Agenda item

Katharine Goodger, Improvement Coordination and Strategy Advisor

The Chair invited Katharine Goodger (KG), Improvement Coordination and Strategy Adviser, to introduce the report.

KG thanked members for their support in delivering the IZ as part of the wider LGA Conference and Exhibition, in particular, Lead Members and those members who took part in the working group. Informal feedback so far had been overwhelmingly positive with many delegates commenting on the strength of the programme. Formal feedback, through an online survey, would be collated and presented to members in due course. Some delegates felt that, given the popularity of the events in the IZ, the space allocated should have been larger in order to accommodate greater numbers of participants. Planning for Harrogate 2024 would begin shortly and so feedback from members was sought.

Members’ comments and questions:

·       Members felt that overall, the IZ had been excellent this year and thanked officers for their efforts in pulling it all together.

·       A slightly longer gap between sessions was requested in order to give more time for turnover and attending subsequent sessions. KG confirmed that they would be looking at this for next year but there was a balance to be struck with getting as many sessions into the programme as possible.

·       Members felt that the prominent location of the IZ was excellent in terms of attracting interest and this needed to be taken into account when deciding whether or not to move to a larger space.

·       It was suggested that the LGA look into using venues other than Bournemouth and Harrogate as the IZ assumed greater importance in the overall Conference programme. NO confirmed that the LGA was tied into Harrogate (2024), Liverpool (2025) and Bournemouth (2026) but in the next few months officers would be starting to look for venues for 2027 and beyond. She confirmed that officers would be looking at options for the set up for Harrogate in 2024 and this would include the role and position of the IZ in the wider Conference programme.

Decision:

Improvement & Innovation Board noted the report.