The day’s agenda will cover:
- The Devolution Revolution
A discussion by leading Local Authority figures around what is needed to achieve regional growth. - Sourcing the Stack
The vision for local government technology is a shared, strategic foundation that will enable councils to operate to coherent national standards while retaining local autonomy. In this session Phil will discuss progress on co-creating the vision, and the next steps in the pipeline. - Change, Transformation & Customer Experience
This presentation will explore the journey Caerphilly has embarked on to modernise services, make financial savings and improve Customer Experience. - The One Habit Advantage
What if one small habit could increase performance by 15%? - Reorganisation to Reinvention: Embedding Digital and AI into the Future of Local Government
As local government reorganisation accelerates across the UK, councils face a once-in-a-generation opportunity—not just to restructure, but to fundamentally rethink how services are delivered.
This session explores how digital transformation and AI can move from isolated innovation to core infrastructure in newly formed authorities. With many councils still grappling with legacy systems, fragmented data, and budget constraints, the challenge is no longer whether to adopt AI—but how to do so meaningfully, ethically, and at scale.
This is a candid look at how councils can avoid “lifting and shifting” old problems into new structures—and instead use reorganisation as a catalyst for true transformation. - Transformation and LGR: Opportunities and Challenges
- Building a Financially Sustainable Authority
From Local Government Reorganisation to Transformation: Managing Workforce Risk Through Change
Local authorities are navigating one of the most significant periods of change in decades. Financial pressures, workforce challenges, and structural reform are creating a complex environment for leaders tasked with delivering transformation at pace. Councils must make critical workforce decisions while maintaining service continuity, managing risk, and preparing for future demands.
Drawing on lessons from councils undergoing transformation – as part of Local Government Reorganisation and more broadly to balance budgets and align services – this session explores how local authorities can create a trusted view of their workforce, support compliant people transitions, align structures and services, and identify future capability needs. Attendees will gain practical insights into reducing workforce risk and building resilient organisations through change. - Accelerating Digital Transformation
- Strategic Budget Planning
- Estate Rationalisation and Asset Management
- Long-Term Business and Service Planning
- Modernising Public Services Delivery
- Data-Driven Decision Making
- Evaluating and Enhancing Commercial Strategy
- Effective Project and Programme Management
- Workforce Planning: Skills, Gaps, and Organisational Restructuring
Agenda may be subject to change and will be updated regularly
speakers & panel members
Kat Thorne
Conference Chair
‘The Morning Gamechanger’
#1 Positive Habits, TEDx Speaker
Kat Thorne is an international keynote speaker & positive habits expert helping organisations unlock higher performance through one small, practical habit change. Her work shows that habits are not personal – they are a strategic advantage in human performance, improving focus, energy and productivity. She equips teams with simple tools to drive measurable results at work and home.
Julia Brennan
Director of Local Government, Housing and Communities, Transform UK
Julia brings deep expertise and lived experience of the local government landscape, having worked closely with councils across the UK to shape and deliver innovative transformation. She leads with fresh perspective, proven methodologies, and a practical understanding of the challenges facing both local and central government.
A Chartered Management Consultant, Julia blends specialist knowledge in local government, housing, and the wider public sector with agility and cross-disciplinary creativity. She has led complex, multi-disciplinary transformation programmes that drive meaningful change and deliver lasting impact.
Julia stays close to what’s happening across the sector and the wider industry, ensuring her work is informed by the latest thinking, trends, and opportunities. She partners with clients to co-create solutions to their most pressing challenges, always focused on sustainable growth, building resilience, and developing trusted, long-term relationships.
Approachable and pragmatic, she draws on her own experience of being in her clients’ shoes—bringing empathy, authenticity, and a solutions-focused mindset to every challenge she takes on.
Sarah-Joy Lewis
Director, Local Partnerships
Sarah‑Joy Lewis is Head of LGR & Transformation at Local Partnerships. She leads complex public sector change across local and national government, with expertise in transformation delivery, commercial capacity building, climate strategy and energy. She also has a strong background in local authority commercialisation and social housing leadership.
Akash Paun
Programme Director - Devolution, Institute for Government
Akash is Programme Director for Devolution at the Institute for Government in London. He leads work on the state of devolution in all parts of the United Kingdom, and has a particular focus on the powers, performance and policy choices of mayoral strategic authorities in England. Akash has previously worked at the UCL Constitution Unit, the British Academy, the London School of Economics, and as an expert adviser to the Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales.
Phil Rumens
Principal Technologist, Government Digital Service - Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT)
Phil is Principal Technologist for GDS Local, part of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, having previously spent over 20 years leading digital teams in local government. He is leading national work on a vision for local government technology, to bring clarity, coherence and practical direction for cross sector change.
Mike Smith
Public Sector Director, Orgvue
Mike leads engagement with UK public sector organisations, helping them understand how Orgvue can support their workforce transformation and organisational change needs. He works with senior leaders to explore how building internal capabilities in organisational insight, organisation design, workforce planning, transition planning, and benefits tracking can align their workforce with strategic goals. Mike currently supports over 20 public sector organisations to better understand their workforce establishments and the work being done across their organisations. This includes tackling challenges such as organisational restructuring, spending control, improving service outcomes, optimising talent and workforce skills, and managing complex changes like mergers and the creation of new entities.
Miles Thomas
Head of Project Management Office, Caerphilly CBC
Miles Thomas is Head of the Portfolio Management Office at CCBC, leading change and transformation across the authority. A specialist in Customer Experience, he is committed to shaping services around real community needs—driving culture change, modernising delivery, and ensuring transformation programmes translate into meaningful, practical outcomes for residents.
LGA speakers
Speakers from Local Government Association - details to follow
Local Authority speakers
Leading Local Authority figures - speaker details to follow
event timetable
08:30 Registration & networking breakfast – continental breakfast provided
09:30 Plenary
10:55 Refreshment break
11:25 Session title TBC
11:55 Reorganisation to Reinvention: Embedding Digital and AI into the Future of Local Government
12:25 Session title TBC
12:55 Lunch break
13:45 Session title TBC
14:15 Session title TBC
14:45 Refreshment break
15:10 Session title TBC
15:40 Session title TBC
16:10 Chair’s closing remarks
16:20 Conference Close
Please note agenda will be updated regularly, speakers, subject matter and timings may be subject to change
SPONSORS, EXHIBITORS & SPEAKERS FROM
VENUE & TRAVEL
This event takes place at
One Great George Street
Westminster
London
SW1P 3AA
One Great George Street is close to a number of underground and overground stations, and is just a stone’s throw away from the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace and St James’s Park.
Venue website: Click to visit
CONTACT US
Delegate enquiries (including bookings)
Conference Management Team
0161 482 7853
conferencemanagement@publicsectorconnect.org
Exhibition & sponsorship enquiries
Gary Pollard – Head of Business Development
0161 482 7856
gpollard@publicsectorconnect.org
Conference logistics, presentation & print enquiries
Georgia Richardson – Head of Conference Management
0161 482 7853
grichardson@publicsectorconnect.org
Accounts
0161 482 7853
accounts@publicsectorconnect.org
Address
Public Sector Connect Ltd
Lockside Mill
St Martins Road
Marple
Stockport
SK6 7BZ
(Please note this is the event organiser’s business address – NOT the venue for the event)
The organisers of this event (Public Sector Connect Ltd) do not, under any circumstances, make attendee data available to third parties for resale. Should you receive an email offering data purporting to be from Public Sector Connect Ltd – or any event organised by Public Sector Connect – please delete the message, block the sender, and do not respond or interact in any way.