• Policy priorities for the next five years: funding, devolution, and service transformation
• What the local government needs from central government to succeed
• Empowering communities and involving citizens in shaping their place
• Questions and Answers

Cllr. Max Mosley, Senior Economist at the New Economics Foundation and Councillor in Hounslow Council

Cllr Abi Brown OBE, Conservative councillor for the Meir Park ward in Stoke-on-Trent and deputy leader of the LGA Conservative Group

Emma Moseley, Senior Policy Manager, Trafford Council

Jon Gleek, Head of Research, Local Government Information Unit

 

Chaired by Jess Goble, Head of Operations and Insight, Living Wage Foundation

• Explore how councils and local partners can shape anti-poverty strategies that are impactful, legally robust and community-informed
• Gain practical insights from research into upcoming reforms - including the 'Crisis and Resilience Fund', and the bringing into the law of the 'Socio-Economic Duty'
• Questions and answers

• Navigating funding reform and rethinking local taxation
• Growing local income through investment and innovation
• Planning for resilience amid national fiscal constraints
• Questions and answers

• Building strategic climate partnerships across rural and urban areas
• Aligning funding, planning, and community engagement
• Embedding climate responsibility into local governance
• Questions and answers

• Lessons from effective combined authority and City and district collaboration
• Harnessing local autonomy to deliver tailored public services
• Innovation and adaptability within devolved governance frameworks

Pam Smith, Chief Executive, Newcastle City Council

Michael Cullen, Chief Executive, Stockport Council

Chaired by Jess Goble, Head of Operations and Insight, Living Wage Foundation

• Questions and answers

• The evolving role of local authorities in promoting fair pay across their communities and supply chains
• New pathways for councils to participate in Living Pension commitments using Defined Benefit schemes
• Questions and answers

• Discuss how councils can lead effective partnerships to deliver shared goals for people and place
• Listen to real-world lessons from place-based partnerships delivering outcomes for communities
• Questions and answers

Jonathan Werran, Chief Executive, Localis

Paul Boyce, Commissioner for the Department of Education

Colin Brew, Head of Strategic Partnership, Greater Manchester Business Growth Hub 

Ellie Moir, Deputy Director, HM Treasury

Chaired by Jess Goble, Head of Operations and Insight, Living Wage Foundation

• The role of the Darlington Economic Campus in reshaping how central Government works with local areas
• Lessons in collaborative working across departments, regions, and sectors
• Unlocking inclusive growth through devolved thinking, presence, and partnerships
• Questions and answers

*programme subject to change without notice