Lynn Overmann Executive Director < Speakers < Previous Next > Lynn Overmann Executive Director The Beeck Center at Georgetown University Lynn Overmann is the Executive Director at the Beeck Center at Georgetown University. She previously served as a Senior Advisor for Delivery with the U.S. Digital Service, embedded in the Domestic Policy Council to advise Ambassador Susan Rice on priority policy implementation. In this role, Lynn oversaw teams of digital service experts across diverse projects, including targeted efforts to make the asylum system more effective and humane, increasing access to federal funding for low-capacity communities, and improving the delivery of… Show More

Samantha SmithDirector of Institute and past President < Speakers < Previous Next > Samantha Smith Director of Institute and past President Socitm Sam is a former President of Socitm and now the Director of the Socitm Institute. In that role she leads the delivery of services including policy, research, data, learning & development, and benchmarking. Before joining Socitm Sam spent 27 years in local government IT & Digital Services culminating in Service Director for a shared IT service working across two Councils in the East of England. Managing shared services of different types and sizes has been a feature of her… Show More

All Speakers Helen Bailey Chief Executive, London Borough of Sutton Helen Bailey is the Chief Executive of the London Borough of Sutton. She has previously served as Chief Executive of the London Borough of Islington and on an interim basis at North Somerset. She was director of Public Services at HM Treasury overseeing spending on health, housing, education, local government and devolved administration and public service reform between 2008 and 2011. Helen also has experience leading the Mayor's office for Policing and Crime. She has been a management consultant working on public service leadership and organisation issues in a career that started with the Greater London Councils. Friday 17 October 20225 11:10–12:00 Leading Through A Crisis Main Stage, New Dock Hall Go to session

Day One Day Two Previous Next Thursday 16 October 2025 Pearl Suite, Royal Armouries 15:45–16:25 Workshop Public Collaborations: What are they for? Who does all the work? How long do they last? And who really benefits? Speaker/s Ed Whiting OBE, Chief Executive, Leeds City Council Kersten England CBE, Chair, The Young Foundation; Director of Engagement, Bradford 2025 Dr Peter O’Brien, Executive Director, Yorkshire Universities Sarah Norman, Chief Executive, Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, and Chair of the Yorkshire and Humber Councils’ Chief Executives’ Group Yorkshire Universities (YU) with its strategic partners, Yorkshire and Humber Councils (YHC), and the HYPERLINK Yorkshire and Humber Policy Engagement and Research Network (Y-PERN), will share their experiences of collaboration between Higher Education Institutions (HEI) and local and mayoral combined authorities (MCAs) to drill down on what and how these relations really add value for people, places, business, and to what end. Public authority leaders are currently faced with a myriad of complex problems and finite resources. Long-term institutional structures are being reconfigured, and unprecedented global and geopolitical forces are shaping and remaking government policy agendas. Navigating these norms requires a renewed commitment to work in tandem with people, communities and places to overcome specific challenges and to realise the benefits of new and emergent opportunities. Four years after the launch of the pioneering Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between YU and YHC, there is a renewed commitment to work in partnership, and to help champion a collective voice for Yorkshire. Local government is no stranger to navigating acute financial pressures, and the region’s universities now face similar resource constraints. However, it would be a false economy to retreat into sector isolationism at a time when civic partnerships are needed more than ever, despite collaboration being labour intensive and demanding. The first phase of collaboration between YU and YHC (2021 – 2025) has yielded substantial results: £10 million of national funding awarded by UK Research & Innovation has seen Y-PERN and the Yorkshire and Humber Policy Innovation Partnership (YPIP) deepening research partnerships across HEIs, MCAs, local authorities, communities, and the NHS, to activate collective knowledge and understanding. Nationally, the MoU is seen as an exemplar of good practice and it is playing a pivotal role in helping to utilise a further £20 million of investment from the National Institute for Health Research to tackle widening health inequalities in local places, as well as providing underpinning infrastructure support for the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission . However, behind the scenes, significant effort is required to bring such programmes and networks to fruition and for them to be successful and sustainable. And what about the ideas and initiatives that get away? Or the collaborations that do not take root, result in wasted time and effort, or should prosper but somehow do not? Join us to discuss: Real-life case studies of what has/has not worked and why. Insightful discussion on the benefits and resources needed for impactful collaboration. Place-based examples across a broad and diverse geographical region, with local places at differing stages of devolution, but working on common priorities. Delviered by

