Blog: 27 May 2022

What a glorious morning in Durham for the LLG Spring Conference 2022 and how nice, once again, to be in the company of colleagues and friends after many years.   

Durham is one of just four locations recently shortlisted to be UK City of Culture 2025, and you can clearly see why. It’s extremely vibrant with a large and diverse student population observed by the impressive Cathedral situated above the River Wear.  

President, Helen Edwards welcomed delegates and corporate partners to the conference, taking the opportunity to really stress the importance of succession, and enabling social mobility to encourage a truly diverse and robust profession.
 
Cllr Richard Bell, Deputy Leader of Durham Council spoke about the importance of local government structures being robust and designed for change, whilst politics and local government are more about pragmatic decisions operating within constraint. Echoes of Lord Evans’ speech from the Leadership Conference were picked up when noting that ‘good behaviour comes from attitudes and culture’.
 
Claire Ward, from Anthony Collins talked us through her experience of working in an authority with no overall control and inducting newly appointed councillors. Critical question training, consistency and never glossing answers being the top tips, together with knowing when you need to ‘think’ about a question rather than rushing to answer it (a definite top tip for junior members who might feel compelled to answer immediately).  

Social Care and Health integration took a discursive format with Manisha Patel, our EDI director chairing the panel with Anja Beriro and James Arrowsmith from Browne Jacobson. We heard that ‘no organisation is better placed to determine health provision than local government because we have many more inroads to communities through mechanisms such as social housing, planning, benefits and education, which all give vital insight’. We were advised to ‘make the most of the permissive nature of the legislation, which requires collaboration rather the competition’. 

This afternoon we look forward to hearing on the Humanitarian Agenda with Trowers and Hamlins together with Duncan Wells from the Refugee Council; Localism and Smart Cities with Amardeep Gill; What next for democracy with Simon Goacher from Weightmans and the Day 1 final session on Climate Change and Levelling up with Steve Gummer and Emily Knowles from Sharpe Pritchard, and David Mathias from Shoosmiths.  

Following the day conference, the event will culminate with the LLG Awards 2022, and you can find out which finalists have won each category by registering to watch virtually here. 

For all those who missed the event or for those wishing to be reminded of the key content, there will be a special edition of the Bulletin covering all aspects released early on Wednesday 1^st June 2022 straight into your inbox.  

Best wishes 

LLG