Breakout Session 

Friday 27th May, Halifax: 12:50 – 13:50

Supported by Engage Britain

How are communities building social infrastructure on their own? What more can we do to help people take back control of their own neighbourhoods – and do it for themselves? How can we create the culture and conditions for bottom up change?

• Imandeep Kaur: Co – Founder and Director of Civic Square. Throughout her decade-long career, Immy has focused on convening and building community, the role of citizens in radical systemic change, and how we together create more democratic, distributed, open source social and civic infrastructure.

• Sharon McAulay: Sharon McAulay is Chief Executive of STAR Project (est. 1999) – an award-winning creative community organisation that delivers long lasting positive social outcomes, building safer, more connected and resilient communities in Paisley, Renfrewshire.

• Neil O’Brien OBE MP: Neil O’Brien was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 19 September 2021. He was first elected Conservative MP for Harborough in June 2017. Neil was previously Special Adviser to Prime Minister Theresa May on the Economy and Industrial Strategy. Between November 2012 and July 2016 he was Special Adviser to the Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, working on the Northern Powerhouse among other projects.

• Dr Henry Kippin: Dr Henry Kippin is Managing Director of the North of Tyne Combined Authority. He was formerly a director at the West Midlands Combined Authority, responsible for its work on inclusive growth, public service reform, climate change and digital.

• Chair: Peter Foster: Peter Foster is the Public Policy Editor of the Financial Times. His brief is to break out of the bubbles of Westminster and Whitehall to cover all aspects of UK policy, including the implementation of Brexit, the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and the new ‘levelling up’ agenda of the Boris Johnson government.