Will Brooks:
Here we are at Local Government Challenge 2025. And this is challenge one here in the fantastic council of Buckinghamshire
Erika Murigi:
So the challenge brief is around how our regeneration plans can play a key role in the recruitment and retention of talent within Buckinghamshire. Like many counties across the country, we've experienced significant shifts in how people are interacting with our town centres.
Aoife O’Gorman:
We had a really nice introduction to the senior leadership. Then we had a little bit of team time together, which was a really nice opportunity to throw some ideas around. We don't know each other that well yet, so it was a good chance to figure out where our strengths and weaknesses might be.
Amy Lipley:
Team Ascend have been asked about business and education. And team Visionaries have been asked to look at culture and leisure. The two are quite symbiotic, so it's hard to separate them, especially when we're looking at different tasks. On the one hand, business is very important, especially to high streets. But then you've got education which is so entwined with the arts.
Jess Finnin:
So we’ve done a very cold walking tour of Aylesbury. They are trying to wire up the marketplace so you can get some more exciting offerings. We saw some builders digging up some cobblestones, and they had to do it brick by brick to replace them, because the quarry that created the bricks in the first place has since closed down.
Harriet Vitty:
As team captain, I am slightly apprehensive because it is definitely a role that I haven't been used to before. Having been a legal officer, I'm often in the back office. What I found really interesting today is the amount of car usage that still occurs in Buckinghamshire particularly within Aylesbury. And how Buckinghamshire Council have to manage a policy that acknowledges the needs of current residents whilst being forward looking in terms of more of a green economy.
Virginia Ponton:
My favourite bit of the challenge so far has been how well they've jelled together.
Michael Barrett:
I think one of the best things about the programme is those connections, and those connections going into the future of their careers.
Virginia Ponton:
I feel like my team have put themselves in people’s shoes. They’ve really imagined what it would be like to live here.
Michael Barrett:
There’s tonnes going on in the town centre, that they seem to have no idea about, but it’s really brought the challenge to life for them, in terms of what residents here want.
Helen Potter:
Regeneration is a world that I don't normally work in. So what stood out to me from a morning of thinking about it, is just how varied it is. There are the cultural elements, the business, the education, the actual infrastructure of the town, the people, the political side, and how all of those things come into play, in terms of thinking about how we’ll take our plans forwards.
Mike Campbell:
This afternoon we had two panel discussions which were really interesting. One with the regeneration team and one with the comms team. Really good to get a bit more of an insight, about some of the internal dynamics within the council. But also to get their opinion on what will and won't work in the final presentation.
Rebecca Dentith:
One of the key takeaways from Buckinghamshire’s regen plan is, understanding how they face the challenges since becoming a unitary authority. Having to work from previous district and borough plans and strategies, where they’ve had to make sometimes tough decisions, to change that or stop financial support, and how they've tried to come together with a view of the new Buckinghamshire regen strategy going forward.
Harriet Vitty:
So, it's 10 P.M., we’re just finishing up, pulling everything together for tomorrow. How you feeling, Helen?
Helen Potter:
Ready for bed.
Mike Campbell:
Also ready for bed.
Rebecca Dentith:
Also ready for bed.
Shohum Dave:
Feel good.
Harriet Vitty:
That’s good. I’m feeling ready for bed. Just finished my first day of the first challenge as team captain. Really excited for day two. I definitely feel like everybody in the team has got on board, with just trying the best they absolutely can, to provide a solution to the challenge. What an exciting thing. And we've got five months of it.
Aoife O’Gorman:
It’s not an inspiring start to our evening’s work. And ready to work in the Travelodge. At the moment it feel like we’re in a good place. We’ve got the outlines of what we want to say. So tomorrow is hopefully going to be refining our ideas further, and getting everything ready to present.
Michael Barrett:
It's always really fascinating observing the teams at the first challenge. It's a completely new environment for them, both in terms of geography, but also often the challenge topic as well. We're looking for the teams to learn about each other's ways of working, ensuring all voices are heard so they can build consensus around their ideas before pitching that back to the host council.
Virginia Ponton:
We’re nearing the end of the challenge, and both teams have had a huge amount of ideas between them. So it's a really crucial time for them to refine those ideas, and make sure they link up strategically. They have an ideas testing session this morning. And that's a chance to pitch their proposals so far and refine those further if they need to.
Shohum Dave:
What I've learned so far is that they’re on a journey. They've implemented a lot of things so far, and I think what we're here to do, is to try and find those areas where they may not necessarily have thought about, and to bring those together and to give them a different perspective.
Adeel Hussain:
What I have found out about Buckingham’s regeneration strategy, is they have such diverse communities, with lots to offer in building and shaping Buckinghamshire, as a new and vibrant creative hub. They have so much history, so much talent. It's an example of what the future can hold in local government.
Harriet Vitty:
Our presentation is bringing together our vision to establish, the unique opportunities within Buckinghamshire Council. Those unique opportunities rest within the industries that are already occurring. That's Westcott Space Centre, the manufacturing industries, and the film industries. And bringing to the town centres the showcasing of these industries.
Aoife:
Our presentation is going to cover culture and leisure entertainment within regen. So we're taking two strand approach. One is looking at using networks across the county, to foster community and a sense of inclusivity and belonging. The other looks at the unique selling points of the county towns, and how we can capitalise on those, to make Buckinghamshire a place for everyone.
Cllr Rachael Matthews:
We chose after much deliberation to have our winning team as team Visionaries. It was a difficult decision, but ultimately we decided that a number of the concepts and ideas were ones that we could implement across the county. The ideas that we might take forward, are some of the concepts such as B in Bucks, the Bucks duck, Bucks Fizz and the High Street Jinx.
Harriet Vitty:
There was some really helpful, constructive criticism that was given, as part of feedback, particularly around the report writing and having that clear vision to answer the question of the challenge.
Aoife O’Gorman:
I’m feeling pretty pleased that we've won. The team worked really hard. But obviously the other team worked really hard as well and we had a chat with them afterwards, heard about some of their brilliant ideas too. I think as a team we had quite a diverse skills set. Regen is something that requires a lot of different hats. So the fact that the team were able to reflect that, I think helped us.
