Day 2 Friday 18th October
Subject to change​​
08:30–09:00
Registration
Reception, The Point
08:30–09:00
Refreshments
Reception, The Point
09:00–09:20
Annual General Meeting (Members only)
Main Stage, The Point
09:30–10:30
FIRESIDE CHAT
Kevin Sinfield CBE
Main Stage, The Point
Former Professional Rugby Player, English Rugby Union Coach and Prominent MND Fundraiser
​
Chair:
Chief Executive, St Helens Borough Council
​​
Sponsored by
10:40–11:30
ROUNDTABLE
Placemaking Capacity
and Skills: ​Collective Learning to Address the Opportunities and Challenges Ahead
By Invitation Only
​
Club Suite
Public Practice Non-Executive Director and Chief Officer Asset Management & Regeneration, Leeds City Council​​​​​​​​
​
Partnerships Manager, Public Practice​
​
Chair:
Director of Interim Recruitment, Solace in Business
Delivered by
Public Practice, a not-for-profit organisation that builds capability and skills in local authorities, will host a roundtable to discuss the latest insights from their Recruitment and Skills Survey 2024.
Key learnings will include the resourcing challenges local authorities face, the skills demand trends over the past three years, and the future plans of officers within placemaking teams.
The roundtable will facilitate a conversation with and among attendees, encouraging senior leaders to share their on-the-ground experiences, including the strategic opportunities and challenges they see ahead for their councils and teams.
10:40–11:30
WORKSHOP
Turning Climate Targets Into Climate Action:
Leading Approaches
in Non-met Counties
1864
Countywide Climate Change Coordinator, Climate Leadership at Gloucester City Council​​​​​​​​​
​
Chief Executive, Spelthorne Borough Council​
Delivered by
This session will showcase local government’s vital leadership on national climate objectives, demonstrated by both Spelthorne Borough Council, and Climate Leadership Gloucestershire (a countywide public sector partnership). It will include valuable insight on emission reduction initiatives, usage of innovative tools and technologies, and the resources and partnerships required at both a borough and county level. The session will also include a deep dive exercise into building decarbonisation featuring pioneering examples- of one of the world's most advanced, energy efficient Passivhaus leisure centres, and a leading approach to reducing emissions from residents’ own homes via a countywide retrofit programme.
10:40–11:30
WORKSHOP
Turning Knowledge into Action: How to Build Productive Relationships Between Universities and Local Government to Achieve Better Local Outcomes
Main Stage, The Point
​
Co-founder and Executive Chairman
Inner Circle Consulting
​
Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor Regional Engagement and Co-Director at City-REDI, University of Birmingham, and Director of the UKRI-funded LPIP Strategic Hub
​
Co-Director at the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE)
​
Imagine the power of knowing what works here—right where you are, in your own community, yet drawing on global scientific knowledge and lessons learned in places similar to yours. Our session is designed to help you, as a public policy leader, harness that power. We can guide you in applying evidence-based practices, tailored to your specific context. A specific focus will be how to build strong, productive relationships with universities, that helps develop the capacity and strategies you need to turn research insights into action and outcomes for the communities in your place. This session will be facilitated by the Local Policy Innovation Partnership (LPIP) Hub. The LPIP Hub is a UKRI-funded programme, led by the University of Birmingham, that supports place-based partnerships to address local challenges connecting evidence with policy and practice.
10:40–11:30
WORKSHOP
Technology is Not Enough – Creating Experiences and Outcomes That Are Fit for Humans
Technology is a key enabler for transforming service delivery, building a large and diverse audience, and creating genuine dialogue and engagement with the communities you serve. But technology is not enough, and the next five years of innovation in public service will be harder than the last five. This session focuses on what makes a programme successful, how to avoid common pitfalls that lead to sub-optimal outcomes, and how to ensure your transformation embraces the needs of the people you serve.
Changes introduced by central government in the last 20 years or so have not always been clear and sometimes fraught with contradictions and inconsistencies when faced with local implementation, discussed with examples. Central to this discussion is the question whether sufficient support and development has been provided for Senior Councillors and Officers as they made those transitions from committee to cabinet systems. In terms of Trailblazers do they think they are well prepared in their understanding of member/ officer relationships. The session will use a model of political sensitivity to tease out what are considered to be essential skills in this area.
