Recovery and renewal on the Kent high street
This report from UK think tank Localis looks at a sustained post-Covid local economic recovery and the need for high streets to be able thrive and grow. There is perhaps no better barometer of local economic health than the local high street. Rightly or wrongly, nothing gives such an immediate impression of a place. And...
Reaching rural properties
This report from UK think tank Localis looks at the role of off-grid heating in the transition to Net Zero. Localis was commissioned by Liquid Gas UK to undertake a rigorous place-based analysis to investigate energy provision and decarbonisation in hard-to-reach and off-grid properties in rural areas. The intention in our report has been to...
Resetting the South East
This report from UK think tank Localis looks at levelling Up after Brexit, climate change, and COVID. As one of only three regions of the country to be net contributors to the Exchequer, the role of the South East region in advancing the levelling up agenda for national renewal remains pivotal. Resetting the South East...
The Medici Code
This report from UK think tank Localis provides reflections and responses to the Levelling Up White Paper. The Levelling Up White Paper, released in February 2022, represents the most significant, comprehensive and wide-reaching UK government statement on devolution, geographic inequality and regional political economy in at least a decade. The paper filled the intellectual void...
True value
This report from UK think tank Localis looks at a move towards ethical public service commissioning. Public procurement and outsourcing have great potential when managed well, with the volume of public sector spend across the country creating many opportunitites to advance strategic economic goals. Unfortunately, for decades, successive governments have been unable to tap systematically...
Plain dealing
This report from UK think tank Localis looks at how to build for flood resilience. The UK is experiencing more extreme weather events including flooding and rising sea-levels. The planning system must absorb and adapt to new circumstances wrought by climate change, with flooding a particular area of concern. This is most clearly manifest at...
Local London and levelling up
This report from UK think tank Localis looks at the role of East and North East London in local, regional and national growth. The relationship between the levelling up agenda and London has been the subject of intense scrutiny, both inside and outside of the city. The Local London subregion – comprising the boroughs in...
Lagging behind
This report from UK think tank Localis looks at energy efficiency in low viability properties. Ahead of COP 26, government departments have been commissioned across Whitehall to inform the cross-government Net Zero Strategy that, amongst other things, will detail plans for decarbonisation across key sectors of the economy. One of the most significant challenges in...
Building communities
This report from UK think tank Localis looks at planning for a clean and good growth future. There is perhaps no greater issue driving division in British politics than the serious gap between aspirations for home ownership and the malign effects of constrained supply. This situation, in which we don’t build or supply enough affordable...