Frances McBrideGroup Manager in Children and Families Legal Team < Speakers < Previous Next > Frances McBride Group Manager in Children and Families Legal Team Manchester City Council Frances McBride qualified as a solicitor in 2010 and began her career in litigation and housing law with a sharp focus on high-profile litigation including inquests, serious case reviews and public inquiries. Frances has led on visionary innovative projects throughout her career including the first LGBTQ+ Extra Care Housing in the UK and redesign of the Council’s Fostering Service. Frances is the Group Manager in the Children and Families Legal Team at Manchester City Council representing the group as a… Show More

Angela SharmaPrincipal In-House Counsel & Deputy Monitoring Officer Law Society Planning & Environment Committee < Speakers < Previous Next > Angela Sharma Principal In-House Counsel & Deputy Monitoring Officer Law Society Planning & Environment Committee Hounslow Borough Council Angela's professional journey as a planning solicitor has equipped her with the skills to advise senior management and council members effectively. Her astute commercial awareness and dedication to client care uniquely position her to support local authorities in navigating the current economic and social challenges. Creating reliable and collaborative relationships with Members, officers, and stakeholders for our communities, Angela Sharma combines her legal acumen, business experience, and community-focused approach to help local authorities and businesses thrive. Both in and… Show More

All Speakers Marcus Richards Partner in EY-Parthenon’s Infrastructure Advisory Practice, EY Marcus is a Partner in EY-Parthenon’s Infrastructure Advisory practice, where he leads the firm’s corporate finance work with local and regional government. He specialises in helping councils and combined authorities strengthen financial resilience and unlock investment to deliver major regeneration and infrastructure programmes. Marcus has advised on some of the UK’s most complex local government finance and place transformation challenges — from New Towns to Freeports — bringing together deep technical expertise with strategic insight from his PhD research into local government financial resilience. Thursday 16 October 2025 15:00–15:40 Investing in Place to Build Financial Resilience Aire Suite, Royal Armouries Go to session

David BurnsDavid Burns < Speakers < Previous Next > David Burns David Burns Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council & Solace Northern Ireland Chair David Burns has been the Chief Executive of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council since November 2018, making the move across from Scotland with his wife and 2 children. David worked for Councils and Housing Associations in the West of Scotland for close on 25 years, with a particular focus on Council housing, housing management, community planning & engagement, capital projects and regeneration initiatives. In his spare time, David is an assistant referee with the Irish Football Association, operating at Championship… Show More

Day One Day Two Previous Next Thursday 16 October 2025 Barton Suite, Royal Armouries 15:45-16:25 Roundtable The Silent Stakeholder: Why Residents Deserve a Seat at the LGR Table Speaker/s Asim Ali, VP of UK Sales, Granicus Jonathan Bradley, Senior Experience Partner, Granicus As Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) continues to reshape the public sector landscape, many conversations understandably focus on governance, efficiency, and cost-saving. But what about the people these changes are ultimately meant to serve? This roundtable explores LGR through a different lens—that of the resident. While councils are working hard to manage complex transitions, there remains a widespread challenge: many residents are unclear about what LGR means, how it affects them, or even who their new council will be. This isn’t a failure of intent—it’s a call to strengthen communication and engagement strategies. As councils grow in size and scope, the need to segment audiences and deliver timely, relevant, and accessible information becomes more critical than ever. In this session, we’ll explore: Why resident understanding and engagement must be central to any successful LGR strategy. How to ensure residents feel informed, included, and supported throughout the LGR process. The role of digital engagement and human-centred design in building trust and clarity. Practical strategies for delivering the right message to the right people at the right time. How councils can balance internal transformation with external transparency. Join us for a thought-provoking discussion on how to make LGR not just a structural success—but a human one. Together, we’ll explore how councils can continue to lead with empathy, clarity, and purpose. Delivered by

