Cllr Abi Brown OBE

First elected to Stoke-on-Trent City Council in 2010, Abi has served her beloved city in both administration and opposition.  From 2015 until 2023 as deputy leader and then leader, Abi led numerous landmark projects that have transformed the face of Stoke-on-Trent, including the award winning Ceramic Valley Enterprise Zone, the city’s shortlisted bid to be City of Culture 2021, and Stoke-on-Trent’s nationally acclaimed Fostering Friendly City campaign, which created the greatest concentration of fostering friendly employers in the country.  

Alongside securing the largest ever Levelling Up Fund allocation for any single place, bringing over £100m of government investment to the city, and the second largest relocation of civil service jobs from Whitehall, Abi’s high profile leadership shone a spotlight on how place-based policy-making led by local leaders could influence across government. Abi has given evidence to select committees, led No 10 cross governmental round tables, and been credited with influencing national policymaking from asylum and housing, to culture and devolution. 

Having been involved with the LGA since 2017, in 2022 Abi was asked to chair the Improvement and Innovation Board at a time when the government was making major policy announcements around local government assurance and sector-led improvement. As well as being an active member peer working predominantly with challenged local authorities, in 2023 Abi was elected deputy leader of the LGA Conservative Group, and became a Deputy Chairman of the LGA. She continues to chair the Improvement and Innovation Board and IDeA company board, alongside focusing on her interests around regeneration, children's services and public health.