In public service, we spend a lot of time talking about systems and structures, governance and accountability, the king and queen of local government. Whilst necessary, an excessive focus on infrastructure can make the ground feel a long way away and it soon becomes out of reach. So, increasingly I find myself returning to a more grounded concept: Place. Not merely as a location, but as a living, breathing part of our identity that shapes us, who we are, how we lead, how we serve, how we connect with our communities, and our people. Attachment to place is often underestimated. For some people, it is as important as attachments to people.

Place, to me, is not just geography. It is powerful, it is personal, and it is textured. It holds memory, identity and meaning. It is the stage on which children grow up and adults grow old. It is the context that shapes possibility.

In children’s services, you learn quickly that a sense of place is often a child’s first sense of safety. The walk to school, the trusted face at the gate, the park bench where friendships start or hearts break, these are all part of the soft infrastructure that shapes us. This idea of place as something emotionally charged and socially formative is not exclusive to childhood. Adults feel it too, even if we learn to hide it better.

And so, while it still takes a village to raise a child, I have started to think it now takes a village to raise a place. And the question local government should be asking itself in 2025 is not just how we deliver services efficiently, but how we grow, shape and steward the kind of places where people feel they belong, and where they can thrive.

It is a big ask, but I believe this is the real work now.

Growth does not land evenly. Opportunity does not arrive at every door. And the world we are in now, post-pandemic, increasingly digital, increasingly unequal, demands that councils do more than coordinate contracts and report on KPIs. Councils need to harness their civic imagination through their own unique brand of place-based leadership, which for me, extends beyond mere geography. It’s about reflecting on how the places we serve meet the diverse needs of children and families. Adopting a place-based approach enables us to craft supportive and strengthening environments which connect with each and every individual of our diverse local population.

To meet the diverse needs of our communities, we need to lean into innovative and flexible tools and technologies that make our services more accessible, more relevant and more dynamic. And we need to cultivate these skills within our biggest asset – our workforce – to ensure we can be agile and adaptable without being chaotic.

Wandsworth’s work with Apple is a great example of how we are embracing this ambition to nurture these skills in the workforce of the future. 

Together, we have brought coding into primary schools, not as a gimmick or extra-curricular activity, but as a core skill. It is about digital access, yes, but it is also about confidence and creativity. Coding teaches resilience, logic and imagination. It opens up paths to the digital economy for children who might otherwise never have a way in. It is a quietly radical shift in how we think about equity, and highlights how inclusive, forward-thinking education can nurture a diverse talent pool, support growth ambitions, and bridge the digital divide. 

And then there is AI. A word that, depending on the audience, can either empty a room or ignite it. I have been cautious, and probably still am, but I have also seen its potential. In our early trials, AI has helped reduce time on repetitive tasks, freeing up staff to focus on the human stuff. It has surfaced insights from data that might otherwise have gone unnoticed. It will never replace relationship-based work, especially not in children’s services, but as a “co-pilot,” it can be a quiet, efficient force for good.

Still, no algorithm can understand a family’s silence or know when someone needs a knock on the door rather than an email. And I hope that never changes. Whilst AI can assist and enhance our work, as a co-pilot, I believe that relationship-led practice will be irreplaceable in working with children and families. Will these be my famous last words?

As leaders, we tend to focus on big-picture thinking. Yet, I believe our greatest impact comes when we zoom in, leading not just from the top but from the ground up. I believe that the councils that will thrive in the coming years will not be those that digitise the fastest or centralise the most. They will be the ones that know their place, in both senses. Councils that understand their unique character and needs, and councils that recognise their role not just as service providers, but as builders of civic life. Councils that know when to take the lead, when to step back, and when to just listen.

Let’s continue to embrace big picture thinking but ensure that it is still grounded in the small and specific. Strategy that starts with people, not just policy. Technology that amplifies the work, not replaces it. Relationship-based practice and place-based practice going hand in hand, with heart and head in unison.