Meet the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services

Meet the Cabinet Member for Children's Services

Cllr David Lonergan is the new Cabinet Member for Children's Services.

We asked him about his background and what his priorities are in his new role.

Where you educated in Knowsley?

Yes, I've lived in Knowsley all of my life and I attended St Kevin's School in Kirkby, where I achieved 9 O Levels (now GCSEs).

I then decided to "have a go at A levels", but studying A Levels didn't seem right for me and I managed to get an E in both subjects, which were History and Geography.

What did you do next?

I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in surveying and remained undeterred, so I decided to get a job and gain some invaluable work experience.

I joined Royal Liver Assurance Property Department and worked in the superb Royal Liver Building in Liverpool, where I was supported to complete a BTEC HNC in Business.

This gave me the springboard to study for professional surveying exams, which I pursued while working.

This may have been a slightly longer route than a traditional further education route, but it suited me to do it this way and I qualified with the University College of Estate Management.

I then went on to complete the RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) Assessment of Professional Competence and qualified shortly afterwards as a Chartered Surveyor. I'm able to use MRICS after my name and achieving this really opened up my career.

I went on to become a Managing Surveyor at Royal Liver, working across a range of commercial property projects before being recruited to join the residential surveying sector, where I worked for a number of companies. I then became an Area Director for a major surveying company, which involved responsibility for an area team of 20 Chartered Surveyors - a post I held until I retired in 2023.

Given the seniority I had, I became eligible to be elected FRICS - a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors - in 2021. I was also an external examiner, assessing RICS students.

What is your advice to young people who are leaving school?

That's simply - never give up and there's lots of ways you can get the career that you want - it's not always through a straight academic route.

Whilst my A levels were not good, I was determined to succeed and simply pursued another route to becoming a professional.

My message to anyone not getting the exam results they hoped for is, firstly, don't panic, listen to the advice from your school or college and don't be afraid to look at another route to achieve your goal.

Don't be afraid to think outside the box and remember that there are some fantastic paid apprentice opportunities out there with good, solid prospects and proper training and support.

Determination and a clear goal will get you far….the rest is up to you.

What are you looking forward to in your new role?

The role is so varied and covers a range of services from social care and youth justice through to early help, education and training.

I know that our services really do make a difference to people's lives and ensuring they get the right support at the right time is a priority for me. We've already got lots of help and support available through the Knowsley Offer - you can find out more at www.knowsley.gov.uk/knowsley-offer

We have made lots of progress over the last few years and I'm looking forward to continuing with our improvement journey, with our priorities being to expand the education provision in the borough, enhancing our youth offer and supporting young people leaving our care.