LGA2022 - The biggest event in the local government calendar
Ruth Gripper is a Research Impact Manager for Smartline at the University of Exeter. We caught up with Ruth on her return from the LGA Conference in Harrogate.
What was the LGA Conference?
“The Local Government Association (LGA) is the national membership body for local authorities, and its annual conference is the biggest event in the local government calendar. The conference brings together members to discuss issues affecting local government, to share learning and to hear from speakers.
The Smartline project were situated in the Innovation Zone, an interactive space for organisations to present inspiring ideas and new ways of working. The theme for this year was “resilience and renewal,” recognising the challenges of the last couple of years and exploring how councils can continue to deliver the best for their communities in future.
Why is the LGA relevant to Smartline Research?
Local Councils play an important role in health and housing, they have a statutory responsibility for improving the health of their local population, and they also have a range of responsibilities relating to housing. Most significantly, they allocate social housing within their catchment; Many councils still own and manage their own housing stock, while others have transferred all or part of it to private registered providers such as housing associations.
More widely, they have powers to tackle poor quality accommodation in both the social and private housing sectors, they make local planning decisions and develop the housing strategy for their area over the longer-term. They also have powers to set local energy efficiency standards for new homes.
Councils are fairly unique in just how wide-ranging their responsibilities are. This means that for a project like Smartline, which looks at how different issues are related, they are an ideal audience.
Smartline’s Associate Professor Emma Bland, Project Manager Belinda Broughton & Research Impact Manager Ruth Gripper ready to engage stakeholders at the LGA Innovation Zone.
Slideshow: Get Smart - The LGA Conference Smartline Presentation
Who did Smartline connect with and why?
The Smartline LGA team spoke to councillors and council officers from all over the country, from all different political parties and independent councillors who aren’t affiliated with any party. We also spoke to other exhibitors, people working on issues around housing, health and climate change. It was a brilliant way to share the work we are doing here in Cornwall with a much wider audience. And our presentation in the Innovation Zone was another opportunity to share the work, the difference it makes and the lessons we’ve learned along the way.
The Smartline team in conversation at the LGA Innovation Zone
What happens next?
(How will the public engagement, contacts and connections made at Harrogate help Smartline research and community change?)
We’ll be sharing a briefing about Smartline’s research with the contacts we made at the conference, sharing lessons and advice for councils and for housing providers who are interested in the role that technology can play to support people’s health at home and in the community. We are also hoping that many will join us virtually at our conference: Smartline -A new vision for health and housing in November
- Ruth Gripper is a Knowledge Exchange Officer at the University of Exeter @RuthGripperUoE