President update 1st December - latest news from ADEPT
Hello everyone,
It's been another busy month for ADEPT, with our Autumn Conference taking centre stage, along with numerous meetings and strategic discussions.
Our collaborative approach continues to be a strength. Hannah and I had a positive meeting with the new LGA chair, Louise Gittens, who is keen to engage. I attended the CIHT's launch of a critical policy report on highways resilience and adaptation to severe weather - a topic that increasingly demands our attention.
We've been in discussions with various government officials, including meeting Danny Williams who is leading the development of the Integrated National Transport Strategy. I also had the pleasure of chairing a fascinating webinar on ‘building healthier communities’ with an excellent panel of speakers.
It was good to welcome Graeme McDonald from Solace to the Leadership Team meeting to introduce their proposed strategy, and to get the latest on the Gen Z recruitment campaign. I was also delighted to meet Secretary of State for Transport Louise Haigh at the RAC Foundation winter reception.
And the ADEPT Autumn Conference took place, attended by over 200 people. Held in Bristol, it was a landmark event, bringing together leaders and innovators to explore our theme of 'Creating places fit for the future: our past, our present, our future' – thank you to everyone who attended. You can read my reflections from the conference in a special blog post here. Apologies to those people who left it too late to book – so put 22nd May in your diary now, for the Spring Conference and Annual Awards Dinner.
Our recently launched ADEPT Leadership Pathway Programme received a fantastic amount of interest, with 60 applicants. In order to accommodate as many people as possible, we adopted a new format which meant we could accept 26 people onto the first cohort. We’ve also just put out a call for expressions of interest for the 2025 Leadership Development Programme – deadline 17th January.
The budget discussions continue to be complex, with nuanced implications for local transport funding that we're carefully monitoring. While there are some additional funds allocated, the details and distribution remain somewhat unclear.
Finally, I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for your hard work, collaboration and commitment to creating better places for everyone. As I said at the conference, we are privileged to do what we do in making a difference to our places, let’s continue to do stuff that matters in 2025. I wish you a Merry Christmas and a peaceful, prosperous New Year
As always, for more updates on ADEPT's latest news, publications, and the work of our boards and groups, visit our website: www.adeptnet.org.uk
