Local Partnerships’ staff summit

At Local Partnerships we work and live across the length and breadth of England and Wales. Once a year we take some time out and spend 24 hours together, having debates, sharing knowledge and exploring new ways to help councils cut costs whilst continuing to deliver the vital services required and respected by their local population. This year we chose to hold our staff summit in Nottingham, which is not only central and easily accessible from all corners of the UK, but offers some outstanding conference venues. Representatives from Nottingham City Council joined us throughout the day to teach us more about Nottingham. Ian Curryer, Chief Executive of Nottingham City Council opened the summit for us, introducing Nottingham with justifiable pride and took us through some of the council’s many achievements and ambitions. We were also treated to a presentation from Robin Hood Energy, the UK’s first local authority-owned, fully licensed gas and electricity supplier. Gail Scholes and Jo Gilbert took us through the journey to date, discussing initial thought processes and the challenges faced along the way. Graham Chapman, deputy leader of Nottingham City Council, is also a long-serving member of our Board. He joined us in the afternoon and talked about Nottingham’s successes, including their locally-owned, high quality bus company. He also described some of their long-term plans, including how commercialisation of practices and services can help to save frontline council jobs. Our thanks go to all of the speakers who contributed to making the summit so productive and interesting.