What Burnham's conference speech means for local government

The Labour Party Conference delivered some big headlines. Social care, housing, public ownership and the pension triple lock all played a prominent role in Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s speech.

Yet beyond those announcements, another theme surfaced throughout the speech. Burnham repeatedly returned to devolution, local leadership and the idea that communities should have greater control over the decisions that shape their futures.

For local government leaders, the implications are significant because councils will increasingly be expected to deliver outcomes not only for their own communities, but as part of wider place-based partnerships. As devolution expands, the relationship between councils, Strategic Authorities and regional partners is set to become increasingly important.

For Burnham, place-based government is not a new idea. From his years as Mayor of Greater Manchester through to his first conference speech as Prime Minister, he has consistently argued that communities are best served when decisions are made closer to the people they affect. Today's speech reinforced that belief, placing local leadership and devolved decision-making firmly at the centre of the government's wider reform agenda.

The recent pause on Local Government Reorganisation adds a further dimension to the discussion. While questions remain around future council structures, Burnham's speech offers a reminder that reform is rarely a linear process.

Although LGR may have been delayed, it has not been cancelled, and many local government leaders will still face important decisions in the years ahead. The pause does, however, provide local authorities with an opportunity to take stock of their current position, assess their readiness for future change and consider whether the foundations are in place to support the operating models of tomorrow.

A key part of that preparation will involve technology. For many councils, that means assessing whether existing systems are capable of supporting a more connected model of delivery and developing a clear plan to move away from on-premise, siloed and increasingly outdated technology towards modern cloud-based platforms designed to support collaboration at scale.

As public authorities modernise their technology foundations, attention is also turning to how AI can be deployed safely and responsibly. For local and central government organisations alike, UK data sovereignty should remain a first priority, giving leaders confidence that sensitive information remains secure, appropriately governed and processed within the UK.

With that confidence in place, attention can turn to the opportunities AI presents. Rather than treating it as a standalone technology, local authorities should be looking towards sector-specific solutions that embed intelligence directly into day-to-day work. Used well, AI can help speed up routine tasks, reduce manual effort, surface relevant information more quickly, identify emerging risks, improve forecasting and support faster, better-informed decision-making.

If place-based government is to succeed, relevant authorities need access to consistent, trusted information alongside systems that support collaboration rather than reinforce silos. They also need the ability to understand what is happening across a place, rather than within the boundaries of a single organisation. With those foundations established, place-based government becomes less complex, more coordinated and easier to manage.

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