LGPN North 2026 Agenda

28-29 April, The Manchester Deansgate, Manchester

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08:00
  1. Registration Desk
    60 mins
09:00
  1. Main Room
    40 mins
    This opening keynote panel confronts local government’s biggest challenge – not a lack of innovation, but a lack of alignment. From digital pilots that never scale to budgets that cannot flex, transfo ...
10:05
  1. Main Room
    20 mins
    Caroline Simpson, Group Chief Executive at Greater Manchester Combined Authority, shares insights on regional leadership, strategic collaboration, and driving sustainable growth across the city-region ...
10:25
  1. Main Room
    30 mins

    Our signature ‘Dragons’ Den’ session provides each solution provider with an opportunity to deliver a 60 second pitch, explaining why they are here and how their services can help tackle some of the sector’s ongoing challenges.

11:00
  1. Networking and business meetings
    Networking Area
    75 mins
    15 minute meetings with suppliers who are offering solutions most relevant to your challenges. Please check the schedule on the back of your delegate pass for your meeting timings.
12:20
  1. Main Room
    45 mins
    Shifting from strategic to tactical, this rapid-fire session features two councils proving what is possible when innovation meets delivery. Covering topics including automation of core services, redes ...
13:30
  1. Networking lunch
    45 mins
14:15
  1. Main Room
    40 mins
    In this interactive roundtable session, you will set the agenda! Each table will tackle a real problem submitted by your peers, sharing practical experiences and shaping actionable solutions everyone ...
15:45
  1. Networking and business meetings
    Networking Area
    75 mins
    15 minute meetings with suppliers who are offering solutions most relevant to your challenges. Please check the schedule on the back of your delegate pass for your meeting timings.
17:05
  1. Main Room
    40 mins
    Ruth Ibegbuna is a nationally recognised social entrepreneur and leadership voice who has worked with young people, women, and communities often overlooked by traditional power structures. Drawing on ...
19:30
  1. Drinks reception and networking dinner
    150 mins
09:00
  1. Main Room
    30 mins
    Across the country, councils are navigating the turbulence of Local Government Reorganisation – new boundaries, new responsibilities, and new expectations. But does structural change equal transformat ...
09:55
  1. Main Room
    20 mins
    The CAIO Print is our blueprint for embedding responsible AI across the region — ethically, transparently and at scale. From smarter transport and better health outcomes to stronger skills, institutio ...
10:20
  1. Main Room
    25 mins
    Join a group of your peers to share your live examples of intelligent automation improving services, reducing costs, and freeing up staff for higher-value work. This is a candid, collaborative convers ...
  2. Breakout Room 2
    25 mins

    This workshop showcases how councils are closing the digital literacy gap, building leadership confidence, and equipping their teams with the skills they need to adapt. Join to share your experiences of approaches that really work in turning capability into confidence.

  3. Breakout Room 1
    25 mins

    Innovation means nothing if it is not sustainable. In this practical workshop, leaders will share how they are linking digital transformation to measurable savings and long-term value. Join to share real examples, funding models, and strategies that make digital work financially – not just technically.

10:50
  1. Main Room
    20 mins
    Interested in sponsoring?
11:15
  1. Networking and business meetings
    Networking Area
    60 mins
    15 minute meetings with suppliers who are offering solutions most relevant to your challenges. Please check the schedule on the back of your delegate pass for your meeting timings.
12:20
  1. Main Room
    25 mins
    Sustainable transformation demands more than technology - it requires strong governance, cyber resilience, and leadership alignment. This session examines Derby’s AI journey, which began as a response ...
  2. Breakout Room 2
    25 mins

    New technology demands new ways of working. This discussion will address how councils are redesigning teams, breaking silos, and embedding flexibility to deliver better services with limited resources. Join to share lessons on skills, culture, and structures that make transformation sustainable.

  3. Breakout Room 1
    25 mins

    Transformation does not happen in isolation. This discussion will focus on how smarter partnerships – with suppliers, peers, and regional networks – can deliver real financial and service value. Covering procurement pain points, shared success, and what genuine collaboration looks like in practice.

13:30
  1. Networking lunch
    45 mins

Frequently Asked Questions

The agenda is built around the real challenges you're facing right now. Expect sessions on digital transformation strategies, AI and automation, cyber security, data-driven decision making, cloud migration, digital inclusion, cross-departmental collaboration, skills gaps, change management, and navigating the transition to unitary councils. The specific topics are shaped by delegate registration responses, so the agenda reflects current sector priorities.

The event runs over two days with a mix of main room presentations, breakout sessions, panel discussions, and Dragons' Den speed pitches. You'll hear from senior leaders in local government sharing real case studies, followed by solution provider presentations showing what's possible. There's also dedicated time for one-to-one meetings, networking lunch, drinks reception, and a networking dinner – giving you plenty of opportunities to connect beyond the formal sessions.

Yes. While main room presentations are open to all delegates, you can select which breakout sessions are most relevant to your current challenges and priorities. Your pre-booked one-to-one meetings are scheduled around the agenda, and you'll have flexibility to attend the sessions that matter most to you.

Yes. You'll also get access to the conference guide with speaker profiles, case studies, and sponsor information. After the event, all delegates receive digital copies of the presentations.

We strongly recommend attending the full two-day event to get maximum value. The agenda is designed so that key themes develop across both days, and your pre-booked meetings are spread throughout the event. That said, if you can only attend one day, let us know during registration and we'll work with you to schedule your meetings and ensure you don't miss the sessions most relevant to your priorities.