IPM Webinar - Town Centres and Devolution
Wednesday 28th May 2025 | 3:00 - 4:30pm
As regional devolution gathers momentum across the UK, the question for place leaders is increasingly clear: how can we ensure every town centre has a clearly defined and purposeful role within this evolving governance landscape?
With combined authorities gaining greater powers over housing, transport, and economic development, town centres must be embedded in these strategies - not left to navigate change in isolation. This is particularly urgent given that so few town centres benefit from dedicated place managers or place partnerships advocating for their future.
Building on the work of the findings from High Streets Task Force - which identified place leadership, partnership working, and hyperlocal governance as critical enablers of regeneration -this session considers how those findings can inform the devolution agenda. This session also builds on the findings emerging direction of the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods, which makes the case that national economic renewal depends on neighbourhood.
If the government’s priority is to deliver economic growth that is inclusive and regionally balanced, then high streets and town centres must be seen not as peripheral but as essential to that ambition. They are the everyday economy in action: hubs of enterprise, services, culture, and civic life.
This session brings together voices from the IPM network and national stakeholders to explore how towns are responding to Local Government Reorganisation and devolution - and what more is needed to ensure they are central to shaping and delivering regional growth. This is the latest stage of this discussion for IPM members, and we will be using feedback from this session to submit a consultation response to the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods which is encouraging consultation responses by Friday 25th July 2025.
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Speakers
Ian Harvey | Head of the Institute of Place Management's Professional Network | LinkedIn
Introduction and Welcome
3:10 PM – Graham Galpin
Member Conversations: Reflections on Local Government Reorganisation and Devolution
A summary of key themes emerging from recent IPM member discussions. (10 mins) Linkedin profile
3:20 PM – Justin Griggs, National Association of Local Councils (NALC)
The NALC Perspective: How Devolution Can Work for Towns
Insights from the national body representing town and parish councils. (15 mins)
3:35 PM – Sandie Webb Chippenham Town Team
Collaborative Working in Wiltshire: Chippenham and Beyond
How parishes have joined forces to create critical mass and influence. (10 mins) Linkedin profile
3:45 PM – Matthew Colledge (former leader of Trafford Borough Council)
Altrincham’s Experience: Devolution and LGR in Greater Manchester
Lessons from a place that’s lived through the devolution journey and put transformed the town centre (10 mins)
3:55 PM – Jean Ball
Buxton and Derbyshire: A Local Perspective
How devolution is playing out on the ground for towns in Derbyshire. Is a Town Council the right approach? (10 mins) Linkedin profile
4:05 PM – Panel Q&A
Open discussion with all speakers. (25 mins)
4:30 PM – Close