Salena MulhereDeputy Chief Executive < Speakers < Previous Next > Salena Mulhere Deputy Chief Executive Test Valley Council Salena has worked in local government for over 20 years, starting her career as a temporary admin assistant before moving quickly into front line customer services where she developed a real passion for the difference local government could make to individuals and communities if it listened to, and worked in partnership with, local residents and local organisations across a range of sectors. In 2020 she was appointed Assistant Chief Executive of the London Borough of Lewisham with a wide strategic… Show More

Stand TBC < Back Commonplace www.commonplace.is Stand 18 Commonplace, now powered by Zencity, is a global leader in community insights and engagement. We work with 400+ local authorities across UK, Canada and US to build an ‘always-on’ understanding of community sentiment and experience. Our platform has proven that maximising audience reach, collaborating through multiple channels to create a clear understanding of community needs and closing the loop to take action are critical trust builders for place-makers.

Business Partners Alliance Leisure Stand 25 CityFibre Stand 3 Civica Commonplace Stand 18 Crown Commercial Service Fujitsu Hill Norse Group Oracle PSTAX Robertson Group Salesforce Snowflake Workday Zest Zurich Municipal

Julia BrennanManaging Consultant < Speakers < Previous Next > Julia Brennan Managing Consultant Cadence Innova Julia is a Managing Consultant and Local Government Lead at Cadence Innova, with extensive experience in private sector licensing from application to transitioning to new service. She has led and developed projects across Local and Central Government, Communities, Licensing and Housing, and also brings over 10 years of experience in bilingual negotiation, project management, sales, product localisation and staff management. Julia collaborates with government, the public sector and industry to bring about positive transformational change with the purpose to inspire… Show More

Kevin Sinfield CBEFormer Leeds Rhinos and England Rugby League Captain < Speakers < Previous Next > Kevin Sinfield CBE Former Leeds Rhinos and England Rugby League Captain Former captain of the Rhinos, Kevin Sinfield became the leading points scorer in the club’s history in 2012, leading the team to seven Championships. In 2004 he led the side to their first Grand Final victory and the first league title in 32 years. In 2005, he then lifted the World title. He was also recognised for his achievements by becoming the fourth Englishman ever to win the prestigious Rugby League Golden Boot. Fittingly in his 521st and final game for… Show More

All Speakers Robin Tuddenham President of Solace and Chief Executive, Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council Robin has been Chief Executive at Calderdale Council, in West Yorkshire, since June 2017, previously the Accountable Officer for NHS Calderdale Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) since October 2020 and is Calderdale's Place Lead for West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board . He is responsible for leading both the Council's and Calderdale place's workforce, supporting system leadership across the area with public, private and voluntary sector leaders in support of Calderdale Vision 2024 and overseeing a £600m capital programme across the borough's market towns. Robin is Place Lead for Calderdale for West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board and is joint SRO of the Improving Population Health Programme. He was elected lead spokesperson for Solace for Economic Prosperity in October 2020; having been deputy lead for Health and Social Care for the previous two years. Robin was previously Director of Communities and Business Change for Calderdale, leading the redevelopment of the multi-award-winning restoration of the Piece Hall and new Central Library in Halifax and prior to that worked in local government and the Probation Service in East London. Robin is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, an honorary life member of the Faculty of Public Health and a Trustee of the Lankelly Chase Foundation . Thursday 16 October 2025 11:15–11:25 Presidents Opening Speech Main Stage, New Dock Hall Go to session Friday 17 October 20225 12:50–13:00 President's Closing Speech Main Stage, New Dock Hall Go to session

Margherita SicaProduct Manager < Speakers < Previous Next > Margherita Sica Product Manager Agilisys Margherita is a Product Manager at Agilisys Transform, responsible for the EHCP Plus solution. Over the past year, Margherita has focused on developing GenAI products specifically in the social care and education space, working closely with frontline workers to build solutions that reduce the administrative burden allowing teams to focus on higher value-add tasks. Margherita is also part of the Portfolio Transformation team at Blenheim Chalcot, the UK's leading digital venture builder, supporting transformation projects for BC and its businesses, with a… Show More