Sophie HoskingStrategic Director - Neighbourhoods < Speakers < Previous Next > Sophie Hosking Strategic Director - Neighbourhoods Cornwall Council Sophie is the Strategic Director for Neighbourhoods at Cornwall Council, with oversight of the Council’s community and regulatory services and the Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service. The directorate covers a diverse range of services from leisure, culture, libraries, community safety, devolution and localism, registration, bereavement, housing options and emergency management. The business regulatory services include enforcement, development management and waste collection. Sophie was formerly Chief Executive of South Hams District Council & West Devon Borough Council. She has also been… Show More

Nitesh PankhaniaHead of Building Control < Speakers < Previous Next > Nitesh Pankhania Head of Building Control London Borough of Lambeth Nitesh started his career at Slough Building Control in 1996 as Assistant Surveyor after completing his Civil Engineering Degree. Whilst at Slough Nitesh completed his professional qualifications. In 1998 Nitesh joined Hounslow Building Control as Senior Surveyor working on medium to large residential and commercial buildings and completing a degree in Fire Engineering. In 2003 – 2004 the Fire Risk Consultant job with Babtie Ltd involved fire safety in a complex building e.g. nuclear power stations and MOD facilities in… Show More

Simon FairbrotherLocal Governance Excellence Director < Speakers < Previous Next > Simon Fairbrother Local Governance Excellence Director ALULa, Saudia Arabia Simon Farbrother has over 25 years of senior leadership experience in municipal Government. He has led the Cities of Edmonton, Waterloo and Spruce Grove through major transformations within the community and organization. He also has private sector experience in the UK. He is currently the Director of City Management for the Royal Commission of Alula, Saudi Arabia helping to transform a UNESCO world heritage site into and International tourist destination. As a City Manager Simon has led significant organizational and… Show More

Rebecca PurnellAssistant Chief Executive < Speakers < Previous Next > Rebecca Purnell Assistant Chief Executive West Northamptonshire Council Rebecca is the Assistant Chief Executive for the new West Northamptonshire Council which launched on 1 April 2021 replacing Northampton, South Northamptonshire, Daventry and Northamptonshire Councils. Rebecca is a Non-Executive Director for Northamptonshire Children’s Trust which delivers Early Help and Social Care to children, young people, and their families.  Rebecca is a Non-Executive Director for Northamptonshire Partnership Homes, an arms-length management organisation that manages West Northamptonshire Council’s housing services.  Rebecca was part of the Springboard 2019 cohort and… Show More

Graeme HunterPartner People Services < Speakers < Previous Next > Graeme Hunter Partner People Services EY Graeme leads our People Consulting business for Local and Devolved Government, and is passionate about putting people at the heart of local government services and empowering them with fantastic leadership and learning. He started his career in local government, where we worked across corporate services, social care, culture and regulatory services, before moving into consulting. He has over 20 years experience leading and delivering complex transformation programmes in local government, policing, housing and the Civil Service. His projects improve the… Show More

Simon AllsopManaging Consultant < Speakers < Previous Next > Simon Allsop Managing Consultant CIPFA Simon Allsop is a CIPFA qualified accountant and a Managing Consultant with CIPFA. He was previously the joint Director of Finance (Section 151 Officer) for both Derbyshire Police and Fire. He has 30 years of experience working with and in a range of public-sector bodies mainly local government, fire and police. He has extensive experience of audit and advisory work as a former senior manager in KPMG’s public sector audit and advisory team working with the NAO and Audit Commission,… Show More

Rouma HyeMarketing Manager < Speakers < Previous Next > Rouma Hye Marketing Manager CIPFA

Gavin JonesChief Executive < Speakers < Previous Next > Gavin Jones Chief Executive Essex County Council & Solace Chair Gavin has been a local authority CEO for over 12 years, initially at Swindon and latterly at Essex County Council. The first half of Gavin’s career was in a variety of private organisations and market sectors. In 2004 he left SITA International (Airline telecommunications company) serving as Vice President Marketing and Customer Services, to join Swindon Borough Council, his home town. Gavin was listed as one of the top 50 New Radicals in the Sunday Observer’s national campaign for Britain’s… Show More

< All sponsors Commonplace Stand 18 www.commonplace.is 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.

Anna Rose Director and Chair of Public Practice (and Head of the Planning Advisory Service) < Speakers < Previous Next > Anna Rose Director and Chair of Public Practice (and Head of the Planning Advisory Service) Local Government Association and Public Practice Anna is currently the Head of the Planning Advisory Service, delivering improvement in planning services across the country. Anna started her planning career advising NFU members on planning, transport and environmental law before moving to Rugby Borough Council and becoming their Head of Planning and Culture at Rugby. In 2014 she became Milton Keynes Council’s Director of Growth, Economy and Culture. Anna is a past President of the Planning Officers Society; a trustee of the TCPA and sits as the… Show More

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 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