President Update - September 2026 - latest news from ADEPT
Hello and welcome to this month's update - you may notice a different name at the top! I'm Andy Gutherson, 1st Vice President, standing in while Katie takes a well deserved break.
As summer draws to a close and our weather returns to something like seasonal normality, I’ve been reflecting on the heatwaves we have endured and the projected El Niño event this winter. Unsettled weather patterns are here to stay, which makes our work with Defra to raise the profile of adaptation feel very timely. The Department has indicated that adaptation runs through everything it does: our job is to press for that to be the reality on the ground - whether it that’s new build standards, infrastructure resilience or restoring our natural environments. Parched fields and wildfires are not a vision for the future any of us should accept.
One very tangible consequence of this summer’s heat has been the national shortage of fridge and freezer recycling capacity, with several specialist processing facilities out of action and recycling centres across the country running out of safe storage space. ADEPT has written to Environment Minister Emma Hardy MP calling for urgent government intervention - you can read more here.
I'm pleased to share that ADEPT will shortly be announcing a new partnership with the Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation (CIHT). ADEPT will become a Learning Partner for the new Highway Preventative Maintenance Training Programme, launching in September. It's a timely and practical CPD opportunity for local highway authority teams - with a discount for ADEPT members - so keep an eye out for more details soon. We’re keen to build relationships with other professional bodies too, so if you have any suggestions, do let us know.
ADEPT's Leadership Pathway Programme, developed in partnership with Solace, continues to go from strength to strength- with such high demand, we are running two cohorts this year, with 50 people taking part across 2026. It's a fantastic reflection of the ambition and talent coming through in place services and it will be instrumental in preparing our future leaders for the opportunities arising from enhanced devolution and LGR. Find out more about ADEPT’s Leadership Programmes here.
We're also busy developing a new toolkit on local government reorganisation and planning, which will support members navigating the challenges and opportunities that LGR presents for planning services. Watch this space - more to come on this soon.
Finally, preparations for the ADEPT Autumn Conference on Thursday 26th and Friday 27th November at the DoubleTree by Hilton Brighton Metropole are well underway, and the programme is shaping up to be a really strong one. Under this year's theme of Making Better Places for People, we'll be joined by Vicky Davis from the National Audit Office and Sophie Langdale from the Local Government Reform & Strategy team in MHCLG, with more speakers to be announced in the coming weeks. If you haven't already reserved your space, booking is now open.
For more updates on ADEPT's latest news, publications, and the work of our boards and groups, visit our website: www.adeptnet.org.uk
