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2025 Cohort - session two – Trust, Investment and the Future of Place – reflections from Wales

As part of ADEPT’s 2025 PACE programme, participants spent their second session in Cardiff exploring trust, investment and the future of place leadership in a changing Wales. Andy Gutherson, 2nd Vice President and Chair of the ADEPT Midlands Board and Executive Director of Place for Lincolnshire County Council reflects on what the group learned and why he came away with a renewed sense of optimism.

Hope. That was the word we all landed on at the end of the second PACE session. Despite the turbulence and complexity of political change and the constant demands of leadership, what shone through was a shared belief that the future of place making can and should be hopeful.

The day took us across the border into Wales to offer a fresh perspective on familiar challenges. It was important to step outside the everyday context of our responsibilities and see how a different system approaches similar issues. 

A location that suited the conversations

The setting could not have been more fitting and we met in the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, a place steeped in energy and identity. To sit there, looking out over a pristine pitch, brought a certain symbolism to the discussion, for all of us it was a reminder that leadership, like sport, demands teamwork, trust and resilience.

One of the themes that carried forward from our first session was the erosion of confidence in traditional politics. With the next Senedd elections due in spring 2026 and a by-election taking place in the autumn, Wales provided a timely opportunity to test our thinking and challenge our preconceptions.

We began by looking at the Well-being of Future Generations Act, a piece of legislation that enshrines sustainable development at the heart of Welsh policy making. It sets out principles that all public sector bodies must follow, aiming to make decisions that balance social, environmental and economic needs both now and for the long term. Our discussion quickly turned to the question of durability. How do such forward-looking commitments endure when political priorities shift? Can legislation alone sustain a culture of long-term thinking?

The location also framed a powerful discussion about economic regeneration. Cardiff Bay is often held up as a success story, yet standing there it was clear that the regeneration journey is far from complete. The area has transformed physically but still faces the challenge of creating inclusive economic opportunities and strong communities. Regeneration, we agreed, is never finished. It is an ongoing process that depends on sustained collaboration and investment.

Understanding  the value of trust

We also heard from political analysts who shared polling data ahead of the next Senedd elections, which will introduce a new proportional voting system. At the time, Plaid Cymru and Reform UK were polling neck and neck, with the traditional parties lagging well behind. The results of the Caerphilly by-election later confirmed that the predictions were close to the mark, with Plaid Cymru making significant gains. The changing political landscape in Wales highlights a broader truth, that public trust in established systems can no longer be taken for granted. This means that local government must continue to adapt to maintain its relevance and connection to communities.

The session encouraged us to explore what trust really means in practice. In Wales, there are 22 local authorities serving just 3.3 million people, compared with the ongoing drive in England towards larger unitary models. That difference raised fascinating questions about scale, proximity and connection.

Is trust built through local closeness or through clear, consistent delivery at a broader level? There is no single answer, but it reminded us that the relationships underpinning leadership are what truly matter.

From our discussions, several key themes emerged clearly:

• the need for long-term ambition and clear goals
• the importance of engaging communities and building public ownership of those ambitions
• the value of collaboration between partners across sectors
• the responsibility of the public sector to drive innovation and manage risk
• the opportunities that system change can create when approached with care and shared purpose
• the understanding that trust must be earned through the delivery of visible outcomes

Each of these ideas connects back to relationships. In any political system, relationships matter more than structures. They are what sustain trust between elected members, officers, partners and communities. They take time to build and must be nurtured through openness, integrity and consistent action.

Exploring our own experiences

Reflecting on my own experiences in Lincolnshire over recent months, these themes have felt particularly relevant. Following major political change, we have had to revisit long-held assumptions about how our council works and what leadership looks like. Some of our new councillors arrived with no previous political experience, yet a deep commitment to their communities. That sincerity has been both refreshing and challenging. It has reminded me that good governance depends as much on human relationships as on institutional rules.

For many of us, this period has been about rethinking how we work with each other. In some areas, we have had to set aside the old rule book entirely to begin again, focusing on the values that unite us rather than the systems that divide us. The PACE programme provides its cohort with a rare space to reflect on that process. To step out of the day-to-day demands and explore how leadership can evolve in a rapidly shifting landscape is a gift.

What connects all of this is hope. Hope that we can rebuild trust between individuals, communities and institutions. Hope that collaboration can deliver better outcomes for people and places. Hope that professional leadership, grounded in honesty and integrity, can provide the steady hand and clear-eyed vision that our communities need.

As the PACE programme continues, I look forward to exploring these themes further, particularly the need to challenge preconceptions and engage in meaningful dialogue with new political movements and leaders. Building mutual trust and understanding will not be easy, but it is essential if we are to navigate the uncertainty ahead.

The second session in Cardiff reminded us that despite the noise of change, the heart of local leadership still beats strongly. We left with renewed determination and with that simple but powerful conviction that often, progress begins with hope.

Further information

• This joint venture between ADEPT and Amey is designed to provide thought leaders with the space to find strategic solutions that are Pioneering, Action-orientated, Creative and Entrepreneurial (PACE). Designed exclusively for place directors and senior leadership, two of the fundamental principles behind PACE is to influence the future of place-focused strategies and support place leaders in driving change.
• Session summary - read the full document from session two.

Other resources 

• PACE - The Place Leaders Programme: www.adeptnet.org.uk/pace
• Amey: www.amey.co.uk
• You can find summaries from previous cohorts of the PACE programme here

Author

Andy Gutherson is 2nd Vice President, Chair of ADEPT Midlands Board and Executive Director of Place, Lincolnshire County Council