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 Life in the UK Index provides a rich evidence...

17th February, 2025


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 longer serve us? We’ve spent the past year exploring...

13th February, 2025


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


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


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

19th November, 2024


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


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

14th October, 2024


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 2029 Calderdale will be an inclusive economy, in which...

25th September, 2024


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


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


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

5th September, 2024


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


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


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


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


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


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


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 noticed a trend. Across local government, the most senior...

26th April, 2024


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

4th April, 2024


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


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

4th April, 2024


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


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


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


This member-exclusive Innovation Explored takes a look at the opportunities emerging from design thinking for local government, and how design-led systems change can improve outcomes locally.

4th March, 2024


Anthony Okereke is the Leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich. He took on New Local's leadership lucky draw.

29th February, 2024


The leader of Manchester City Council takes on our Leadership Lucky Draw, answering questions ranging from dream dinner party guests to how her upbringing shaped her.

22nd February, 2024


Social entrepreneurs Brendan Martin and Cormac Russell share their take on Adam Lent’s recent blog about radical public service leadership developed with key figures in our network.

20th February, 2024


We're living in a permacrisis. How should public service leaders adapt to this landscape? We sat down with some of them to come up with a plan.

7th February, 2024


Our board member, Samira Ben Omar, has dedicated her career to addressing inequalities in health and other spheres. She talks about why the NHS needs to relate differently to communities, her groundbreaking work with health champions and what brought...

9th January, 2024


North Central London Integrated Care Board (ICB) recognised that some communities face barriers to accessing health and care services which plays a significant factor in widening health inequalities. They wanted to listen to those communities, understand their barriers and...

14th December, 2023


New Local is looking for senior officers from across our Network, who are at the cutting edge of Community Power and are working to make it a reality in their area. This intimate and select group is made up of senior...

28th November, 2023


New Local is looking for senior officers from across our Network, who are at the cutting edge of Community Power and are working to make it a reality in their area. This intimate and select group is made up of senior...

28th November, 2023


New Local is looking for senior officers from across our Network, who are at the cutting edge of Community Power and are working to make it a reality in their area. This intimate and select group is made up of senior...

28th November, 2023


New Local is looking for senior officers from across our Network, who are at the cutting edge of Community Power and are working to make it a reality in their area. This intimate and select group is made up of senior...

28th November, 2023


New Local is looking for senior officers from across our Network, who are at the cutting edge of Community Power and are working to make it a reality in their area. This intimate and select group is made up of senior...

23rd November, 2023


We worked with Stockport Council and its partners to inform future neighbourhood working arrangements, particularly in relation to local area working among communities, health and social care teams.

20th October, 2023


Council leaders have set out a roadmap for reforming public services and rebuilding trust under a future Labour government, starting with giving meaningful power and influence to communities. 

26th September, 2023


We worked with Stockport Council, Healthwatch Stockport and the People and Community Voice Sub-Group in Greater Manchester to shape proposals for how people and communities can be put at the core of the new ICS model and Locality Board...

12th September, 2023


The Islington Inequality Taskforce was established to develop recommendations for how Islington Council could address inequality and poverty, taking account of residents’ hopes and aspirations.

16th June, 2023


Places need new types of leaders, ones who increasingly collaborate with staff and communities to tackle today’s biggest challenges. This type of leadership is about starting to shift power to put others in the driving seat.

16th January, 2023


Warwickshire County Council came to New Local with a big ambition: to create a community powered county.

10th November, 2022


Ideas and reflections on the challenges of: Developing a simple narrative that is owned by partners and communities, not just the council, and reflects the diversity of voices and experiences in the place; Making the narrative meaningful in practice and...

19th May, 2022


How can we measure long-term change in an area? Lily O’Flynn shares tools and advice for evaluating place-based change.

16th May, 2022


Places need new types of leadership, people who increasingly collaborate with staff and communities to tackle today’s biggest challenges. This type of leadership is about starting to shift power to put others in the driving seat. Walking alongside communities,...

14th April, 2022


A round-up of some of the most notable take-aways from New Local’s festival of community power.

13th April, 2022


The Relationship Project's David Robinson shares a framework for making relationships essential to public services, not a 'nice to have'.

8th December, 2021


James Arrowsmith of Browne Jacobson shares his insights on how to overcome the fear of risk in your organisation.

15th November, 2021


Ideas and reflections centred around three main challenges: Engaging the whole community on climate change. Telling an external story connecting local and global environmental issues. Ensuring climate change is a priority across the council.

8th November, 2021


Councils share their lessons learned from partnerships with Europe, Miami-Dade County in Florida, and with a charity in Sierra Leone.

22nd July, 2021