The Public Sector Services People Managers Association (PPMA) Conference 2026 took place in Birmingham at the end of April, bringing together senior HR and people leaders from across public services, offering an honest, challenging and inspiring space to reflect on the future of local government. Across the two days, a clear thread emerged: the future of public services depends on how intentionally we lead our people, invest in talent, and design cultures fit for sustained change.
This article covers my reflections from the sessions I attended, and what they collectively tell us about the people challenges, and opportunities, facing the sector.
Opening reflections: ‘Leadership, legacy and connection’
The conference opened with outgoing PPMA President, Pam Parkes. reflecting on her tenure before formally handing over to incoming President, Sandra Farquharson. In her remarks, Pam spoke candidly about the importance of connection, collaboration, and supported networking - values that were clearly evident throughout the two days of the conference.
This handover felt symbolic of what the event went on to explore in depth: leadership transitions, stewardship, and the responsibility to leave organisations stronger than we found them.
‘Leading for meaningful impact’
Joanne Roney CBE, Managing Director of Birmingham City Council delivered a keynote to set the tone for day one exploring the true impact of good leadership.
She reminded us that good leadership does not require consensus at all costs; in fact, it is both right and healthy for people not to always agree. Against the backdrop of profound national change, including local government reorganisation (LGR), she highlighted how systemic shifts inevitably shape organisational culture. In this context, she underscored the urgent need to move away from blame and fault-driven environments towards cultures rooted in transparency and continuous learning. Drawing attention to the long-term consequences of sustained financial constraint, particularly the impact of reduced investment in people, and reinforced the message that “having a great vision without great people is irrelevant.”
Joanne challenged HR leaders to:
Take talent development seriously, particularly creating pathways for young people into local government
Ask ourselves hard questions about how actively we are recruiting and retaining emerging talent
Onboard colleagues with political and organisational context – “truth is power”
Be solution-focused rather than rule-bound, encouraging creativity and intentionality
Treat equity, diversity and inclusion as a conscious practice, not a compliance exercise
Joanne closed with a message that brought her themes together powerfully, reminding us that, “every problem is a gift – without problems we don’t grow, and without HR we won’t solve them.” Her reflections reinforced the critical role HR plays in navigating complexity and driving organisational resilience. Overall, the session highlighted many of the same challenges Reed Talent Solutions is helping councils address today, from strengthening early careers pipelines and workforce planning to building the kind of leadership capability needed to thrive in an increasingly uncertain environment.
‘Local government today: Challenges, reforms and financial priorities’
Graham McDonald, Managing Director of Solace and Solace in Business’s session, ‘Local government today: Challenges, reforms and financial priorities’, brought clear and sobering perspective to the discussion, underpinned by data that highlighted the scale of the challenge facing the sector. With 1.2 million people working in local government in England, and 94% of authorities reporting recruitment and retention issues, the workforce pressures are both significant and widespread. Perhaps most strikingly, the expectation that one-in-four employees may leave the sector in the coming years reinforces the urgency of action.
Against this backdrop, Graham emphasised that future skills can no longer be treated as a secondary concern - it must be a strategic priority. He also highlighted that the most successful LGR programmes are those that place organisational culture at their core, rather than treating it as an afterthought. Importantly, he acknowledged the human side of change, stressing the need to support people to “finish well” and to recognise the sense of loss and uncertainty that often accompanies large-scale transformation.
He also pointed to the growing influence of global behaviours, particularly through social media, on local organisational dynamics - adding another layer of complexity to leadership in the sector.
Overall, his message was clear: Investment in leadership development is not optional. It is fundamental to building the resilience and capability needed to navigate the volatility and uncertainty that lies ahead.
‘Moving from retributive to restorative justice - an introduction to Hounslow’s resolution framework’
Steve Walker‑Whitehead, Director of People, Equality and OD for the London Borough of Hounslow, delivered one of the most impactful sessions of the two days.
His fringe examined the borough’s journey from retributive to restorative approaches in resolving workplace conflict.
Steve spoke passionately about:
Every voice being equal
Leading with heart
Creating space for humanity at work
The council has embedded a resolution framework, reframing conflict away from heroes and villains and towards dialogue, understanding and repair. Their Resolution Hub and Resolution Index have made positive relationships and early dialogue cultural norms.
This session vividly demonstrated how process redesign, cultural intent and leadership courage can transform employee experience – an area where many organisations seek external support to move from policy-heavy to people-centred systems.
‘Insights on local government reform and leadership’
Theresa Grant OBE, who enjoyed a 47-year career in local government and has led councils through some of the most complex and high-profile reorganisations, reinforced in her address, that while LGR aims to create financially sustainable councils, it is ultimately about people.
