Power Shift 2025

Baroness Sharon Taylor of Stevenage

Baroness Taylor of Stevenage is a former politician and a life peer who has served as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing and Local Government and a Baroness in Waiting since July 2024. She was a member of Stevenage Borough Council in Hertfordshire from 1997 to 2024, and served as the leader of the council from 2006 to 2022.

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Cllr Keith Stevens

Chair, National Association of Local Councils

Cllr Keith Stevens was elected chair in 2021. He is also the chair of Wartling Parish Council in East Sussex and the East Sussex Community Voice and was previously chair of the East Sussex Association of Local Councils. Before entering public service, he was a private banker for 32 years with Coutts & Co, specialising in taxation and medical finance. He also was a non-executive director of the Royal National Throat, Nose, and Ear Hospital.

: www.nalc.gov.uk
: @NALC_chair

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Helen Ball

Clerk, Shrewsbury Town Council

Helen Ball began her career in 1997, working part-time for a small East Yorkshire parish council. In 1999, she became a clerk for Beverley Town Council, one of the first councils created by referendum under the Local Government and Rating Act 1997. She later earned a first-class local policy degree from Gloucestershire University in 2007. In 2009, Helen became clerk for Shrewsbury Town Council, overseeing a large council with around 72,000 residents and a £4 million budget. Active in various boards and partnerships, Helen is also the vice-chair of the Society of Local Council Clerks.

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Melanie Brain

Service director for communities, Cornwall Council

Melanie Brain is an experienced housing professional with a demonstrable history of working in local government and housing authorities and a high degree of professional integrity. She is skilled in negotiation, project management, change management, system transformation, housing options and homelessness, housing allocations, strategy and policy development, gypsy and traveller issues, housing enabling and development and housing and estate management. Melanie is a dedicated housing professional with a MSc in Housing from Cardiff University and experience linking to social care and health.

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Amanda Card

Clerk, Yeovil Town Council

Amanda Card is a self-motivated individual who strives for continuous improvement in herself and her work. She thrives on learning new things professionally, academically, and personally. Amanda is a qualified clerk with over ten years of experience as a chartered accountant. She's also an advocate of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy.

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Dr Jonathan Carr-West

Chief executive, Local Government Information Unit

Dr Jonathan Carr-West leads on all aspects of the think tank’s policy, membership and influencing work. With over 15 years of experience, Jonathan is a leading national expert on local government transformation, local democracy, and public services. Some of his particular interests are participative democracy, the evolving nature of public services, and devolution. With an extensive media profile and sector credibility, he has published on topics as diverse as localism and public service transformation, cognitive and behavioural science, and the politics of cultural memory.

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Cllr Sam Chapman-Allen

Chair, District Councils' Network

Cllr Sam Chapman-Allen has led Breckland Council since May 2019, ascending from his previous role as deputy leader. With an unwavering commitment to serving the community, he sets the council’s strategic direction and ensures the fulfilment of its statutory duties. Under his leadership, the council relentlessly pursues projects and initiatives to uplift local residents and businesses. Sam’s dedication to public service became evident when he was elected to the council in 2007. In parallel with his council duties, he has worked for Sir Brandon Lewis, particularly during Mr Lewis’s tenure as minister of state for Housing and Planning at the Department for Communities and Local Government. Sam chairs the District Councils' Network, representing every district council in England. He further solidifies his influence in local governance by serving as a national board member for the Local Government Association Executive Board.

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Philip Clifford

Senior advisor, Local Government Association

Philip Clifford leads the Local Government Association's (LGA) policy work on devolution and place-based growth. His work at the LGA has recently focused on urban and rural recovery, sustainable development, devolution, and constitutional reform. For much of his professional career, Philip has worked on local leadership, regeneration, and public service transformation issues. Before joining the LGA, he was part of the government’s London Thames Gateway Development Corporation. He worked with partners across London's local government on various issues, including housing investment, migration, welfare reform and devolution.

 

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Professor Steven Griggs

University of Staffordshire

Steven Griggs is a professor of public policy in the Business School at Staffordshire University, where he is co-director of the Centre for Business, Innovation, and the Regions. He has worked on policy development with several local authorities and public sector organisations, conducted national policy evaluations, and contributed to senior management leadership programmes.

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Simon Kaye

Director of policy, Re:State

In April 2022, Simon Kaye joined Re:State, leading the Reimagining Whitehall programme for its first year and a half. In 2023, he launched the Reform Scholars programme, and in 2024, he developed and led the new Reimagining the Local State programme. He worked in academia after gaining a PhD in political theory in 2015. In 2018, he leapt to think tanks, exploring the practical side of his research interests in democratic systems, government reform, political economy, localism, and how knowledge affects policy. Simon has written major reports on community power, self-governance and reform strategies for central and local government.

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Mark Sandford

Senior research analyst, Parliament and Constitution Centre

Mark Sandford is a professional researcher and analyst. He is also a subject expert at the House of Commons. He previously managed academic research (including publishing several articles and two books) and commissioned and undertaken public sector research. He has extensive experience in scoping and managing projects, writing and presenting findings to clients and broader audiences, and the quality assurance of output. He has worked and recruited research teams and enjoys motivating colleagues through change and driving up performance and confidence. Mark has in-depth specialist knowledge of local government, parliament, and legislative processes.

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