Our first ‘The Deal Conference: Reasons to be Cheerful’ event took place on Wednesday 27th September at The Edge Conference Centre.
The unique, one day event took delegates on Wigan Council’s public sector reform journey and encouraged colleagues to think about how they can adopt a similar approach within their organisations.
Our chief executive, Donna Hall, opened the event outlining our financial position before introducing ‘The Deal’ and emphasising the importance of talking with residents to make a difference.
There was also special appearance from Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham who explained how ‘The Deal’ principles will underpin the future of public services.
Local government colleagues from across the UK came together on a panel to discuss their thoughts on transformation and community representatives also reflected on how ‘The Deal’ has impacted our schools and neighbourhoods. Here’s a full list of speakers:
- Lord Peter Smith
- Donna Hall, chief executive
- Stuart Cowley, director of adult social care
- Panel 1: James Winterbottom (director of education), Tom Flower (Wigan Athletic Community Trust), Rachael Coulthard (Headteacher at The Wings CE Trust), Dr. Robin Pharoah (anthropologist)
- Panel 2: Sara Todd (deputy chief executive, Manchester City Council), Eammon Boylan (chief executive, GMCA), Tom Riordan (chief executive, Leeds City Council), Trevor Holden (chief executive, Luton Council), Katie Kelly (head of housing and communities, East Ayrshire Council)
Before delegates separated into workshops, they were treated to a performance from the local Age UK choir, The Bright Silver Days choir, who work in conjunction with the council to combat loneliness and poor mental health in older people - a great example of ‘The Deal’ in action.
Workshop presentations
There were seven workshops overall and slides can be found below: