Tag: Strategy and leadership

Working with leaders who have been engaged in local government reorganisation (LGR) over the past year has been an exercise in wrestling with paradox. The process is both a huge […]

13th January, 2026

LGR • Strategy and leadership

Andre Johnsen on the applied training Change Maker programme developed by Westminster City Council

5th January, 2026

Community engagement • Participation and co-production • Strategy and leadership • Westminster

Last week, I had the privilege of hosting a New Local member session on LGR and digital. As our final member event of the year, it offered not just insight, […]

17th December, 2025

Digital • LGR • Strategy and leadership

As 2025 draws to a close, it is a natural time to reflect on the year’s milestones, say Rob Thomas, chief executive of Vale of Glamorgan Council and Tom Bowring, […]

15th December, 2025

Rob Thomas • Strategy and leadership • Tom Bowring • Vale of Glamorgan Council • Well-being of Future Generations Act

We sat down with Nipa Shah, programme director of Brent Health Matters, to find out how this emergency response initiative, which began in 2020 at the start of the pandemic, […]

3rd December, 2025

Brent Council • health inequalities • Nipa Shah • Strategy and leadership

In a guest post for New Local, co-founder of Stories of Change, John Hitchin, shares his thoughts on the future of place-based work. Local government is all about work in […]

18th November, 2025

John Hitchin • Place-Based Public Service Reform • Strategy and leadership

A strong sense of place is core to the mission and purpose of local government. Our role is to act as anchors, stewards, and conveners of the local system, supporting elected […]

16th September, 2025

Calderdale Council • English Devo Bill • Robin Tuddenham • Strategy and leadership • Vision 2034

September is our contact centre’s busiest time of year without a doubt. Surrey County Council manages the admission of nearly 160,000 pupils to more than 350 state-funded schools. And as […]

19th August, 2025

Call Centre • Future Councils • Strategy and leadership • Surrey County Council

Our Strategy Lab sessions are a space to come together to discuss bold, practical ideas to futureproof councils and to create the conditions for place-based responses to the big challenges […]

22nd July, 2025

Mission-Led Governing • Missions • Strategy and leadership

It’s been a year since Labour came into power, bringing with them a commitment to a different way of ‘doing’ government centred around five missions for national renewal. One year […]

9th July, 2025

Future Councils • ICC • Mission-Led Governing • Place-Based Public Service Reform • Strategic authorities • Strategy and leadership

About the project We supported Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils in developing a new joint corporate plan to guide their priorities and activities over the next eight years. Central […]

26th June, 2025

Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils • Future Councils • Strategy and leadership

About the Project We worked with Westmorland and Furness Council as a strategic partner to help shape a shared vision, strategic approach, and delivery plan for Community Power. As part […]

26th June, 2025

Community Power • Future Councils • Strategy and leadership • Westmorland and Furness Council

Emma Bull, Local Partnerships and Emily Bolton, Cambridgeshire County Council give insight into best practices for embedding climate resilience across council operations

23rd June, 2025

Cambridgeshire County Council • Climate change • Local Partnerships • Net Zero • Strategy and leadership

About the Project New Local partnered with Vale of Glamorgan Public Services Board (PSB) to design and deliver a series of multi-stakeholder workshops focused on improving local services across three […]

20th June, 2025

Community Power • Employment • Health • Strategy and leadership

This session is for senior local government officers to share opportunities, challenges and learning on how to make progress towards developing a more prevention-focused local system. Specifically unpacking the understanding […]

20th June, 2025

Place building • Prevention • Strategy and leadership

This event is part of our ongoing offer to members, supporting local leaders and partners to navigate – and shape – the next chapter of the UK’s devolution story. As […]

19th May, 2025

Devolution • Place building • Strategy and leadership

Laura Billings tells us how TPXimpact developed community power standards with Manchester City Council.

15th May, 2025

Community Power • Manchester City Council • Strategy and leadership • TPXimpact

Alice Black, Sophie Taylor and Sue Sheehan explain how the London Borough of Camden is embracing neighbourhood ways of working.

22nd April, 2025

Community engagement • Community Power • Local government • Strategy and leadership

This event is part of our ongoing offer to members, supporting local leaders and partners to navigate – and shape – the next chapter of the UK’s devolution story. As […]

22nd April, 2025

Community • Devolution and reorganisation • Place building • Strategy and leadership

Join senior officers and strategic leaders affected by Local Government Reorganisation to collectively navigate this period of significant change. We are convening a series of sessions bringing in leading local […]

20th March, 2025

Community • Devolution and reorganisation • Place building • Strategy and leadership

Across policy and practice there is growing energy and momentum around the idea of place-based public service budgets. At its core this approach is about identifying, coordinating and pooling existing […]

20th March, 2025

Place building • Place-based budgets • Strategy and leadership • Total Place

20th March, 2025

Community • Devolution and reorganisation • Place building • Strategy and leadership

Jessica Studdert shares four fundamental shifts that are taking local government leadership into new territory and explains why the changing sector landscape demands a common understanding of leadership.

20th March, 2025

Devolution and reorganisation • Leadership • Local government • Strategy and leadership

In a career spanning councils, digital agencies and central government, TPXimpact’s Ben Unsworth has been at the forefront of reshaping local government. We speak to him about why councils are […]

19th March, 2025

Design Thinking • Digital • Leadership • Local government • Strategy and leadership

3rd March, 2025

Community • Devolution and reorganisation • Place building • Strategy and leadership

This roundtable event will hear the findings from Carnegie’s report and discuss how focusing on collective wellbeing can help to shape better policy decisions. Now in its second year, the […]

17th February, 2025

Democracy • Environment • Inclusive Economy • Strategy and leadership • Wellbeing

What does it take to lead in local government today? What qualities, skills, and mindsets are needed to navigate the choppy waters surrounding public services? And what old models no […]

13th February, 2025

Leadership • Local government • Strategy and leadership

The government needs an overarching strategy for public service reform that dispenses with traditional Whitehall ‘business as usual’ assumptions, writes Jessica Studdert.

