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Nesta is an innovation foundation. For us, innovation means turning bold ideas into reality and changing lives for the better. We use our expertise, skills and funding in areas where there are big challenges facing society.

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Preparing for devolution: building data capacity in local government

23 Nov 2023 18:00 – 19:30
Online and in-person
Free

This event took place on Thursday 23 November.

There are growing calls for increased devolution of powers at the local level from both sides of the political spectrum. This presents exciting opportunities for devolved power, but also fresh questions about how to equip local and combined authorities with the capacity and skills to manage this additional responsibility.

One pressing challenge is about the management and effective use of data. At a core level, this is critical for monitoring policy success and holding devolved powers accountable. More ambitiously, there are entirely new opportunities for data use at a local level which can be harnessed. Historically, however, practical drawbacks have limited local government from using data capabilities to their full potential.

At Nesta, we want to give local decision-makers and policymakers the right tools to drive positive change. As part of Nesta’s UK 2040 Options, we are looking at the policy options a next government could pursue that would improve outcomes by 2040, across a range of domestic policy areas.

Nesta hosted this event, as part of UK 2040 Options, to explore how we can build data capacity in local government.

Speakers

James Plunkett - Headshot copy

James Plunkett

Chief Practices Officer
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Stephen Aldridge

Stephen is Director for Analysis and Data at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. A government economist by background, he has also worked in the Department of Trade and Industry (now the Department for Business and Trade); various predecessors to his current department; the Cabinet Office; and Her Majesty’s Treasury. Amongst other things, Stephen is a founding trustee and Board member of the Centre for Homelessness Impact; a member of the Public Policy Committee of the British Academy; a fellow and Council member of the Academy of Social Sciences; and a continuing fellow and Advisory Board member at the Centre for Science and Policy at the University of Cambridge. Stephen was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the Queen’s birthday honours list 2007.

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Cate McLaurin

Cate is Director at Public Digital and a renowned digital transformation leader. She has designed and led digital programmes across the public sector, and worked with senior leadership teams to rethink and reimagine delivery culture and ways of working. Cate has senior experience across both local and central government, including as Head of Delivery at the London Borough of Hackney, a role she held through both the pandemic and responding to a cyber attack.

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Gavin Freeguard

Gavin is a freelance consultant, specialising in data, information, media, digital and government. Gavin was previously the Institute for Government (IfG)’s lead on data and digital government and, now an Associate at IfG, continues to run their Data Bites event series exploring effective use of data in both local and central government. He is also a special adviser at the Open Data Institute, policy associate at Connected by Data and a member of the Public Digital network.

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Natalia Merritt

Natalia is the Housing Advice Manager at Maidstone Borough Council, where she leads a programme to identify households at risk of homelessness using local and national data sources. She will start the session by presenting on the programme, and the lessons learned for using data effectively within local government.

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Wajid Shafiq

Wajid is the founder and CEO of Xantura, which provides data sharing and advanced analytics to the public sector. Through Xantura, Wajid has worked closely with councils across the UK to help them access, understand and apply data to some of their most pressing challenges, including community safety, adult social care, homelessness and children's services.

Event information

23 Nov 2023 18:00 – 19:30
Free