President's Update

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President Update - October 2026 - latest news from ADEPT

Hello everyone and welcome to this month's update. It's been a busy few weeks as we head into autumn, so here's the latest from ADEPT.

We continue to be very active in engaging with the new government and have been continuing to reach out to ministers this month on a range of issues. We've written to Ian Murray, Minister of State at DCMS, raising our concerns about the delivery of Project Gigabit as it enters its most challenging phase – you can read the letter here.

I also wrote to Louise Haigh MP to congratulate her on her new role as Minister for the Cabinet Office, offering to work with her team on the government's ambition to build capacity and capability across local government - areas where our leadership programmes and Digital Academy could make a real contribution.

As part of this work to try to shape the national agenda, we’ve also called on the government to pause the rollout of the Deposit Return Scheme and carry out a full review of its cost impact on local authorities - you can read our full statement here.

On the training front, we are now calling for expressions of interest for the 2027 ADEPT Leadership Development Programme, aimed at aspiring place directors. Whether it's for yourself or someone in your team, you can find out more here.

We're also developing a new Energy System Change Training Programme, to build leadership and practical delivery capability across local authorities. We're currently assessing demand and funding opportunities and we'll share more details as soon as the programme takes shape.

Finally, the ADEPT Autumn Conference on Thursday 26th and Friday 27th November at the DoubleTree by Hilton Brighton Metropole is really shaping up, with more speakers confirmed every week. Under this year's theme of Making Better Places for People, it promises to be a fantastic two days - book your place here. If cost is a barrier for you or your team, please do apply to the ADEPT Bursary Fund, which has been made possible through the generous support of our Corporate Partners - the deadline has been extended to 14th October and you can apply here.

For more updates on ADEPT's latest news, publications, and the work of our boards and groups, visit our website: www.adeptnet.org.uk 

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