All Speakers Sarah Norman Chief Executive, Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, and Chair of the Yorkshire and Humber Councils’ Chief Executives’ Group Chief Executive of Barnsley Council since 2019 and previously Chief Executive of Dudley Council between 2015 and 2019. I am also the Chair of the Yorkshire and Humber Chief Executive’s Group, who support the Yorkshire Leaders Board to meet their priorities, explore policy issues and work collaboratively to address challenges faced by our councils and share good practice amongst our places. This includes working closely with our key partners and stakeholders, such as Yorkshire Universities. Before that my background was in Adults and Children’s services and I was previously both the DASS and the DCS at the City of Wolverhampton. I have also spent periods of time in central government agencies and the voluntary sector and did two terms as an elected member in Liverpool in the 1990s. Passionate about making a difference in our places I was delighted to see Barnsley receive the “double” win and crowned Council of the Year at both the LGC and MJ Awards in 2023 to reflect in particular our success at transforming our town centre to make Barnsley the Place of Possibilities. Thursday 16 October 2025 15:45–16:25 Public Collaborations: What are they for? Who does all the work? How long do they last? And who really benefits? Pearl Suite, Royal Armouries Go to session

All Speakers John O'Halloran Director of Consultancy, CIPFA John is a highly experienced business manager and management consultant with over 30 years’ experience in both the private and public sectors, now leading CIPFA’s consultancy service. Recently John has helped shape and drive a major cost reduction UK wide programme for police sector, Achieving Finance Excellence in Policing. John has also worked for large civil service departments and every type of local authority in the UK. Thursday 16 October 2025 15:45–16:25 Local Government Reorganisation: Practical Advice and Support Aire Suite, Royal Armouries Go to session

All Speakers Eleanor Kelly Former Chief Executive Thursday 16 October 2025 15:00–15:40 Life Safety First: Turning Risk into Assurance Hall B, Royal Armouries Go to session

All Speakers Kirsty Wark Speaker, award-winning journalist and presenter Kirsty Wark is one of the UK’s trailblazing female news journalists. She presented BBC’s Newsnight for 30 years, stepping down after the 2024 General Election. Her long career on Newsnight has seen her holding politicians and public figures to account with her formidable interviewing skills. She made her reputation as a journalist and producer on BBC Scotland, memorably reporting from the scene of the Lockerbie bombing, before joining BBC 2’s arts strand The Late Show as a presenter, moving on to Newsnight in 1993. Kirsty continued to span both arts and news/current affairs, hosting The Review Show for over a decade, as well as a range of BBC Arts series and documentaries. Over the years she has had memorable encounters with everyone from Margaret Thatcher to Madonna, Harold Pinter to Pete Doherty, Damian Hirst to George Clooney and the likes of Toni Morrison, Donna Tartt and Philip Roth. Kirsty hosts Radio 4’s long-running flagship series The Reunion, and regularly presents of Start the Week. She continues to present arts programmes on TV and Radio, cultural history series such as The Women Who Changed Modern Scotland and Panorama specials. Kirsty has won several major awards for her work including BAFTA Awards for Outstanding Contribution to Broadcasting, Journalist of the Year and Best Television Presenter. In 2024 she was honoured with a lifetime achievement award at the RTS Journalism Awards. Thursday 16 October 2025 11:35–12:15 Equity and Purpose – Progress, Possibility and the Path Ahead Main Stage, New Dock Hall Go to session Thursday 16 October 2025 12:15–13:15 International Perspective Main Stage, New Dock Hall Go to session

All Speakers Craig Barker Senior Manager, Digital and Customer Experience, Cumberland Council A local government digital leader and advocate for user centred service design and collaborative working. Cumbria Local Government Reorganisation  workstream lead for Website, Customer Contact Centres and Digital Service delivery. Craig is now responsible for leading and supporting Cumberland Council to meet the digital expectations of all users by utilising processes, cultures, AI and all technology of the Internet era. Thursday 16 October 2025 15:00–15:40 Navigating Local Government Reform: Lessons from the Digital Frontline of Devolution Pearl Suite, Royal Armouries Go to session

