NEW HORIZONS STAGE
Hospicing the Old, Seeding the New: Supporting Systemic Transitions for a Flourishing Future

We are living through the breakdown of many systems – public services stretched thin, economic models that extract rather than nourish, and governance structures no longer fit for the major challenges ahead. But supporting and speeding up the transition to more equitable and just futures requires us to let go of things that no longer serve people and planet well: are we ready to do this? 

This panel invites participants into the important work of ‘hospicing the old’ – grappling honestly with systems in decline – while seeding the new, grounded in justice, care, imagination and community agency.

Hosted by JRF

Juliet Can, Founder, Stour Trust
Indy Johar, Director, Dark Matter Labs
Iona Lawrence, Co-founder & Chief Deceleration Officer, The Decelerator

Chair: Frances Northrop, Ex-New Economic Foundation

WORKSHOP
Systemic Leadership: Murmurating on Complexity

What actually is complexity? How does it affect Systems, and how does it affect leadership? And, what can we learn from Starlings?

Join a hands-on workshop where you will explore complexity, identify your systemic leadership stance, consider the implications for the systems you work within, and create your own set of murmuration rules. 

Hosted by MEAM (Making Every Adult Matter)

Carl Brown, Systems Practice Manager
Gavin Roberts, Head of Systems Practice

BIG IDEAS STAGE
How do we build community cohesion in an age of polarisation and populism?

Globally and nationally polarisation and populism are at the heart of rising tension and anxieties. Against this backdrop, how can we take action locally to foster more tolerance, understanding and cohesion.

Kirsten Fussing, Neighbourhoods & Cohesion Manager, Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council
Rebecca Inskip, Director of Programme, Belong Network
Sunder Katwala, Director, British Future
Cllr Doug Pullen, Leader, Lichfield District Council

Chair: Claire Kennedy, Vice Chair, New Local and Joint Chief Executive, PPL

STUDIO STAGE
Unlocking the Power of Place: Mobilising people and partnerships for collective impact

In today’s fast-changing public sector, effective leadership means working beyond organisational boundaries to deliver a shared vision for a place. This panel will explore the power of place-based leadership, where collaboration across sectors is key to creating lasting, meaningful impact. Speakers will share insights on building strong local partnerships, drawing on collective strengths and resources to tackle complex challenges together.

Amanda Askham, Strategic Director, London Borough of Ealing Council
Meena Kishinani, Local Government Transformation Consultant & New Local Board Member
Donna Nolan, Chief Executive, Watford Borough Council
Emma Stubbs, Assistant Director of Neighbourhoods, Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council

WORKSHOP
Building Belonging in Barking & Dagenham: A Year On

Last year we spoke to Stronger Things about designing a new way to build belonging with our community in Barking and Dagenham.  At that point we’d been on a six month journey of co-creating a path to a more connected place, where people, friendships and informal networks of support could thrive more easily.

A year later we are back as a VCSE sector innovation partnership. We have spent the last 12 months building trust and continually testing and learning with our community. It’s been extraordinary, it feels the way that work should feel, and it’s also been deeply difficult at times. We’ve worked with more than 100 people experiencing isolation, saved a huge amount of public money, and learned an extraordinary amount about what it takes to create a more connected place.  

As always we’ll be openly sharing what we’ve done, in the hope that other communities can build power in this way, with space for you to ask any questions.  

Hosted by Care City

NEW HORIZONS STAGE
Stronger Together: How Community Power is Tackling Health Inequalities

This panel will explore how community-led initiatives, partnerships, and system changes are reducing health inequalities around the UK. We will highlight the role of VCSE organisations, the NHS, Councils, and wider public sector partners in shifting power to communities to improve health and wellbeing.

Tabz O’Brien, Senior Partnerships Manager, Greater Manchester Combined Authority

Chair: Shaheen Warren, Head of Practice and Strategy

THE STUDIO
Building social capital in neighbourhoods

Life is a post code lottery; the places where we are born, raised and live impact individuals profoundly. And it is at the neighbourhood level where inequalities in outcomes are manifest, and big national challenges play out, from the cost of living to climate change. It is also at the neighbourhood level where strategies and action to tackle these disparities and address these challenges are needed.

