STAR:
Situation: At my previous council, we had a deadline to submit a funding bid for regeneration within six weeks.
Task: As project lead, I had to mobilise a multi-disciplinary team (planning, finance, community engagement) and deliver a coherent bid, including cost modelling and consultation summaries, on time.
Action: I held a kick-off meeting with clear roles, set weekly milestones, used a shared project tracker, and proactively flagged risks. I also obtained interim approvals to speed decision points.
Result: We submitted on time, and the bid was successful, securing £1.2 million funding for improvements. The team praised the clarity of process, and I used the same approach in later projects with consistent adherence to deadlines.
“Give an example when you had to manage a conflict among stakeholders.”
Answer:
Situation: In a neighbourhood renewal scheme, tenants opposed the proposed parking reconfiguration, while the highways team insisted on it for traffic flow.
Task: I was tasked with finding a balanced approach.
Action: I arranged mediated meetings, listened to tenants’ concerns, collected data on parking usage, and proposed compromises (such as designated visitor bays and flexible timings). I kept both sides updated.
Result: A revised plan was accepted by both parties, rollout proceeded with minimal objections, and satisfaction feedback was high. The scheme produced a 15 % improvement in traffic flow and maintained tenant goodwill.
“Tell me about a time when you introduced innovation or change in process.”
Answer:
Situation: The planning team’s application processing was sluggish, with manual handoffs and poor tracking.
Task: I was asked to streamline the process.
Action: I introduced a digital workflow tool, mapped bottlenecks, automated reminders, and trained staff. I also revised handover points and clarified escalation paths.
Result: Application throughput improved by 30 %, error rates declined, and customer satisfaction in planning services increased in residents’ surveys.
“Describe a time you missed a deadline. What did you do and what did you learn?”
Answer:
Situation: Once in a funding bid, we underestimated the time needed for legal review.
Task: Complete the application, even though we risked missing the deadline.
Action: I flagged the delay early, engaged a second legal reviewer, cut noncore embellishments and focused on the core submission. I informed senior management and secured a short extension.
Result: We submitted two days late (accepted), and the bid was still successful. I learned to build more buffer, triangulate review timelines, and escalate earlier.
“Give an example of when you used data to inform a decision.”
Answer:
Situation: My council was debating where to allocate limited funding for street lighting improvements.
Task: Recommend priority areas.
Action: I analysed incident reports, darkness complaints, footfall data and crime statistics to map hotspots. I presented a heatmap to leadership and recommended phased investment in highest-risk zones.
Result: The decision was accepted, and the lights installed in prioritized areas resulted in a 20 % reduction in reported incidents in those zones.
“Tell us about a time when you had to persuade someone to accept your idea or approach.”
Answer:
Situation: The highways team resisted allocating budget to cyclist infrastructure because they feared traffic disruption.
Task: Convince them to adopt a protected cycle lane concept.
Action: I presented data from neighbouring boroughs showing benefits, arranged site visits, offered modelling of traffic impact, and proposed a pilot.
Result: They agreed to a six-month pilot. After positive feedback and minimal disruption, the scheme was extended and expanded.
“Describe a time when you handled a difficult or dissatisfied customer or service user.”
Answer:
Situation: A constituent was outraged at delays in housing repairs and shouted at customer services.
Task: De-escalate and resolve.
Action: I listened patiently, apologised, clarified the steps needed, offered interim temporary repairs, escalated the matter internally, and kept them updated.
Result: The constituent’s issue was resolved within two weeks, and they later wrote a letter of thanks, saying they appreciated the personal updates.
“Give an example of when you had to make a tough ethical decision.”
Answer:
Situation: In a procurement process, one bidder was a local contractor with political connections, but their bid was marginally weaker.
Task: Decide transparently.
Action: I reviewed scoring objectively, ensured all criteria were applied, brought in external audit oversight, documented everything, and awarded on merit. I also communicated to local councillors the rationale clearly and transparently.
