This report from UK think tank CLES sets out a road map for creating the conditions for local climate action. We stand on a precipice, one that is simultaneously fraught with danger and alive with possibility. That urgent action is needed on climate change is beyond doubt. Nor is there any question that our places...

This report from UK think tank CLES looks at the claims on both sides of the debate and explores how freeports could be done differently. Freeports have been contentious since their announcement. Trade unions, public bodies, think tanks and commentators have all voiced concerns that they will accelerate the extraction of wealth from hard-pressed communities...

This report from UK think tank CLES looks at progressive frontiers in local economies. Critiques of traditional and mainstream economic approaches are well established. In 2021 CLES published a provocation that advocated for a community wealth building approach to empower local areas and communities to maximise their existing skills, talents and capabilities in the pursuit...

This report from UK think tank CLES looks at the retrofit of social housing stock in the South of Scotland. This report explores the potential of registered social landlords (RSLs) taking the lead in delivering a just transition in Scotland. Analysis, conducted by IPPR, finds that, by using their influence to develop the retrofit supply...

This report from UK think tank CLES looks at how to support worker buy-outs and expand employee ownership in Wales. This research explores the case for employee ownership as a means to deliver a more inclusive, secure and sustainable economy in Wales. The research finds that, through new legislation – to compel action, provide for...

This report from UK think tank CLES looks at the role of procurement in local economic development. This analysis was conducted by the Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES) for Manchester City Council as part of an ongoing partnership. The 14-year collaboration between CLES and Manchester City Council has helped to reshape the national debate...

This report from UK think tank CLES looks at what a community wealth building approach to energy transition should look like for the UK. We are standing at the brink of an energy revolution which could transform our places. Local government and other public sector organisations have a critical role in ensuring this transition is...

This report from UK think tank CLES looks at a roadmap towards a more supportive, less fragmented framework for CAT.  Across the UK, land and property development drives the extraction of wealth from local economies. This joint report from CLES and URBED critically analyses the dynamics in local land development markets and explores alternative models...

This transcript from UK think tank CLES looks at how community wealth building has advanced in the past decade. Over the course of the last decade, community wealth building has advanced, what was once a marginal sport is now a widely-adopted corrective to a failing economic model. To celebrate this flourishing movement, CLES has produced...

This report from UK think tank CLES is the final report of the Liverpool City Region Land Commission. Our land, the final report of the Liverpool City Region Land Commission, reflects the findings of England’s first Commission to review the use of land for community wealth building. The Liverpool City Region Land Commission was launched...