The government’s devolution plans are centred on devolving more powers out of Whitehall into the hands of the local leaders, and giving local places control of key policy areas like skills, transport, and housing. But questions remain about how this will work in practice.

At the 2025 Liberal Democrat Party Conference in Bournemouth we explored the key steps that local places need to take to develop an effective economic strategy.

Our speakers included:

➡️ Baroness Pinnock, Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson on Housing, Communities and Local Government

➡️ Professor Lisa Collins, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation at the University of Surrey

➡️ Councillor Lorna Dupre, Deputy Leader of Cambridgeshire County Council

➡️ Rebecca McKee Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government

This event was chaired by Thomas Pope, Deputy Chief Economist at the Institute for Government.

This event was held in partnership with the University of Surrey.