ADEPT Spring Conference and President’s Awards winners 2026 – leading local places through change
The Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning & Transport (ADEPT) has celebrated the achievements of local authorities, partners and individuals from across the country at its 2026 Spring Conference and President’s Awards.
Held at the Institution of Civil Engineers, One Great George Street in London the event brought together place leaders from across the sector to share ideas, explore the challenges and opportunities facing local government, and recognise the innovation and leadership delivering real impact for communities.
The conference programme focused on how local authorities can continue to lead through change, with discussions centred around local government reorganisation and devolution and ensuring the resilience, collaboration and sustainability needed to shape successful places.
The ADEPT President’s Awards, held at One Whitehall Place, formed the centrepiece of the evening celebrations, showcasing projects and initiatives that are making a tangible difference to communities through creativity, partnership working and place-based leadership. The awards recognised excellence across the sector highlighting the vital contribution ADEPT members and partners make in creating safer, healthier, more connected and more prosperous places.
The evening also marked the close of Angela Jones’ Presidential year and welcomed incoming President Katie Stewart, Executive Director for Environment at the City of London Corporation, who introduced her Presidential theme, ‘The Place Director of the Future’.
The awards were divided into four categories:
1) Delivering Sustainable Growth
2) Deploying Digital Innovation and Technology
3) Shaping Places for People and
4) the President's Special Recognition Award
Winner of the Delivering Sustainable Growth Award, sponsored by Costain was Northumberland County Council for The Northumberland Line. Judges loved the project, which focusses on returning passenger services to South East Northumberland and highlighted its immense value in providing a step change in public transport connectivity.
Highly Commended in the same category was Kirklees Council for Our Cultural Heart (Huddersfield Blueprint), a major regeneration driven by the Place Directorate, reshaping Huddersfield with new cultural, leisure and economic assets.
The winner of the Deploying Digital Innovation and Technology award, sponsored by Ringway, was East Riding of Yorkshire Council for its project Beyond Lighting: A Digital Blueprint for Safer, Lower-Carbon Infrastructure. The judges praised theuse of digital forecasting and 24/7 AI road safety tools that resulted in 50% carbon emissions reductions and 80% cost savings. The project is transforming streetlighting for communities at a national scale and is one to watch.
Finalists and Highly Commended in the same category were Lincolnshire County Council for Project Groundwater: Greater Lincolnshire’s hyperlocal flood alarm, and Cheshire East Highways – Ringway Jacobs for their project Smart Roads, Safer Networks: Transforming Highways with AI Video Intelligence.
Project Groundwater involves the deployment of real-time flood monitoring and community collaboration to drive a hyperlocal flood alarm, and Smart Roads, Safer Networks sees Cheshire East Highways use AI video analysis to improve safety, cut costs by 40%, reduce disruption, and deliver fast, accurate road condition data.
The Shaping Places for People award, sponsored by Jacobs, was won by Hertfordshire County Council for Community Shelters in Hertfordshire. The council is working with local communities to improve bus waiting areas and the space around them through the development of Community Shelters. The project delivers for the community, the council, the environment, adults, children, health and the economy, which the judges admired and commended hugely.
City of London’s project Reinventing the City Alley was Highly Commended in the same category. The project is a transformative initiative that delivers new pedestrian routes, forging a more humane, inclusive, resilient City.
Also Highly Commended in this category was Norfolk County Council for Transforming Heartsease Roundabout. The roundabout has delivered major safety upgrades and faster, more reliable travel for those using one of Norwich’s busiest junctions.
Finally, the evening culminated in the President's Special Recognition Award, which celebrates those making a real difference by the way they work and the outcomes they deliver.
This year, the President’s Special Recognition Award was divided into Individual and Team Winners.
The Individual winner was Karl Rourke of East Riding of Yorkshire Council. With the Right Lighting, Right Place, Right Time project, Karl exemplifies national leadership in street lighting, driving data‑led, low‑carbon, safety‑focused reforms that transform industry standards.
The Environmental Services Team at North Somerset Council were this year’s Team winners, recognising their achievements as the first local authority to collect soft plastics at the kerbside. This UK-first milestone sees the team collect over five tonnes of soft plastics each week, a massive achievement and one the team can be truly proud of.
This years’ submissions saw a wide-ranging selection of solutions, projects and ideas showing the ingenuity and creativity local authorities and their partners apply to place-based leadership.
Outgoing ADEPT President, Angela Jones said: “The ADEPT Spring Conference and Awards are an excellent opportunity to celebrate outstanding local government projects and people. Those using innovation and connection to deliver services for communities. Doing the vital work of creating safe, sustainable and resilient places.
“Judging the President’s Awards has been one of the highlights of my year. Reading through the entries and seeing the range of them, the ambition, the heart that has gone into them, reminds me just how much brilliance exists within our local authorities. Every entry represents teams and individuals who have gone further than they had to, finding better ways to meet the needs of their communities, even in the face of growing challenges.
“Making the case for people and place has been my theme throughout this year, and the honest truth is that none of it is done alone. Everyone involved in these awards, from those shortlisted to tonight’s winners and highly commended finalists, plays a part in delivering stronger, more connected and more resilient communities.
“I’d like to thank everyone who has taken the time to be part of the Spring Conference, our sponsors and partners for their continued support, and every local authority and organisation who submitted an entry to the President’s Awards. It has been a privilege hearing so many diverse, inspiring and innovative stories from across the country."
Award winners – list of finalists:
Category 1 - Delivering Sustainable Growth - sponsored by Costain
Winner: Northumberland County Council – The Northumberland Line
- Highly commended: Kirklees Council – Our Cultural Heart (Huddersfield Blueprint)
Category 2 – Deploying Digital Innovation & Technology - sponsored by Ringway
Winner: East Riding of Yorkshire Council – Beyond Lighting: A Digital Blueprint for Safer, Lower-Carbon Infrastructure
- Highly commended: Lincolnshire County Council – Project Groundwater: Greater Lincolnshire’s Hyperlocal Flood Alarm
- Highly commended: Cheshire East Highways, Ringway, Jacobs – Smart Roads, Safer Networks: Transforming Highways with AI Video Intelligence
Category 3 – Shaping Places for People - sponsored by Jacobs
Winner: Hertfordshire County Council – Community Shelters in Hertfordshire
- Highly commended: City of London – Reinventing the City Alley
- Highly commended: Norfolk County Council – Transforming Heartsease Roundabout
President’s Special Recognition Award
Individual Winner: Karl Rourke of East Riding of Yorkshire Council – Right Lighting, Right Place, Right Time
Team Winner: Environmental Services Team at North East Somerset Council – first Local Authority to collect soft plastics at the kerbside
A photo gallery of images from the ADEPT Spring Conference 2025 and the President's Awards Dinner is available here.