She highlighted recruitment as a key risk, referencing her request to government to make recruitment fairer and more accessible. Councils must align workforces early, backfill roles intentionally and treat people transitions as strategic, not administrative. Her whole session was a reminder that structure alone never delivers reform – people do.
‘Chief executives panel: Navigating today’s public service challenges’
The chief executives panel at the end of day one, brought together a blend of realism, ambition and pragmatism, offering a grounded yet forward-looking view of the sector’s future.
Across the discussion, there was a strong focus on workforce sustainability and the need for long-term thinking. Stephen Moir, Chief Executive of Cambridgeshire City Council, highlighted practical steps being taken to address workforce pressures, from reducing reliance on agency social workers and reinvesting in reflective practice, to removing barriers to employment and building talent pipelines that span a multigenerational workforce. He also stressed the need to prepare for significant demographic shifts, including the growing demands associated with SEND, and drew a clear link between the health of public services and the strength of the wider economy.
Dawn Carter-McDonald, Chief Executive of Hackney Council, positioned transformation as a powerful enabler, describing Hackney’s programme as an opportunity to attract and retain talent, underpinned by strong collaboration with the NHS and external partners. This theme of partnership and place-based working was echoed throughout the panel.
Looking ahead, Shokat Lal, Sandwell Council’s Chief Executive, encouraged leaders to adopt a more anticipatory mindset, “seeing around corners,” to navigate emerging challenges such as generational differences, an ageing workforce, the growing influence of AI, and the importance of compelling place-based storytelling.
Mark Rogers, Chief Executive of Leadership Centre, captured the tone of the discussion succinctly, emphasising that strong relationships remain at the heart of effective leadership, and that despite the challenges, this is a particularly significant and dynamic moment for local government.
Together, the panel reinforced that while the challenges are complex, they are not insurmountable - provided organisations continue to invest in people, partnerships and future-focused leadership.
Day two: Culture, technology and accountability
PPMA President Elect, Sandra Farquharson, opened the day, reflecting on the awards, the scale of change ahead, and the enduring truth that people and culture sit at the heart of everything we do.
‘Harnessing AI and emerging technologies to transform the public sector workforce’
Eddie Copeland, Director at the London Office of Technology and Innovation (LOTI), delivered a clear and engaging session that demystified AI, breaking it down into its core forms (narrow, generative and agentic) and making their relevance to public services both practical and tangible. Drawing on real examples from London boroughs, he illustrated how councils are already beginning to harness AI to improve services and decision-making.
At the heart of his message was a strong emphasis on people. While the technology itself is advancing rapidly, he stressed that the most critical decision organisations will continue to make is who they recruit. Alongside this, he highlighted the urgency of investing in digital and AI capability now, noting that today’s leaders are likely to be the last to manage entirely human teams.
The key takeaway was clear: Digital and AI skills cannot be treated as an add-on. They must be embedded into the workforce through apprenticeships, ongoing upskilling and thoughtful augmentation of roles. This directly reinforces the importance of taking a strategic approach to workforce planning, skills mapping and future-focused recruitment, ensuring organisations are equipped not just for today, but for an increasingly AI-enabled future.
Employment law update
Capsticks provided a practical session, grounding the conference themes in compliance, employee rights and best practice – strengthening that good HR balances innovation with sound governance.
‘Lessons that must be learned: Reflections from the Grenfell Tower inquiry’
The conference closed with a sobering and powerful reflection on the Grenfell Tower inquiry from Mark Hardingham CBE QFSM, he explored four critical lessons:
Complex systems and webs of blame
Leadership and governance failures
Wilful blindness – knowing but failing to act
Organisational culture
With 72 lives lost, this session served as a profound reminder: culture, accountability and leadership are not abstract concepts – they have real‑world consequences.
Final reflections
Across every session, one message was clear: the future of Local Government will be shaped by how bravely we lead people through complexity.
From talent shortages and generational change, to AI, LGR and cultural transformation, the challenges are vast – but so is the opportunity. Investing in people, creating humane systems, and designing workforces fit for the future is not a ‘nice-to-have’; it is mission-critical.
At Reed Talent Solutions, many of these conversations reflect the challenges we work alongside public sector organisations to address every day – from building sustainable talent pipelines and early careers strategies, to enabling cultural change and future‑skills readiness.
The PPMA Conference was a timely, honest and energising reminder that when we put people first, everything else becomes possible.
Now is the time to act. Whether you’re rethinking workforce planning, investing in early careers, or preparing your organisation for the impact of AI and LGR, Reed Talent Solutions can help you turn ambition into action. Get in touch with one of our experts today.