10:40–11:30
WORKSHOP
Workforce of the Future: Diversity and Inclusion​​​​
Honours Lounge
Programme Manager - Transport Partnerships - Delivering Capital Infrastructure Projects, West Yorkshire Combined Authority​​​​​​​
​
Planning Policy Manager, South Kesteven District Council​​​​​​​
Principal In-House Counsel & Deputy Monitoring Officer Law Society Planning & Environment Committee, London Borough of Hounslow​
​
Delivered by
The Solace AMPLify Workshop, titled "Workforce of the Future: Diversity & Inclusivity," is a dynamic and interactive session designed to empower public sector leaders with essential skills for fostering inclusive workplaces and cultivating leadership legacies. Attendees will be introduced to the impactful Solace AMPLify Programme, which is renowned for its role in enhancing leadership development within the public sector. Participants will engage in a comprehensive exploration of the importance of inclusivity, starting with a presentation on current statistics and realities of diversity in leadership. The workshop will delve into strategies for creating and sustaining a leadership legacy. Through inspiring presentations from Solace AMPLify Luminaries, participants will gain insights into effective succession planning and mentoring future leaders. This workshop offers a unique opportunity for public sector professionals to network with like-minded individuals, gain practical strategies for inclusivity, and learn how the Solace AMPLify programme can enhance the diversity within the ranks of their senior leadership. Attendees will leave equipped with actionable insights to drive positive change and organisational effectiveness in their workplaces.
11:45–12:35
WORKSHOP
Improving Local Outcomes; Safely, Securely and Ethically
Library
Director of Institute and past President, Socitm
​​
Chief Executive, Socitm
Socitm will lead an interactive session on how senior leaders can collaboratively harness the power of data and technology to improve outcomes for people in the context of the communities you serve. Learn from a facilitated exploration of AI (and other smart tech), data standards and ethical decision making, to unlock what works in the context of your own unique place. Explore practical, innovative solutions that can lead to more joined up services and improved social progress for your people and place. Outcome: The session will leave you with actionable ideas to use data, deliver tech-enabled services ethically and create a strong foundation for continued collaboration.
11:45–12:35
WORKSHOP
Learning From Failure
Members Lounge
Professor Catherine Staite LLB, MBA, FRSA
Emeritus Professor of Public Management,
University of Birmingham​​​​​​​​​
​​
Director, Darlingburn Ltd​​​​​​​​​
Chief Executive, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council​
What causes Councils to fail? And how can they re-set and recover after failure and intervention? This session will draw on knowledge of the systemic characteristics of many recent council failures. How can good leadership and strong governance prevent failure? What weaknesses in governance and leadership increase the risk of significant problems? After intervention, how can you re-set relationships, governance and behaviours to ensure effective recovery? In this session we will draw on Professor Catherine Staite and Andrew Muter’s analysis of what has gone wrong and Shokat Lal’s experience of how to make things right and spotting the signs of a council which may be in decline. And in conversation with you, we’ll try to answer the question: How do we learn from and prevent failure?
11:45–12:35
PANEL SESSION
Leadership Stories
Main Stage, The Point
​Jon Price
Executive Director of People, Adults, Health and Housing, Dorset Council
​​​
Head of Strategy and Community Participation, London Borough of Barnet
​
City Manager of Newton City, Kansas
​
Chair:
Chief Executive
London Borough of Brent​
This session has been designed to give our rising stars that are attending the audience the opportunity to hear from a panel of individuals at different stages throughout their career and the high, lows and challenges that they have faced along the way.
12:40–13:30
Exhibition and Sandwich Lunch
Exhibition Hall, The Point
13:40–14:40
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Lindsay Herbert
Main Stage, The Point
Author of Digital Transformation, IBM Inventor and Chief Innovation Officer for IBM Garage
​
Chair:
​
Managing Director at Gloucester City Council & Digital Leadership Deputy at Solace​​
14:45–15:30
PANEL SESSION
Digital leadership in Local Government
Main Stage, The Point
​
Chair:
​
Chief Executive at Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council & Digital Leadership Policy Lead at Solace
​
Managing Director at Gloucester City Council & Digital Leadership Deputy at Solace
​
Executive Director for Corporate and Support Services, Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council
This panel discussion will reflect on what keynote speaker Lindsay Herbert, Chief Innovation Officer at IBM and author of the book Digital Transformation, has said about the digital space and how we must ensure that it is used to improve the services we provide rather than as a barrier. A panel of digital agenda spokespersons will provide real-life examples of what the sector is now doing, as well as discuss their work with Solace, the LGA and partnering boards.
15:30–15:35
President's Closing Speech
