Event details
Welcome to Rethinking Public Services—a gathering of bold minds, compassionate hearts, and visionary leaders committed to reshaping the way we serve our communities.
Today, we stand at a crossroads. Public services, once built for a different era, now face the urgent need to evolve—challenged by shifting demographics, digital transformation, economic pressures, and rising expectations from the people they serve. But with challenge comes opportunity.
This event is not just about critique—it's about creativity. It's about asking the hard questions: What does a truly inclusive, responsive, and resilient public service look like? How can we harness innovation, data, and human-centered design to build systems that empower rather than overwhelm?
Over the course of this day, we’ll hear from trailblazers across sectors—policy makers, technologists, frontline workers, and citizens—each offering fresh perspectives and practical solutions. We’ll explore new models, share lived experiences, and spark collaborations that can drive real change.
Let this be a space of radical imagination and grounded action. Let’s rethink not just what public services do—but what they could become.
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WHO ATTENDS
Times are displayed in GMT
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09:30 AM - 09:45 AM
Keynote - Emma Beard, Councillor, Horsham District Council
Emma will be talking about our interaction with the natural world using seven generation thinking and how the decisions we make, we need to consider the consequences of those decisions on the seven generations that will follow.
Emma Beard Councillor Horsham District Council -
09:55 AM - 10:40 AM
Social Care at Capacity
Social care is at breaking point. With rising demand, shrinking budgets, workforce shortages, and increasing complexity of need, many councils are struggling to deliver even the basics—let alone innovate. The question is no longer if the system is under strain, but how we respond.
This panel brings together senior local government leaders, care providers, policy experts, and frontline professionals to explore the realities of delivering social care under pressure. We’ll examine:
- The structural and financial challenges driving capacity limits
- The impact on service users, carers, and communities
- Opportunities for reform through integration, prevention, and digital innovation
- What councils need—from central government, partners, and each other—to move from survival to sustainability
This is not just a conversation about crisis—it’s a call to rethink the future of care. Join us for a frank, solutions-focused discussion on how the public sector can lead with compassion, creativity, and courage.
Ian Turner OBE Exec Co-Chair National Care Association
Hulya Mustafa Director of Digital Policy and Programmes Department of Health & Social CareHulya Mustafa is the Director of Digital Policies and Programmes in the Department of Health and Social Care. As well as AI, her role covers health tech and digital (including the NHS App and electronic patient records), digital neighbourhood health, digital prevention, and adult social care. She has been a civil servant for over 25 years and covered areas such as local government finance, regeneration, housing and adult social care. Until its closure in 2025, Hulya was the SRO for the NHS’s AI Lab, which ran an awards programme as well as funding various test projects and research into ethics.
Lee Rickles Chief Information Officer & Deputy SIRO Humber Teaching NHS FTLee Rickles is Chief Information Officer at Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust and Director of Interweave, the platform behind the Yorkshire & Humber Care Record (YHCR). With over 30 years in transformation and programme management—including 20 years in NHS digital innovation—Lee has led major advancements in healthcare technology.
At Humber, he oversees the BeDigital Transformation Programme, delivering a new electronic patient record, improved patient communications, and leading mental health digital transformation across the Humber & North Yorkshire ICS. He is the national Senior Responsible Owner for the Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag, promoting equitable care.
Lee helped develop Interweave, enabling secure, standards-based sharing of patient records, aligned with the PRSB Core Information Standard and recognised by HSJ Digital Awards.
A Hull native, Lee is a BCS Fellow, FEDIP Leading Practitioner, and CHIME Certified Health CIO, contributing to national bodies and advocating for inclusive, people-focused digital transformation.
X handle @larickles
Jane Brightman Director of Workforce Strategy Skills for CareJane Brightman is Director of Workforce Strategy and Development at Skills for Care, where she leads on the implementation of the adult social care Workforce Strategy for England.
Jane has over 30 years of experience across the adult social care sector including frontline care, leadership, education, digital transformation and national policy.
For 10 years she was Director of a private training organisation specialising in adult social care delivery before going on to national roles supporting training and development in social care.
Jane spent two years at NHSX (now NHS Transformation Directorate) in the blended Digitising Social Care programme as Assistant Director, leading and delivering on the White Paper commitments.
Jane facilitates an online network of leaders in social care with over 9000 members and has several trustee and NED roles. In 2022 she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Arden University for services to social care.
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10:50 AM - 11:35 AM
Libraries, Leisure & Loss
Libraries, leisure centres, parks, and community hubs have long been the beating heart of local life—places of connection, learning, wellbeing, and refuge. But in the wake of funding cuts, rising costs, and shifting priorities, these spaces are increasingly under threat. Closures, reduced hours, and privatization have left many communities asking: What do we lose when we lose public space?
This panel brings together council leaders, cultural strategists, community organizers, and public service advocates to explore the future of civic infrastructure. We’ll examine:
- The social and economic value of libraries and leisure services
- The impact of closures on health, education, and social cohesion
- Innovative models for sustaining and reimagining public spaces
- How councils can protect what matters most—even under pressure
This is a conversation about more than buildings. It’s about belonging, equity, and the role of the public realm in shaping resilient communities. Join us as we ask: How do we move from loss to legacy?
