Our latest Community of Practice on Place brought together leaders from across local government, health and the voluntary sector for an honest conversation about what it means to lead in a moment of real transition.
James Bullion CBE
James Bullion CBE, former Chief Inspector and Chief Executive at CQC and an alumnus of Future Vision, joined us and offered thoughtful provocations on neighbourhood working, the pressures facing local authorities and the parent–child dynamics that can shape relationships across the system. What followed was a rich discussion about where to begin when the landscape is shifting so significantly and how we protect community-led work from being squeezed back by organisational constraints.
Several questions stayed with us:
- What would it look like if we were to treat place-based working as a movement rather than a policy?
- How do we build adult-to-adult relationships across local government, health and the voluntary sector?
- How do we bring in the voices not usually represented in these conversations?
- And in politically uncertain times, should we pursue evolution rather than transformation?
The conversation also surfaced just how often good work takes place despite the system, rather than because of it. Hope sprang from examples of where leaders were doing small, deliberate acts which built trust and momentum – the “goddess of small things” approach. Likewise, we heard stories of longer-term work having great impact, including successful collaboration around homelessness which has demonstrated what’s possible when culture is built intentionally and sustained over time.
Thank you to everyone who joined and contributed. We’ll continue the conversation in February 2026 when Max Wide, our Associate Director of Developing Strategic Authorities, will lead a session focusing on how to accelerate the benefits of local government reorganisation (LGR).
Drawing on learning from the world of mergers and acquisitions, Max will guide us through a session exploring what it would look like if we approached LGR in a decision-agnostic way, not waiting until each part of the puzzle falls into place sequentially, but beginning collaborative work on key issues immediately.
We’ll explore:
- Why new authorities so often struggle to realise the benefits
- How early identity, culture and relationship patterns shape long-term performance
- What leaders can do from the very beginning to avoid takeover mentalities
- How to build a shared culture that values contributions from all predecessor organisations
We would love to welcome others into the Community of Practice, so if you would like to get involved, please just email theo.miller@leadershipcentre.org.uk