Result: The successful bidder delivered to spec, and the process faced no complaints. It upheld fairness and integrity.
“Tell me about a situation when you had to adapt quickly to change.”
Answer:
Situation: Midway through a project, a grant funder changed eligibility criteria.
Task: Adjust our approach to stay eligible.
Action: I convened a rapid review, pivoted scope, reworked deliverables, renegotiated timelines, and re-engaged stakeholders.
Result: We stayed within revised guidelines and still secured funding, though with reduced scale. Our flexibility impressed the funder, and we retained relationship credibility.
“Describe when you had to work collaboratively across departments or teams.”
Answer:
Situation: In a regeneration programme, planning, highways, social care and community teams all had input.
Task: Deliver a cohesive masterplan.
Action: I set up cross-departmental working groups, produced a shared project plan, scheduled regular touchpoints, and facilitated discussions to prevent silos.
Result: The programme launched smoothly with integrated community, infrastructure and social elements, reducing rework and delays.
“Give an example of when you handled a sudden crisis or urgent issue.”
Answer:
Situation: A burst water main disrupted homes and roads unexpectedly.
Task: Coordinate response across departments and with utilities.
Action: I set up an incident response team, communicated with affected residents, liaised with the water company, deployed staff to mitigate risk, and established a hotline.
Result: Disruption was limited, repairs completed faster than forecast, and residents later commended the council’s responsiveness.
“Tell me about a time when you motivated or developed a team.”
Answer:
Situation: My service team was under stress due to heavy workloads and morale was slipping.
Task: Reinvigorate the team.
Action: I held one-to-one check-ins, arranged training, introduced a recognition programme, rebalanced workloads, and held team-building workshops.
Result: Productivity improved, sickness reduced, and internal staff surveys showed morale rose by 25 %.
“Describe when you had to manage competing priorities.”
Answer:
Situation: Two capital programmes needed delivery at the same time, with overlapping staff.
Task: Prioritise effectively.
Action: I ranked based on risk, statutory requirements and community impact, reallocated staff, set clear milestone deadlines and negotiated minor adjustments with stakeholders.
Result: Both programmes delivered on time, with minimal compromise, and stakeholders remained supportive.
“Give an example of when you improved customer service or user satisfaction.”
Answer:
Situation: The complaints handling process in the housing team was slow and impersonal.
Task: Redesign for speed and responsiveness.
Action: I introduced a triage system, response templates, escalation thresholds, and monitoring dashboards. I trained staff in empathetic communication.
Result: Complaints resolution times halved, and resident satisfaction in those services increased measurably.
“Describe a time when you had to deliver unwelcome news.”
Answer:
Situation: We had to reject community funding for a popular event due to budget constraints.
Task: Communicate the decision sensitively.
Action: I arranged a meeting early, explained the reasons transparently, offered alternative options, listened to concerns, and committed to exploring future funding.
Result: While disappointed, the community group respected the reasoning and engaged in alternative proposals without hostility.
“Tell us about a time when you had to learn something new quickly.”
Answer:
Situation: A new statutory duty was introduced mid-term (e.g. climate action reporting).
Task: Get up to speed and advise senior colleagues.
Action: I read legislation, joined webinars, liaised with peer councils, sought mentors, and produced a briefing paper.
Result: We met compliance deadlines and I became the internal lead, which increased my visibility.
“Give an example of when you had to challenge the status quo.”
Answer:
Situation: The default procurement process was overly bureaucratic and slow.
Task: Propose improvements.
Action: I benchmarked other councils, produced a business case for streamlined procedures, piloted a lighter approach for low-risk procurements, and monitored outcomes.
Result: We saved time and cost without compromising governance, and the new approach was adopted more widely.
“Describe a time when you delivered results despite constraints.”
Answer:
Situation: Our service faced staff cuts and budget pressures.
Task: Maintain service quality.
Action: I reorganised tasks, introduced more self-service tools for residents, reprioritised non-essential work, and renegotiated external contracts.
