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.
