This report from UK think tank Pro Bono Economics looks at using wellbeing to understand the value for money of Spirit of 2012 grants. Funders influence how impact is measured in the social sector. Their data needs to shape both the type of data charities collect and how they use it. However, the need for...

This report from UK think tank Localis discusses expanding and reforming the role of the LGPS in driving affordable housing. Solving the housing crisis, a stated but unrealised goal of successive recent governments, is both a generational challenge for policy and a hugely significant potential investment in place. That a crisis exists is well-rehearsed, but...

This report from UK think tank New Local looks at how we can celebrate, sustain and reimagine community centres. Community centres are a core and enduring part of the UK’s social infrastructure. They are hubs of social connection, stewards of health and wellbeing, vital partners in their local ecosystems and important physical assets that communities...

This report from UK think tank the Resolution Foundation looks at public investment priorities for the 2025 Spending Review. In this report we put the big investment decisions facing the Government at the Spending Review in context. It examines the UK’s long history of chronic under-investment, evaluates the recent welcome announcement of £100 billion additional...

This report from UK think tank Centre for Cities looks at why a city-focused industrial strategy will not increase place-based discontent. A common argument in the aftermath of the Brexit vote was that people’s political discontent was the result of the widening divide between city and town. Yet, data shows that constituencies with stronger connections...

This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation looks at unlocking the potential of independent water companies. New Appointments and Variations (NAVs) were introduced in 1991 as a way of increasing levels of competition in the water sector. They serve an important role in infrastructure development, connecting a fifth of new homes to...

This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation looks at getting the balance right between copyright and AI. The UK is a global leader in AI development and innovation, but that status might be challenged by the UK’s copyright law, which could deter investment. As the Government begins a consultation on the topic,...

This report from UK think tank Green Alliance highlights the green route to growth and security. The UK faces a convergence of serious challenges: rising poverty, sluggish economic growth and mounting geopolitical instability, all compounded by the escalating impacts of climate change. This publication highlights how these crises are deeply interconnected, and rather than viewing...

This report from UK think tank RUSI profiles the direct engagement of UK local authorities with Chinese diplomats and local governments. There is substantial value to establishing a UK-wide framework that enables more effective local authority engagement with China. This paper profiles the direct engagement of UK local authorities with Chinese diplomats and local governments....

This report from UK think tank Localis looks at how the Local Power Plan can build on best practice and overcome local barriers to drive energy decarbonisation. Elected on a platform with strong emphasis on energy security and decarbonisation, the UK Government has set a goal of ‘clean power’ by 2030 and established Great British...

This report from UK think tank the Fabian Society makes the case that improving our bus network is crucial to fulfilling Labour’s growth mission. Buses are the backbone of public transport in the UK. For every journey by train, more than 2.5 are taken by bus. Yet despite their importance, buses have too often been...

This report from UK think tank Green Alliance provides actionable proposals across three areas: the macroeconomy, microeconomy and political reform. The Dasgupta Review, commissioned by the UK Treasury and published in 2021, exposed the fundamental flaw in mainstream economics: that it fails to account for the true value of nature. As a result, we continue...

This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation examines the EU's EV landscape, key challenges and policy changes. This briefing examines the EU's EV landscape, key challenges, and policy changes to ensure equitable access to this transformative tech. KEY POINTS Transport poverty affects households and businesses when adequate transport is not available, accessible,...

This report from UK think tank Onward examines the implications of racing towards clean energy by 2030, assessed through planning reform and public support. The expansion of clean energy generation is critical for securing Britain’s energy future, but a practical and achievable pathway is needed to deliver a decarbonised grid. Labour’s plan to reach clean...

This report from UK think tank Green Alliance questions why electrification is not receiving much more attention and support as a way to cut industry’s climate impact. The government supports heavy industries to switch to hydrogen or carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies as a way to decarbonise their processes. While they might be the...

'Levelling up' has become one of the big agenda items for this government but how can it be helped by industrial strategy? Use the Spending Review and R&D Place Strategy to increase support for business innovation in lagging regions By James Blagden (Onward) In recent decades the UK’s regions have diverged so much that we...