Project Keystone enters final phase as strategic conclusions take shape

Project Keystone has now entered its final phase, with Shared Intelligence drafting the final report, strategic conclusions and implementation roadmap for the future support system for parish and town councils.

Since April, the review has gathered extensive evidence from across the sector through a national survey, workshops and engagement with our National Assembly and Management Board. This work has provided a detailed picture of the strengths of the current support system and opportunities for improvement, while identifying future challenges including devolution, local government reorganisation and increasing expectations of parish and town councils.

Drawing on this evidence, Shared Intelligence developed a set of emerging strategic conclusions. It tested them through stakeholder workshops held in September. Feedback from the workshops helped refine and strengthen the emerging conclusions. The revised emerging conclusions were discussed with our National Assembly to gather feedback from county association representatives. In parallel, Shared Intelligence sought views from the project's steering group to test the practicality and ambition of the proposed direction of travel.

Feedback from the workshops, National Assembly and steering group is now being used to refine and strengthen the strategic conclusions and implementation roadmap. This will help ensure the final report reflects both the evidence gathered during the review and the realities, opportunities and priorities facing the sector.

The final report will bring together the project's evidence, strategic conclusions and roadmap for implementation. It will be published in November ahead of our Management Board meeting on 17 November 2026 and the National Assembly meeting on 15 December 2026.