LGIU’s Chief Executive Knowledge Exchange 2026: Collaboration across the UK and Ireland

Introduction

LGIU’s Chief Executive Knowledge Exchange is a one–two day programme led by LGIU and hosted in partnership with an LGIU member council, bringing together local authority chief executives from across the UK and Ireland. It creates a space to explore shared challenges and opportunities, build connections, and exchange ideas and innovative solutions through peer learning.

This year’s LGIU Chief Executive Knowledge Exchange, hosted in Galway, brought together local government leaders from across the UK and Ireland for a rich and insightful few days of discussion, learning and connection. While operating in different systems and contexts, common themes quickly emerged: communities are always at the heart of the role, and building trust is a core leadership responsibility. Across every session, from economic development to cross-border collaboration, the value of sharing challenges and experiences was clear: a problem shared is often a problem halved. The exchange highlighted that balancing community, culture and development is complex, but through trust, partnership and shared learning, it becomes not only manageable, but energising. Above all, it reinforced the importance of stewardship and long-term leadership, providing continuity, legacy and stability beyond political cycles, and served as a timely reminder that when local government comes together to exchange ideas, more can be achieved for the places and communities we serve.

You can learn about last year’s knowledge exchange in our 2025 key takeaways article here.

Pre-Knowledge Exchange – visit to the Aran Islands

For some attendees, the study visit began with a unique opportunity to experience one of Ireland’s most distinctive communities – the Aran Islands. Galway County Council facilitated a one-day study visit for Kate Kennally, Chief Executive of Cornwall Council, Derek Brown, Chief Executive of Highland Council, alongside LGIU’s Chief Executive, Jonathan Carr-West, and Ireland Commissioning Editor, Seán Ó Riordáin. After an exciting and brief flight across to Inis Mór, the delegation was welcomed by the Galway County Chief Executive Liam Conneally and his deputy Uinsinn Finn, who is directly responsible for the island services. The delegates were joined by Cathy Ni Ghoill, Manager of Comharchumann Forbartha Árann Teo (Local Development Co-Op) who, with Liam, covered the plans for the Island, most notably ”Our living Island: Action Plan, 2023-2026”. During the visit, the team were educated on decarbonisation, energy management and waste recycling on the islands, as well as pier development, including Kilronan/Inis Oir harbour developments, coastal erosion, road renewal, planning and development for the islands, among several topics.

Day 1: Leadership, collaboration and shared challenges

Day one began with a short train journey into Galway City. This included a walk through the redevelopment of Galway Railway Station, a critical regional investment project supported by Galway City Council. The formal programme commenced, at the Genesys Building, with a warm welcome from Jonathan Carr-West and Galway City Chief Executive, Leonard Cleary.

Session 1: The role of the local authority chief executive across the UK and Ireland

The morning opened with presentations exploring the role of a Local Authority Chief Executive across England, Ireland,  Northern Ireland and Scotland . While each contributing Chief Executive brought a distinct national and local perspective, a number of common themes quickly emerged.

Pippa Milne, Chief Executive of Argyll and Bute Council and Chair of SOLACE, highlighted the importance of community planning partnerships as a defining feature of the Scottish system. These partnerships shape how place leadership is exercised and reinforce the idea that system leadership, working across organisations and sectors, is central to the Chief Executive role.

Paddy Mahon, Chief Executive of Longford County Council and Chair of the County and City Management Association in Ireland, outlined the breadth of services delivered by Irish local authorities, including environmental services, economic development, housing, transport, recreation and community development. He emphasised the strong sense of cohesion and collegiality among Chief Executives in Ireland, who often act collectively on behalf of the sector. He also referenced the Local Democracy Taskforce, noting its potential to influence future governance arrangements.

Kate Kennally, Chief Executive of Cornwall Council, spoke from the perspective of Cornwall as a place with a strong and distinct identity – a nation within itself. She focused on the realities of leading a large, unitary authority. She highlighted the scale of expenditure on social care, children’s services and education, alongside new council priorities. Her concept of the “Power of Three: leading in 3D” emphasised the need for leadership that balances multiple dimensions simultaneously.