Result: The key performance indicators remained steady or improved, and we avoided service failures.
“Tell me about a time when you had to manage risk.”
Answer:
Situation: In a regeneration project, there was risk of contractors overrunning and environmental objections.
Task: Mitigate those risks.
Action: I created a risk register, monitored monthly, assigned owners, developed mitigation plans, kept contingency, and held escalation meetings.
Result: No major failures occurred; issues were flagged early, addressed, and the project remained within acceptable tolerances.
“Describe a time you had to deliver under pressure or high workload.”
Answer:
Situation: At year-end we had multiple deadlines, audits, budget approvals and statutory returns.
Task: Deliver all on time without dropping quality.
Action: I prioritized tasks, delegated appropriately, created a micro schedule, held daily check-ins, and worked flexibly where needed.
Result: All were delivered on time and without major errors; senior management praised our team’s commitment.
These are questions at the end of the interview—you should have intelligent ones ready.
“Do you have any questions for us?”
Suggested questions:
“What are the key priorities for this role in the first six months?”
“How does this role contribute to Havering’s strategic plans (e.g. regeneration, sustainability)?”
“What are the main challenges the team currently faces?”
“How is success measured in this role?”
“Is there anything we didn’t ask you that you’d like to add?”
How to answer: Use this chance to bring in a strength, achievement or motivation you hadn’t covered. For example, “I’d like to add that I recently volunteered in a local community group and that experience sharpened my stakeholder engagement skills further …”
“What would make you successful in this role?”
Answer idea: “Strong stakeholder relationships, data-driven decisions, clarity in management, proactivity, and adaptability. My prior record shows I can bring those qualities.”
“Where do you see yourself in five years?”
Answer idea: “I see myself progressing into more strategic roles within local government, perhaps leading service transformation or contributing to borough-wide policy. I hope this role provides the platform for growth.”
“When would you be available to start?”
Answer idea: “I’m available with one month’s notice currently (or depending on my current commitments), but I can discuss flexibility. My priority is to transition cleanly so I can start contributing quickly.”
Situation — set context
Task — define your duty or challenge
Action — what you did (this is the meat of your answer)
Result — what happened; quantify or qualify if possible
Always use the STAR model for behavioural questions, and practise a few stories mapped to core competencies (leadership, innovation, stakeholder management, integrity, adaptability, results orientation).
Do research Havering Council: current projects, initiatives, strategic aims, local issues.
Do tailor your answers to public sector working (governance, compliance, equality, budget constraints).
Do use metrics and evidence in your answers (e.g. “reduced backlog by 20 %”).
Do remain positive, even when describing challenges or failures (focus on learning).
Do ask good questions at the end (shows engagement).
Do follow up with a thank you email reiterating your interest and a key strength.
Do practice your stories and answers beforehand (ideally with a mock interview or interview coach).
Don’t speak negatively about previous employers or colleagues.
Don’t ramble — keep answers structured and to the point.
Don’t give vague or generic responses; avoid “I always …” or “I usually …” without concrete examples.
Don’t over-promise—be honest about limits and areas you’re still learning.
Don’t neglect body language, presence, or clarity of speech.
Don’t neglect to tie your answer into what the council needs — always bring it back to the role.
Remember: interviews are conversations, not interrogations. You have skills, experiences and qualities that have brought you this far. The role you’re aiming for at Havering is important — it demands not only technical competence but interpersonal gravitas, integrity, adaptability and a genuine commitment to public service. Stand tall, speak clearly, and be prepared with solid examples prepared via STAR.
Confidence comes from preparation. You deserve success. If you feel even slightly uncertain, consider booking dedicated interview coaching or interview coaching online to polish your delivery and sharpen your stories. A great interview coach can give you targeted feedback and boost your readiness. And if you prefer a structured path, you can also enrol in interview training programmes for local government candidates.
If you’d like one-to-one support or to book a session for job interview preparation, I’m here to help. Let’s get you fully ready to shine.
Best of luck — you’ve got this.
