New Local

Strategic Authorities have an opportunity to reshape how public services work – argues Claire Dhami, Head of Systems Change and Inclusion at West Midlands Combined Authority – but that will require them to act as stewards of whole systems: connecting reform with innovation, investing in prevention and shifting power closer to communities.

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October 6, 2026 By Daniel Kirby, Policy Lead at Cabinet Office and Stephanie Gamauf, Head of Practice at New Local Commissioning is the primary gateway between policymakers setting priorities and the organisations delivering them, translating policy ambition and public resources into practice on the ground. Yet too often commissioning is characterised by transactional approaches.

How do councils keep making progress on climate and nature goals when the landscape is shifting beneath their feet? That was the question at the heart of a recent three-part learning programme run by New Local and the British Academy, which brought together local government practitioners, academics and policy experts from across the UK. The context will be familiar to anyone working in local government.

September 29, 2026 By Dr Tom McNeil, CEO, The JABBS Foundation for Women & Girls In this guest blog, Dr Tom McNeil, CEO of The JABBS Foundation for Women & Girls, argues that devolution could drive change for women and families, provided there is a meaningful connection between local empowerment and national leadership.

3.00pm-4.00pm  |  22 October 2026  |  Online This How We Did is in collaboration with the Cabinet Office’s Test, Learn and Grow (TLG) Programme team and will give insight into one of their Accelerator projects partnering with the London Borough of Islington on their work around preventing violence against and women and girls (VAWG). We’ll hear from a member of the TLG team, alongside a colleague from Islington, about how this work has developed in collaboration.

This article was first published in The MJ on 24 September 2026. Anna Randle talks to Ann McGauran about her long commitment to local government reform working with communities and her excitement about the Burnham agenda. New Local’s chief executive Anna Randle has come full circle. She began her career at the same organisation, known then as the New Local Government Network (NLGN).

1.00pm - 2.30pm  |  3 November 2026  |  Online With ‘Rewiring the State’ putting participation and local led decision making in sharp focus this session explores learnings from the Waves digital democracy programme, run by democracy think-tank Demos. Click here to learn more about Waves.

4.30pm - 6.30pm (followed by drinks) 61 Whitehall, Westminster 4.30pm - 6.30pm (followed by drinks)  |  21 October 2026  |  61 Whitehall, Westminster The government’s Rewiring the State agenda promises a once-in-a-generation shift in how the country is governed: moving power, funding and accountability out of Whitehall, strengthening local autonomy and reshaping public services around people and place. The ambition is significant. The challenge will be making it work.

New Local is an independent think tank and network with a mission to transform public services and unlock community power. We are home to over 50 councils and partners, united in a drive to create sustainable, inclusive and community-powered public services.