Thursday 13th October Agenda
Focus: Your Leadership
Programme subject to change

Solace AGM

Solace members are invited to join the AGM.

Please note this event is for Solace members only. 

Location: Kings Suite

The Story So Far...

Keynote

Becoming an Olympian is no mean feat, and becoming an Olympic medallist is an accolade that very few people achieve once, let alone multiple times.

But being an elite athlete and a world-record holder at such a young age comes with an immense amount of pressure, both professionally and personally. 

Having experienced first-hand the damaging effects of high-pressure situations on the mind, Rebecca is keen to share her journey from the things that inspire and motivate her, to the strategies she’s learned to cope with pressure and build her mental resilience. 

Speaker: Rebecca Adlington OBE, Olympic Gold Medalist in Swimming

Chair: Gavin Jones, Chief Executive, Essex County Council & Solace Chair

Location: Kings Suite

What Makes a Good Leader?

Panel Session

In an ever-changing world, the ways we lead across places, organisations and teams has never been more important. In this session, our panel of experienced leaders will reflect on the changing landscape of leadership and the characteristic and qualities that make a good leader.

Kindly sponsored by TPXimpact

Panellists: 

Dr Catherine Howe, Chief Executive, Adur & Worthing Councils

Kath O’Dwyer, Chief Executive, St. Helens Borough Council & Solace Deputy Policy Lead for Children & Families

Simon Fletcher, Chief Executive, Lichfield District Council

Jen Byrne, Managing Director, TPXimpact

Chair: Matt Prosser, Chief Executive, Dorset Council & Solace Policy Lead for Leadership & Learning

Location: Kings Suite

This session is kindly sponsored by TPXimpact

Exhibition & Refreshments

Inclusive Leadership

Keynote

In our second keynote of the day Ebony Rainford-Brent MBE will be sharing her insight into inclusive leadership from a team perspective.

Speaker: Ebony Rainford-Brent MBE, World Cup Winning Cricketer, Broadcaster, Motivational Speaker and Performance Coach

Chair: Ian Bancroft, Chief Executive, Wrexham County Borough Council & Solace Wales Chair

Location: Kings Suite

Exhibition & Lunch

For those with special dietary requirements or allergies who may wish to know about the ingredients used, please ask a member of the team. All food is prepared in an area where allergens are present.

Developing Leadership Throughout your Organisation

Panel Session

The sector is facing a workforce capacity and capability crisis. This session will explore how councils can address this while also seeking to create more diverse workforces that better represent the communities they serve.

Speakers:

Joanne Roney OBE, Chief Executive, Manchester City Council & Solace President

Mark Rogers, Chief Executive, Leadership Centre

Kersten England CBE, Chief Executive, City of Bradford Metropolitan Council & Solace Policy Lead for Civil Resilience & Community Safety 

Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive, Local Government Association (LGA)

Chair: Heather Jameson, Editor, The MJ

Location: Kings Suite

Exhibition & Refreshments

How can you go green, without going into the red? Building a local, green economy in a challenging economic environment

Breakout option, brought to you by EY

Delegates will:

• Understand different approaches and case studies on how to make green affordable, in a tough economic environment

• How they can use the shift to a green economy to drive growth and improved resident outcomes

• That sustainability can make good business sense and be economically viable

• The role of local authorities in the transition to a green economy, the opportunity and the risks

Speakers:

Josh Dunn, Senior Manager, EY

Alex Hitchcock, Assistant Director, EY

Location: Wellington Suite

How to support and accelerate the transition to EVs, and the role of Local Authorities

Breakout option, brought to you by Liberty Charge

Our discussions will recap on the need for local EV charging, and some of the challenges around meeting this demand, before swiftly moving on to talk about developing strategies and infrastructure solutions, both in terms of differing EV charging technologies, and the delivery and funding models available.

Firstly, we will discuss the need to take a strategic approach, and what goes into making a good EV charging strategy.

We will then focus in particular on some of the key barriers to people making the switch to EVs is the public charging infrastructure, particularly for those without access to off-street parking.

Speaker: Matt Croucher, EV Services Director, Liberty Charge

Location: Churchill Suite

Building Community Trust through Data-Driven Community Engagement

Breakout option, brought to you by Zencity

Trust is a tricky thing: hard to build, easy to break, especially when it comes to local government. Chief Executives have the responsibility to ensure that their community’s trust is maintained in order to continue to operate and serve their residents. To do so, engaging the community is key. Well, if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. How do you, therefore, measure trust? What actions and initiatives can help build or break it? How should you communicate with your residents to ensure a long-term solid relationship? How does technology tie into all this? How can we engage them and solicit feedback in other innovative means and methods?

Speaker: Lee R. Feldman, Senior Advisor for Local Government Strategy, Zencity

Location: Gladstone Suite

Council Asset Ownership – The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

Breakout option brought to you by Avison Young

With no sign of an easing on budgetary pressure and strong economic headwinds there is a need now more so than ever to ensure that existing asset bases are working hard for the Council’s and communities they serve.

For those Councils that have invested in assets to support revenue generation what does the future hold and how do you maximise value? For those with town centre retail and regeneration assets such as shopping centres what options are there for future development.

Avison Young provide a blend of public sector finance experts and property professionals who are uniquely placed to support public sector clients navigate these difficult times. We work with Councils across the country to ensure that they have a sustainable and fit for purpose asset base which meets both existing and future needs.

Speakers:

James Dair, Head of Public Sector Financial Advisory, Avison Young.

Kim Grieveson, Principal - Planning, Development, Residential, Avison Young

Christian Rogers, Head of Commercial, Sefton Council

Julian Wain, Interim Commercial Director, London Borough of Harrow

Location: Lancaster Suite

Leading through Crisis

Breakout option, brought to youu by TPXimpact

Join TPXimpact for this interactive session and be part of the live recording of   their podcast, The Local Authority, created in partnership with Local   Government Chronicle. This episode will look at the challenges we face with   the cost of living crisis, what we can learn from previous experiences and   how we can continue to adapt as we face continuing change.

Chair: Thomas Kohut, Principal Consultant, TPXimpact

Speakers:

Joanne Roney OBE, Chief Executive at Manchester City Council & Solace President

Paul Frainer, Partner, TPXimpact

Sarah Calkin, Editor, Local Government Chronicle

Deven Ghelani, CEO, Policy in Practice

Location: York Suite

End of day 2

Summit Presidential Drinks Reception

This evening's drinks are kindly sponsored by Virgin Media O2.

Speaker: Barbara Nash, Programme Director – Build Process Optimisation, Virgin Media O2

Location: Kings Suite

Summit Charity Dinner

This year's Summit Charity Dinner is in aid of Mustard Tree (find out more here: https://mustardtree.org.uk/) as chosen by Solace President and Chief Executive of Manchester City Council, Joanne Roney OBE. Contributions will be gratefully received. 

Dinner will be served at your table alongside a selection of beverages, and there will be a live music performance post-dinner. 

Formal dress is encouraged.

Speaker: Rachel Lenton, Sales Director, Liberty Charge

For those with special dietary requirements or allergies who may wish to know about the ingredients used, please ask a member of the team. All food is prepared in an area where allergens are present.

The Charity Dinner is kindly sponsored by Liberty Charge.

Location: Kings Suite