13th December, 2024

Central government • Community Power • Local government • Public Services • Strategy and leadership

Rob Thomas, Chief Executive of Vale of Glamorgan Council, tells us about the council’s deepening partnership approach, why there’s no ‘one size fits all’ approach to delivering vital local services, what community power means to the council, and why...

26th November, 2024

Community Power • Local government • Strategy and leadership

New Local has appointed local government and public service reform expert Jessica Studdert as its new Chief Executive

19th November, 2024

Leadership • Strategy and leadership

Adopting a ‘communities in the lead’ approach is gaining traction across local authorities. What this means for different places varies, but the focus of improving the lives of residents and […]

11th November, 2024

Community Power • Strategy and leadership

We put Hal Khanom in our ‘How We Did It’ hot seat to hear how the London Borough of Barnet has developed its equalities strategy, A Fairer Barnet.

17th October, 2024

Community engagement • Community Power • Equality • Local government • Strategy and leadership

Devolution should move beyond technocratic functionality and embed meaningful participation and dialogue in decision-making, says Jessica Studdert.

14th October, 2024

Devolution • Local government • Public Services • Strategy and leadership

About the Project Calderdale Council and the Calderdale Inclusive Economy Board worked with New Local to refresh their inclusive economy strategy. The overarching aim of the strategy is that by […]

25th September, 2024

Community Power • Inclusive Economy • Inclusive Growth • Strategy and leadership

This member-exclusive Innovation Explored explores community-powered methods to put residents at the heart of budgeting decisions and how to shift to more open dialogue about what stretched finances mean for services.

13th September, 2024

Budgeting • Community engagement • Local government • Strategy and leadership

Matthew China, Policy, Insight and Communications Manager at Wealden District Council tells us about Wealden’s ambition to become a community-powered council, how it’s building on strong foundations to take on the challenges of the future, and some of the...

10th September, 2024

Community Power • Local government • Place building • Strategy and leadership

Enfield Council’s Grace Murray shares ten pointers for community-powered leadership.

5th September, 2024

Community Power • Leadership • Public Services • Strategy and leadership

New Local worked with the newly formed Westmorland and Furness Council to develop a vision, strategic approach and delivery plan to put communities at the heart of its operating model.

12th August, 2024

Community engagement • Community Power • Local government • Strategy and leadership

New Local Chair Katie Kelly talks to Shaheen Warren from our practice team ahead of our brand-new Radical Leaders event in September. Expect topics from leadership icons to Damascene moments and finding courage through collaboration.

29th July, 2024

Community Power • Leadership • Local government • Public Services • Strategy and leadership

Kath O'Dwyer has spent the last 40 years making her mark in public service, most lately as the chief executive of St Helens Council. Picking questions at random, she talks life outside work, inspirational quotes, and why she's a...

22nd July, 2024

Community engagement • Leadership • Leadership Lucky Draw • Local government • Northern England • Strategy and leadership

New MPs have arrived for their first day on the job, the Cabinet is in post, and the wheels of government are turning once more. Catriona Maclay puts forward nine lessons that can be learnt from local government.

11th July, 2024

Central government • Community Power • Local government • Politics • Public Services • Strategy and leadership

For many councils, area forums are at the heart of democratic engagement. But despite nobel intentions, some have drifted away from their purpose. How do we reimagine them?

1st July, 2024

Area Forums • Community engagement • Devolution and reorganisation • Practice work • Strategy and leadership

Kathy O'Leary is the Chief Executive of Stroud in Gloucestershire. We dig into Kathy's leadership secrets as she picks questions at random from our lucky draw - from how her upbringing shaped her, to what she most regrets about...

15th May, 2024

Community Power • Leadership • Leadership Lucky Draw • Strategy and leadership

Radical Leaders has now happened! If you are interested in hearing about similar events, please sign up to our mailing list. 19-20 September 2024Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford, London We’ve […]

26th April, 2024

Leadership • Local government • Strategy and leadership

Adam Lent reflects on New Local’s fourth Radical Leadership session with local government leaders.

4th April, 2024

Community engagement • Community Power • Culture • Leadership • Local government • Public Services • Strategy and leadership

This member-exclusive Innovation Explored looks at how corporate teams can practically build a strong focus on communities into day-to-day operations.

4th April, 2024

Community Power • Culture • Local government • Strategy and leadership

This member-exclusive Innovation Explored looks at the kind of leadership skills needed in councils today.

4th April, 2024

Culture • Leadership • Local government • Skills • Strategy and leadership

From giving residents a blank sheet to determine the council’s priorities, to making statutory consultation processes interactive and fun, Test Valley Borough Council is pushing the envelope on community engagement.

20th March, 2024

Community engagement • Community Power • Local government • Public Services • Strategy and leadership

As Depute Chief Executive of Scotland's East Aryshire council, Katie Kelly was a leading part of some of the most radical power sharing done by any UK council. Now as Chair of New Local, she takes a random pick...

14th March, 2024

Community Power • Leadership • Leadership Lucky Draw • Local government • Strategy and leadership

The chief executive of Ealing council takes a chance on our Leadership Lucky Draw, exploring topics from how to get things done, to why Ealing is taking a positive slant on immigration, to how to turn around a negative...

7th March, 2024

Leadership • Leadership Lucky Draw • Local government • Strategy and leadership