Dear LGcomms members,
LGcomms Academy is back for 2026, and this time we are heading to the fabulous city of Nottingham, famous for lace, Raleigh bikes, its annual Goose Fair and, rightly or wrongly, Robin Hood.
This year our theme is ‘Gear Up’, inspired by Raleigh, which was founded in Nottingham in 1885, and is most famous for the iconic Chopper bike, one of the most longed-for Christmas presents of the 60s and 70s. And while unlike Raleigh our comms community can’t claim that ‘We Created Cool’, we do know a bit about moving at breakneck speed through changing terrain with plenty of bumps in the road along the way.
A wise old Greek philosopher allegedly once said that “the only certainty is change” and this has never felt more true in local government than in 2026 when nothing feels predictable. Local government reorganisation; major reform of other public sector organisations; a rapidly changing political landscape; technology moving at an even greater pace; and the local impact of international conflict are all feeding into an atmosphere of instability and nervousness.
That’s why Academy 2026 is going to focus on the things we *can* control (as well as the things we can’t) – best practice impactful communications, meaningful engagement with our communities, purposeful innovation and keeping ourselves strong to do the very best job we can in this changing world.
We have listened to your feedback and, as well as pulling out all the stops to run another summer (hopefully sunny) conference, we have created a programme that responds to what you’ve told us you want. There will be more showcasing of case studies and award-winning campaigns for you to steal ideas from; more choice to pick the sessions most relevant to you; and more time to network with colleagues, seek support, and forge new friendships. We also won’t be serving an entirely vegan menu again, although all diets will be catered for.
So saddle up! We can’t wait to see you in Nottingham this June.
Louise Neilan
Chair of LGcomms