This is your opportunity to shape the future of local government and have your organisation lead the way in finding the next generation of leaders in the sector.
High profile partner opportunities are available to organisations wishing to collaborate in this unique local government leadership initiative.
This is an investment that will ensure that your branding is seen, not only during the challenge itself, but also at the LGA Annual Conference. This event has over 2,000 leading professionals in attendance from the public, private and third sector.
Suppliers from a range of disciplines are invited to apply to be a challenge partner. From workforce, leadership development or IT, through to council service delivery areas, and consultancies - this is an opportunity that you won’t want to miss.
The Local Government Challenge
- ten contestants
- five real-life challenges
- four finalists
- one winner of the prestigious scholarship worth £10,000
- let your organisation shape the future of local government’s next generation of top executives.
What is it?
Now with its 13th cohort, the LG Challenge aims to develop local government’s future leaders. The intensive annual competition, designed by and for local government, celebrates and recognises the amazing talent in the sector and offers the winner the chance to take away the prestigious Bruce-Lockhart scholarship worth up to £10,000.
Over the course of six months, 10 local government officers from different disciplines and councils around the country form our contestants who undertake five tough real-life challenges in partnership with five regionally diverse local authorities. The challenges are designed to uniquely test and develop contestants’ leadership, creative skills and communication under the spotlight of the host authorities and Local Government Association (LGA) observers and judges who score the cohort as individuals throughout and choose the winning team for each challenge solution.
LG Challenge 2026 will culminate in the final at the LGA Annual Conference (7-9 July 2026, Bournemouth International Centre), in which the four finalists will exhibit their own project proposals to delegates and pitch their project to a judging panel in the hope of winning the scholarship. The LGA Annual Conference has over 2,000 leading professionals in attendance from the public, private and third sector and extensive high-profile marketing and full national press coverage and the LG Challenge award ceremony is always one of the most uplifting highlights.
Harriet Vitty, LG Challenge 2025 Winner says:
"One of the most fulfilling parts of the LG Challenge was being able to see my own confidence and resilience growing as the challenges progressed. The LG Challenge has been such a supportive space for personal and professional growth, and I felt privileged to be trusted by the host Councils to help with come up with solutions to the challenges that they face, with the friends made on the cohort.
This experience has helped me build my confidence and highlighted the positive impact I can have within Local Government. I feel confident in my potential to contribute meaningfully to Local Government at a senior leadership level in the future.”
Programme timeline
- Summer 2025: search for candidates
- January - June 2026: Five challenges hosted by five councils
- June 2026: The four finalists are announced at the fifth challenge
- June/July 2026: Finals take place at LGA Annual Conference (7-9 July 2026). Winner is announced at LGA Conference by high-profile figure and begins their ‘Year of Opportunity’ with the Bruce-Lockhart Scholarship
Award Ceremony at LGA Annual Conference
£5,000
The LGA Annual Conference and Exhibition is an established event attracting high-level attendees from local government across England and Wales, including councils of different tiers and across England and Wales, businesses, and voluntary and community organisations.
The LG Challenge award ceremony and drinks reception on the last night of the LGA Annual Conference attracts senior council officers and members as one of the most uplifting highlights of the conference programme. As our sponsor partner, you will receive the following benefits:
- headline sponsorship of the LG Challenge Awards Ceremony and Drinks Reception
- three complimentary conference passes which will include entrance to delegate drinks receptions to the combined value of over £2,000.
- display of your corporate logo and links to your website on the front page of the LG Challenge website
- your logo to be displayed on LG Challenge graphics on screens around the venue
- opportunity to address Awards Ceremony audience
- pop-up stand at the LG Challenge Awards Ceremony and Drinks Reception with your branding
- inclusion/credit in bulletins across the LGA, in our media partner articles in the MJ and LGA’s first magazine, our LinkedIn channel and on the LG Challenge website
- inclusion/credit in news releases produced in relation with the LG Challenge 2025.
Challenge partner
£4,000
As a challenge partner your organisation will attend your chosen challenge and sit on the judging panel, as well as attend the LG Challenge Award Ceremony and Drinks Reception at LGA Annual Conference.
Your chosen challenge
- use of the LG Challenge logo in your own marketing materials
- branding on all LG Challenge briefing documents for your chosen challenge
- your representative to join us at the challenge for the unique chance to experience the action over two days which culminates in being part of the judging panel
- display of your corporate logo and links to your website on the LG Challenge website
- filmed interview at your chosen challenge for inclusion along with your logo in our challenge film which will be displayed on the LG Challenge website and on social media (LinkedIn)
- mentions in posts on all LG Challenge social media platforms relating to your chosen challenge
Let the challenge begin
Five councils around the country will host real-life challenges. Following the two-stage application and selection process, 10 finalists will be selected to compete in the LG Challenge 2026.
Challenges cover a range of different policy areas, from climate change to children and young people, regeneration to health, procurement to local democracy. And, each challenge will have a different theme and could be a front-line service challenge, financial, media/communications, or a community engagement challenge.
Find out more about the programme and how you can be the sponsor of this year’s LG Challenge. We are always open to suggestions and are happy to design a package that reflects your requirements and budget.
Please contact:
Vitaly Voytenko
[email protected]
Featured pages
LG Challenge
Created in 2009, the Local Government Challenge brings together talented local government officers to compete in a series of real-life challenges around the country.
For officers
Are you a local government officer keen to develop your leadership skills? Find out more about the impact of LG Challenge will have on your professional development.
For councils
Find out more about how your council can get involved in hosting a challenge, and the benefits and impact it will have on your local authority.