Social capital is the secret sauce in any place-based regeneration programme – but it is often the missing ingredient. There is rising awareness in the role it can play in outcomes. This session will focus in on the importance of building social capital at the hyper-local level. We will examine, from a local authority perspective, how you can identify and measure social capital and nurture and build it within neighbourhoods.

Hosted by 3ni

Dan Crowe, Head of 3ni
Anna Francis, Co-Director, Portland Inn Project
Robin Fry, Inclusive Economy Adviser, North of Tyne Combined Authority

Chair: Grace Pollard, Head of Policy and Insights, New Local

Making local news work for local communities

Old models of local news are collapsing, and new models are emerging – but fragile. The PINF Local News Commission has set out a vision for a future in which local news is Accountable, Sustainable, in the Public interest, Innovative, Representative and Engaging (ASPIRE). Join us to discuss what this could mean for your local community and how to turn this vision into a reality.

Jonathan Heawood, Executive Director, PINF
Joe Mitchell, Deputy Director, PINF
Beckie Shuker, Campaign and Communications Manager, PINF

NEW HORIZONS STAGE
Radical Listening

At the heart of community power is opening up systems and listening without judgement, creating meaningful opportunities for people to influence decisions that affect their lives. ‘Radical listening’ is a collaborative listening technique that allows us to prioritise the speaker over our own needs to respond or react. Learn more about radical listening, tips and techniques on practising it and how to employ it in your own settings. 

Will Cooper, Deputy Head of Strategy & Engagement, Barnet Council
Karin Woodley, Chief Executive, Cambridge House

Chair: Sara Masters, Principal Practice Lead, New Local

THE STUDIO
Reorganising for the long term

New structures and local governance are on the horizon in parts of the country. In this session we focus on the opportunities these may present to future-proof, focussing on the role of communities, outcomes and legacy.  

Hosted by Norse

Heather Jameson, Editor, The MJ
Salena Mulhere, Deputy Chief Executive, Test Valley Borough Council
Paul Pawa, Group Strategic Development Director, Norse Group
Jonathan Stephenson, Chief Executive, Brentwood Borough Council & Rochford District Council

Chair: Grace Pollard, Head of Policy and Insights, New Local

WORKSHOP
DoWith: Creating a grassroots movement for radical change in the public sector

It is well past time for a foundational shift in the way public services work, away from the dominant model that does things to people and communities and towards one that works with them. And yet the resistance to change is intense. Building on the recent launch of the DoWith movement, this interactive session will explore how we can generate an irresistible momentum for change at the grassroots uniting public sector workers and the communities they serve.

Adam Lent, Senior Consultant, The King’s Fund

How do we celebrate, sustain and reimagine community centres?

New Local’s new report, ‘Where People Meet’ makes the case for community centres as a vital part of their place. In this session we will look at the report’s findings in more depth; set out a vision for their future as part of flourishing neighbourhoods and work together to explore what social infrastructure might look like where you are in 2040.

Crispin Truman, OBE, Director, Rayne Foundation
Josie Cowgill, Centre Manager, Trinity Rooms Community Hub, Stroud

Measuring Success in Co-production: Learning by Doing

How do we evaluate the success of projects, especially those that are collectively owned and developed? Co-production Collective, share their learning of complexity and messiness from eight pilot schemes run throughout 2024.

George Haflin, Co-Production Collective
Niccola Hutchinson Pascal, Co-Production Collective

Community-powered climate action

Discover the potential unlocked when communities and councils collaborate on place-based climate and nature action which prioritises local inequity. Hear insights from the innovative Bristol Community Climate Action project and collectively explore the opportunities and challenges of putting local communities in the driving seat of strategic climate leadership.

Amy Harrison, Head of Community Partnerships, Bristol Climate & Nature Partnership
Mark Leach, Project Manager, Bristol City Council

Systemic Leadership: Murmurating on Complexity

What actually is complexity? How does it affect Systems, and how does it affect leadership? And, what can we learn from Starlings?

Join a hands-on workshop where you will explore complexity, identify your systemic leadership stance, consider the implications for the systems you work within, and create your own set of murmuration rules. 

Carl Brown, Systems Practice Manager, MEAM
Gavin Roberts, Head of Systems Practice, MEAM