Adrian McCreesh, Chief Executive of Mid Ulster District Council, outlined the more limited responsibilities of councils in Northern Ireland, alongside tight financial constraints and reliance on property tax as the primary income source. With less direct responsibility for areas such as housing, councils are increasingly focused on income generation and economic development. He also noted a trend of governance “retracting to the centre,” while emphasising the importance of being “unapologetically local.” 

This session highlighted both the differences in governance systems and the striking similarities in leadership challenges—particularly the need to balance political direction with organisational stewardship, and immediate pressures with long-term impact.

Session 2: Economic development of Galway City and County

This was followed by a session led by Liam Hanrahan, Director of Services, Galway County Council, and Brian Barratt, Senior Executive Officer, Economic Affairs, Galway City Council, providing a strong local perspective on economic development.

Key insights from Brian Barratt included:

• The Irish economy is underpinned by key fundamentals: a knowledge-based economy, strong foreign direct investment, stable governance, investment in research and development, and global trade links.
• A deliberate diversification away from agriculture towards higher-value sectors has been critical.
• There is an ongoing need for reinvestment to sustain growth.
• Galway’s priorities include:
  • Connectivity and infrastructure
  • Skills and links to universities
  • Quality of life and housing/accommodation
  • Sustainability and energy security
  • Future growth sectors such as marine, intelligence and creative economies

Key insights from Liam Hanrahan included:

• The expanded role of local authorities in economic and strategic planning, noting the example of the large Dexcom investment near Athenry
• The importance of community engagement structures, including Local Community Development Committees (LCDC)
• A strong focus on regeneration programmes, including THRIVE
• The increasing role of councils in housing delivery and place regeneration

Session 3: Community benefits from major renewables projects

Late morning discussions explored how communities can benefit from major renewables and infrastructure projects.

Kevin Kelly, Chief Executive of Mayo County Council spoke about the implementation of a marine strategy and community benefits, structured around five core pillars: Promote, Harness, Enrich, Value, and Smart. He also highlighted the Oweninny Community Benefit Fund as an example of how local communities can directly benefit from large-scale energy developments.

Derek Brown, Chief Executive of Highland Council focused on building community benefit through strategic planning and investment:

• The Highland Investment Plan and Place-Making Investment Plan (including Community PODs)
• A Future Operating Model focused on enabling socio-economic transformation
• The Workforce North Co-Investment Fund, which brings together local authorities and private sector employers to co-invest in workforce solutions, combining seed funding, local authority support and employer contributions

Oliver Reid, Chief Executive of Orkney Islands Council, highlighted the demographic challenges facing island communities, particularly a rapidly ageing population, and the implications this has for service delivery, workforce planning and sustainability. He also spoke about the Quanterness Wind Farm, a six-turbine onshore development that will be council-owned, generating income for local services while playing a key role in securing a new electricity interconnector for Orkney.

Across all three contributions, key themes emerged:

• The need to balance community, culture and economic development
• Shared challenges across different geographies, despite differing contexts
• The importance of partnership working and community engagement

Discussions also raised important questions and ideas around:

• Whether skills should be developed in-house or outsourced
• The risks of over-reliance on consultants, particularly where siloed working can overlook community perspectives
• The complexity of balancing competing priorities—economic growth, tourism, sustainability and biodiversity
• Liam Conneally posed a key question: are local authorities “project makers” or “project takers”?
• Trust also emerged as a critical requirement for effective leadership in this space.

Session 4: Cross-border collaboration and workshop

The afternoon turned to cross-border partnerships, with John McLaughlin (Chief Executive, Donegal County Council) highlighting the unique opportunities and complexities of collaboration, particularly in the context of the Derry & Strabane and Donegal partnership and its strategic cross-border position.