Day One Day Two Previous Next Thursday 16 October 2025 Aire Suite, Royal Armouries 15:45–16:25 Roundtable Local Government Reorganisation: Practical Advice and Support Speaker/s Simon Allsop B.Com, CPFA, Managing Consultant, CIPFA John O’Halloran, Director of Consultancy, CIPFA Let’s be honest: Local Government Reorganisation isn’t easy. But done right, it can lead to stronger, more sustainable services for your communities. In this session, CIPFA will offer practical tools and guidance to help you navigate the financial side of reorganisation. You’ll get a first look at the new CIPFA financial template – developed to bring consistency, clarity, and confidence to your proposals. Whether you’re deep in the middle of structural change or just starting to scope the options, this session will show you how to make your financial case clearly and credibly. You’ll hear how the framework, co-designed with F3 Consultancy, supports transparency, helps uncover hidden costs and savings, and provides the evidence base central government wants to see. This session is for you if you want to drive local government reform that’s not just politically viable, but financially sound too. Takeaways Understand how CIPFA’s new financial template can support your reorganisation business case Learn how to present cost/saving data in a way that builds confidence with stakeholders and government Explore real-world examples of how councils are approaching financial planning through reform Take home practical guidance you can apply immediately in your own local context Delivered by

All Speakers Tom Stannard Chief Executive, Manchester City Council Tom Stannard is the Chief Executive of Manchester City Council, one of the largest Core Cities in the UK and a highly performing organisation of almost 7,000 staff. Manchester is a fast growing and diverse city of over 600,000 people, with a proud history of successfully competing on the global stage to attract investment, jobs and visitors. Tom works closely with Cllr Bev Craig as Leader of the Council, focussed on maximising these strengths and ensuring that growth generates benefits for the whole city, providing excellent day-to-day services and improving the lives of Manchester’s residents. Manchester is the major driver of regional growth across the 3M population, £87bn GDP Greater Manchester city region. The City Council is a key member of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and partner in the £8BN+ GMCA devolution programme, and Tom is currently the GMCA Chief Executive lead for the economy, business and international portfolio. He also leads Manchester’s integrated health and social care system as the designated Place-Based Lead for Manchester in the Greater Manchester Integrated Care System (ICS), with NHS Greater Manchester. Tom joined Manchester City Council following more than 27 years of experience in local government across the UK, including in Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and London. Most recently he spent four years as the Chief Executive of Salford City Council, leading the Council to some of the highest levels of performance in the North West, and recognition in 2024 as City of the Year and the LGC’s Best Place to Work. He is nationally recognised as a leading voice in local government, and has a track record of delivery in regeneration, inclusive growth, public service reform and improving council services. Tom is a Chartered Surveyor, a Member and Chair of the UK Institute of Economic Development, and a Commissioner on the Living Wage Foundation for the UK. For a number of years, he has been a member, policy lead and spokesperson for Solace, currently on Health and Social Care Thursday 16 October 2025 14:15–14:55 Local Power, National Plan: Delivering the 10-Year Health Strategy Bury Theatre, Royal Armouries Go to session Thursday 16 October 2025 15:45–16:25 Delivering Together: How Local Authorities and Strategic Authorities Are Jointly Driving Place-Based Transformational Growth Hall B, Royal Armouries Go to session Friday 17 October 20225 11:10–12:00 Leading Through A Crisis Main Stage, New Dock Hall Go to session

Dominic CollinsCorporate Director Growth & NEEB Lead < Speakers < Previous Next > Dominic Collins Corporate Director Growth & NEEB Lead Braintree District Council Dominic has spent over 20 years working in the public sector in roles across national and local government. Having begun his career in Whitehall, Dominic spent 15 years at Essex County Council working in various roles, including in the authority’s cabinet office, communications team and supporting the bid and delivery of the London 2012 Games. Dominic’s main focus at the council was supporting economic growth, skills development and housing delivery across the county, with his last role as Director responsible… Show More