05/10/2026
Birmingham ICC : Hall 8a
Beyond Levelling Up: restitching neighbourhoods and restoring British prosperity
David Simmonds MP (Conservative Party, Shadow Minister for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Nicholas Boys Smith (Create Streets, Founder and Chairman)
Cllr Charlotte Vernon (Conservative Councillors' Association, Deputy Chairman)
Professor Neil Lee (London School of Economics and Political Science, Professor of Economic Geography)
Chaired by Kitty Thompson (Create Streets Foundation, Head of Policy and Campaigns)
Low growth, stark regional inequality, and frustrated pride in place are perennial problems of our time. Years of top-down regeneration funding have only been fitfully effective. Government vision rarely leaves London. Many towns and cities still struggle. Is there a new model in which local government restitches neighbourhoods, enables growth, and acts as stewards not bureaucrats? Join us to discuss how to plot the path to local prosperity.
06/10/2026
Birmingham ICC : Onward Marquee
Parks and prosperity: how to create, protect and restore access to nature
Meg Tretheway (Onward, Policy Fellow)
John Flesher (Conservative Environment Network, Deputy Director)
Kitty Thompson (Create Streets Foundation, Head of Policy and Campaigns)
Chaired by Caroline Elsom (Onward, Research Director)
Britain’s wild and natural spaces are often a source of great pride in people’s local areas. But too often, measures to protect and improve green space have come at the expense of building and growth. Our panel explore the opportunities for better investment in nature that improves access for urban and rural communities alike.