Sharon Sanders Head of Service - Digital Inclusion Programme City of Bradford Metropolitan District CouncilSharon Sanders is Head of Service for the Digital Inclusion Programme at Bradford Council, where she leads a pioneering initiative aimed at closing the digital divide across the district. With a strong background in change management and digital transformation, Sharon has become a driving force behind efforts to ensure that no resident of Bradford is excluded from accessing digital devices, affordable connectivity, and the skills needed to thrive in a digital society.
Her work focuses on empowering vulnerable and disadvantaged communities—those facing barriers in health, education, employment, and housing—by integrating digital access into public services and community support. Under her leadership, the Digital Inclusion Programme has developed a multi-agency governance model involving local authorities, health services, voluntary organisations, and educational institutions.
Sharon is also a frequent speaker at public sector conferences, where she shares insights on inclusive digital strategy, cross-sector collaboration, and the role of local government in driving equitable innovation. Her professional credentials include certifications in Agile Change, AI Fundamentals, and Prince2, and she is a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD and the Institute of Leadership & Management.
With a vision rooted in social equity and digital empowerment, Sharon Sanders continues to shape how Bradford—and the wider UK public sector—approaches digital transformation with purpose and compassion.
Isobel Hunter MBE Chief Executive Libraries Connected
Iain Varah Chief Executive Vision Redbridge Culture and Leisure
Iain Moore Commercial Director Libraries ConnectedIain Moore is a senior leader in the libraries and wider third sector with 25 years’ experience driving innovation, strategic development and evidence‑based practice. As Commercial Director at Libraries Connected, he leads national work on income generation, data, funding, and commercial partnerships, representing public libraries in major cross‑government forums. Iain has developed sector‑wide commercial strategies, secured multi‑million‑pound funding, and led nationally significant programmes on social value, digital inclusion and library data. His work blends strategic insight with deep operational understanding, shaping services that strengthen communities and support effective, sustainable local delivery.
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11:45 AM - 12:30 PM
Mental Health & Youth Services
Young people today face unprecedented pressures—from the cost-of-living crisis and social media to academic stress and family instability. Yet the services designed to support their mental health are stretched thin, fragmented across agencies, and often difficult to access. The result? Too many young lives falling through the cracks.
This panel brings together local authority leaders, youth workers, mental health professionals, and policy advocates to explore how the public sector can better respond to the growing mental health needs of children and young people. We’ll examine:
- The systemic challenges facing youth mental health provision
- Opportunities for early intervention, integrated care, and community-based support
- The role of schools, councils, and voluntary sector partnerships
- How to co-design services with young people themselves—and rebuild trust
This is a conversation about care, connection, and courage. Join us as we ask: What does it take to build a system that truly supports young minds—and how can the public sector lead the way?
Lucy Howard Founder lucy_howard_onlineA former Detective Chief Inspector in the Metropolitan Police with an expertise in complex investigations and intelligence. Using my investigative background I specialise in prevention against cyberbullying, information leakage and how to protect ourselves and our loved ones whilst online. My focus is on Online Wellbeing and how to promote a positive digital footprint. I provide and deliver bespoke advice and training, on how we can use our digital devices and apps in safe and secure ways to protect both ourselves and our children from risk and reduce the incidence of cyberbullying.
Website: LucyHowardOnline.co.uk
Instagram: Lucy_Howard_Online
Sam Warner Chair of board of trustees AOCPP
Kevin Browne Professor of Forensic Psychology & Child Health University of Nottingham -
12:40 PM - 13:25 PM
SEND on the Edge
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) services are under extraordinary strain. With rising demand, stretched budgets, and growing complexity of need, many local authorities are facing a system pushed to its limits. Families are waiting too long, professionals are burning out, and children are missing out on the support they deserve.
This panel brings together council leaders, education specialists, parent advocates, and health professionals to confront the realities of a SEND system on the edge—and explore what it will take to pull it back. We’ll examine:
- The drivers behind escalating demand and financial pressure
- The impact of fragmented provision and delayed assessments
- Opportunities for integrated working across education, health, and care
- How councils can lead reform with compassion, accountability, and ambition
This is not just a conversation about crisis—it’s about courage. Join us for a frank, solutions-focused discussion on rebuilding trust, restoring capacity, and reimagining SEND services for the future.
Louise Nixon Councillor Stafford Borough Council
Rebecca Foster Special Educational Needs Coordinator CompassSend
Natasha Chalk Head of EK Outreach EK Outreach ServicesNatasha Chalk is the Head of Outreach at EK Outreach Services, a specialist alternative provision supporting some of the hardest-to-reach children and young people across the UK. She has been involved with EK Outreach almost from its inception, supporting its growth from a small local provision to a national service working with hundreds of students, families, schools, and local authorities.
Natasha’s work focuses on inclusion in practice, attendance, SEND, EBSA, trauma-informed approaches, and building sustainable pathways for young people unable to access mainstream education. Alongside frontline delivery, she advises schools, trusts, and professionals on inclusive practice and system-level change, and regularly speaks at conferences, panels, and sector events.