Local Authority Civil Enforcement Forum (LACEF) Conference 2026 Reflections

By Tracey Stone, LACEF Board Member and Welfare Together Director

The LACEF Conference 2026 at The Belfry in Birmingham brought together one of the strongest line‑ups we’ve ever hosted, and I’m incredibly proud to have helped shape a day that truly reflected the challenges, conversations and collaboration happening across our sector.

From the moment delegates arrived, the energy was unmistakable: local authority leaders, enforcement professionals and policy specialists all ready to tackle the issues shaping revenues, collections and customer support in 2026.

Key Themes & Discussions

• The evolving landscape of debt and recovery: Forum highlights shared in the run‑up to the conference set the tone for the day, from recovery processes and unsummoned arrangements to complex council tax premium cases and business rates restructuring. These conversations continued in the room, with delegates exploring how changing systems, retailer restructuring and new liability scenarios are impacting day‑to‑day decision‑making.
• Enforcement under pressure: Our Enforcement Panel, featuring Gary Carr (Empira), Lee Taylor, Laura Anne Smith (Excel Civil Enforcement), Lisa Black (Erewash Borough Council) and Ben Hamilton (Manchester City Council), delivered one of the most talked‑about sessions. Fee increases, sustainability pressures, rising violence towards enforcement agents, and the need for honest dialogue about future models were front and centre. The message was clear: collaboration is no longer optional.
• Relief schemes, liability challenges & rating complexities: Delegates dug into real‑world cases around retail relief eligibility, sole or main residence decisions, garages serving trade customers, and transitional relief supplements. These are the kinds of nuanced scenarios that LACEF members debate daily and bringing them into the conference space helped surface shared solutions and best practice.
• Cross‑sector leadership and future direction: Our heavyweight panel of sector leaders Allan Clark (Barnet Council), Amy Collins (Rundle & Co), Tom Clark (Liverpool City Council), Charlotte Crane (Southwark Council), and Katie Kelly (Huntingdonshire District Council), explored the future of local government debt, leadership expectations, and the importance of consistency and transparency across organisations.
• Emerging issues shaping 2026 and beyond: Across the day, delegates also engaged with topics such as:
  • AI adoption in local government
  • Violence in the workplace research
  • Next‑of‑kin tracing challenges
  • Housing payment policy changes
  • Shared liability and complex occupancy cases

A milestone year for LACEF

This year also marked a major achievement: the LACEF Forum surpassing 1,000 members, a testament to the appetite for shared learning, peer support and open discussion across the sector.

Looking ahead

The conversations at The Belfry reinforced why LACEF continues to be such an important space for local authorities: practical, honest, collaborative and rooted in real‑world challenges. Welfare Together is proud to support that mission, and I’m grateful to everyone who contributed to making the 2026 conference one of our most impactful yet.

Thank you to all delegates, speakers, panel members and partners and to the LACEF Board for their continued leadership.