This fed into a workshop exploring collaboration “across these islands,” focusing on:

• Identifying areas of shared interest
• Opportunities for joint working
• Barriers to collaboration
• Potential funding routes under recent intergovernmental agreements

The day concluded with time to explore Galway City, followed by an evening dinner hosted by Browne Jacobson, providing further opportunity for informal discussion and relationship-building. The dinner was attended by Mr Noel Grealish, T.D.,  the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and the Marine with responsibility for Food Promotion, New Markets, Research and Development. Sean Canney, T.D., Minister of State at the Department of Transport with responsibility for International and Road Transport, Logistics, Rail and Ports, also attended.

Day 2: Economic renewal and place-based leadership

Day two began with a short bus journey to the BIA Innovator Campus, setting the scene for a day focused on economic renewal and the evolving role of local government.

Session 1: The role of local government in economic renewal

Following a welcome from Leonard Cleary, Chief Executive of Galway City Council, the morning sessions explored how local authorities drive economic development.

Martin Lydon, Chief Executive of Sligo County Council, opened with a focus on the enabling role of local authorities, particularly in driving regional economic cohesion.

Gordon Daly, Chief Executive of Clare County Council, spoke about sustainable tourism, and how local authorities can develop and manage places as tourism destinations while balancing growth with environmental and community considerations.

Mary Quinn, Acting Chief Executive of Leitrim County Council, closed the first session, spotlighting the role of culture and the arts as a key driver of local identity and economic development. She emphasised how local authorities can actively leverage cultural assets to benefit communities and strengthen place identity.

BIA Innovator Campus Visit

A tour of the BIA Innovator Campus, led by Derek Dunwoody, brought these themes to life. This involved exploring their office space, kitchens being used for school meal preparation and other innovative food products, and fish and dairy preparation facilities. The campus demonstrated how local leadership can create and support spaces for innovation, enterprise and long-term regional development, acting as a practical example of economic strategy in action. 

Session 2: Urban and rural renewal

The final session focused on regeneration and renewal.

Shane Tiernan, Chief Executive of Roscommon County Council, spoke about the importance of reigniting towns and communities, and tackling vacancy and dereliction. As well as the wider value of revitalising underused spaces to support local economies and community wellbeing.

Ken Gourlay (Chief Executive, Fife Council) outlined the ambition behind City Region Deals:

• Investment in innovation and technology hubs as economic drivers
• Strong focus on skills, education and employability
• Translating existing good work into sustainable, long-term employment opportunities
• Driving business investment and job creation
• Enhancing social inclusion, reducing inequalities and improving access to education and services
• A particular interest in strengthening links with schools to build future opportunity

Adrian McCreesh (Chief Executive, Mid Ulster District Council) presented a compelling example of place-based leadership:

• Mid Ulster as a global leader in engineering
• Development of a world-class engineering cluster in Tyrone
• Plans for a Learning Factory to support lean manufacturing and productivity through the Local Economic Partnerships Action Plan

Sarah Fortune (Depute Chief Executive, East Lothian Council) spoke about the East Lothian City Region Deal and Edinburgh Innovation Hub:

• Managing and sustaining long-term population growth
• Advancing community wealth building through local spend, employment and education
• Engaging communities to harness opportunities and deliver long-term legacy
• Recognising both the scale of opportunity and the challenges, including fiscal pressures and balancing competing priorities.

Overall reflections

Across the entire exchange- from the Aran Islands to Galway City and the BIA Innovator Campus – a consistent theme emerged: while contexts differ, the challenges and opportunities facing local government are remarkably similar.

Key reflections included:

• The importance of long-term thinking and stewardship
• The critical role of non-elected leadership in providing continuity and stability
• The need for collaboration, trust and partnership working
• The shared challenge of balancing economic development, community needs and sustainability

The event provided a space for rich, honest and energising conversations. It reinforced that when local government leaders come together to exchange ideas, challenge assumptions and build relationships, more can be achieved for the places and communities they serve.

Interested in hosting a future Knowledge Exchange or taking part next year? Get in touch to express your interest and find out how you can be involved.