Tackling the most pressing challenges facing councils
The 2025 Local Government Challenge reached its grand finale at the LGA’s annual conference, with Harriet Vitty, from Liverpool City Council, crowned this year’s winner.
The announcement marked the end of a six-month journey that took 10 officers across England to tackle some of the most pressing challenges facing local government and culminated in our four finalists pitching their proposals in Liverpool for the £10,000 Bruce-Lockhart Scholarship.
In May, the programme travelled to Knowsley Council for the fifth and final challenge, which provided the opportunity for the cohort to demonstrate their growth and ingenuity one last time.
Hosted at the Shakespeare North Playhouse in Prescot, the challenge focused on sustaining ambition and career aspirations in children and young people.
Set in a borough that was crowned Local Authority of the Year at the MJ Awards 2024, the challenge reflected Knowsley’s wider mission to tackle inequality and promote social regeneration.
Both challenge teams immersed themselves in the community, consulting with local businesses, education providers and Knowsley Youth Cabinet to shape these insights into two distinct and powerful proposals.
Team Ascend, who ultimately won the challenge, proposed the ‘Destination Passport’, a lifelong career-journey tool designed to connect young people with opportunities in the borough while showcasing local talent.
Central to their vision was the ‘BOSS’ framework (Believe, Opportunity, Support, Succeed), a culturally relevant approach aimed at sustaining young people’s ambitions.
Team Visionaries, meanwhile, introduced a series of partnership-driven ideas, including TED-style talks aimed at inspiring young people and their families.
Their approach recognised the importance of shared community ambition, and sought to bridge the gap between education and employment through storytelling and visibility.
The final presentations for the Knowsley challenge were followed by the announcement of this year’s four highest-scoring LG Challenge contestants – the finalists who went on to present their pitches to delegates and a judging panel at the LGA’s annual conference in Liverpool.
Mike Campbell (London Borough of Waltham Forest), Rebecca Dentith (North Yorkshire Council), Jess Finnin (London Borough of Havering) and Harriet Vitty (Liverpool City Council) each hosted a stand, giving delegates the chance to explore their ideas in depth, ask questions and offer feedback.
This interactive format allowed the wider sector to engage directly with the contestants’ proposals, sparking conversations around innovation, delivery and scalability.
They then delivered their closing pitches to a judging panel made up of representatives from the LGA, Essex County Council and The MJ, making the case for why their project should take top spot.
At an award ceremony hosted by Cllr Kevin Bentley, LGA Senior Vice-Chairman, local finalist Harriet Vitty was crowned as the overall winner.
Cllr Louise Gittins, LGA Chair, presented the trophy for Vitty’s project, The Real Voice Framework, a proposal to integrate artificial intelligence into the special educational needs and disabilities system.
As the 2025 cohort concluded their journey, the LGA extended its thanks to the host councils and all participants.
- Officer applications and nominations for the 2026 Local Government Challenge are now open.
