Policy area: Local government

Reports

Concept to culture: A maturity model for wellbeing policy

This report from UK think tank Carnegie UK explores what a maturity model for embedding wellbeing approaches in public policy might look like. In recent years there has been a global shift in public policy, moving from traditional economic and output-based measures of government performance towards a more holistic focus on measures of wellbeing. Governments...

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Future wellbeing policy: Lessons from Wales and beyond

This report from UK think tank Carnegie UK reflects on the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act since it was enshrined in law just over ten years ago. In January 2026, the Institute of Welsh Affairs (IWA) together with Carnegie UK, the Centre for Welsh Politics and Society/WISERD, and the Co-production Network for Wales convened...

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Dialling up democracy in the 21st century: Pathways for renewal

This report from UK think tank City-REDI explores how democratic innovation can help renew trust and legitimacy in the UK’s democratic system This policy working paper explores how democratic innovation can help renew trust, participation, and legitimacy in the UK’s democratic system. Building on earlier LPIP Hub work on social value and community-centred innovation, it...

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Transport and growth: Reforming transport investment for place-based growth

This report from UK think tank IPPR argues for a shift to a system that asks how we can build more of what already works. The ability to deliver transformative public transport is not constrained by a lack of ideas, public support or local ambition. It is constrained by the way decisions are taken at...

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Around the world

This report from UK think tank Centre for Cities looks at how cities around the world operate their visitor levies and what England can learn from their experiences. Using examples drawn from a range of countries and cities from major visitor destinations such as Barcelona and Amsterdam to smaller places such as Essen, Germany and...

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Croydon calling

This report from UK think tank Centre for Cities looks at the lessons learnt from rules-based planning conducted in Croydon. This briefing analyses data from when the ‘Suburban Design Guide’ (SDG), a successful ‘experiment’ in rules-based planning conducted in Croydon from 2019 to 2022, was in place. It explains the SDG's success in raising housebuilding...

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Capital at risk: rebooting London’s governance for a new era

This report from UK think tank Re:State explores rebooting London's governance for a new era. London’s governance settlement is now more than 25 years old, designed for the capital as it was a quarter-century ago. While devolution has accelerated across England, London's governance has fossilised. City Hall is underpowered compared to its international peers and...

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Learning from the DevoLab : How devolution can improve transport connectivity

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at how devolved powers and mayoral influence have been used to improve transport connectivity. Improving transport connectivity is one of the central policy objectives of mayors across England. Mayoral strategic authorities hold a range of responsibilities for transport including producing local transport plans, regulating...

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Tackling child poverty in London

This report from UK think tank the Centre for London states that London must commit to a consistent, city-wide effort to address the root causes of child poverty. On December 5th 2025, national government released its long-anticipated Child Poverty Strategy – Our Children, Our Future: Tackling Child Poverty. This set a 10-year mission to reduce...

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Power Failure: A new theory of power

This report from UK think tank the Future Governance Forum rethinks how power operates in the British state. British politics feels stuck. In recent years, both Conservative and Labour governments have found themselves increasingly hamstrung by a web of problematic concentrations and dispersals of power, thwarting their attempts to make people’s lives better. Left feeling...

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Beyond numbers

This report from UK think tank the Fabian Society examines what makes somewhere a great place to live and how policymakers can get there. For many years, England has been in the grip of a disastrous housing crisis. Chronically low rates of building have made both renting and buying a home extraordinarily expensive, and millions...

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Learning from the DevoLab #1: How devolution can address health inequalities

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at how devolved powers have been used to address health inequalities. Although health is not a devolved function within England, many regional mayors have identified addressing health inequalities as an important objective and have taken action to improve population health, using a range of...

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Connected devolution

This report from UK think tank Localis examines the current policy context for technological integration and LGR. The wave of local government reorganisation (LGR) heralded by the English Devolution Bill represents the most significant structural upheaval outside of central government since the 1970s. The creation of new unitary authorities is designed to increase productivity and...

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Business cases and place-based funding

This report from UK think tank City-REDI examines business cases and place-based funding. This report critically examines the application of the Better Business Case Green Book model by practitioners when seeking to secure past place-based economic development funding. The business case framework is used to appraise and manage the development of an intervention, as set...

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The localisation era

This report from UK think tank the Resolution Foundation evaluates when local delivery works well and what principles should guide any future reform. This report is part of the project Safety Nets: social security for families in a devolved UK, funded by the Nuffield Foundation. It examines the growth of localised social security in the...

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Related Events

23 April 2026

Location: Online

Think tank: Centre for Cities

How planning policies have shaped urban densities over time and lessons for today

This event hosted by UK think tank Centre for Cities discusses how national and local planning policies in Britain have shaped the density of urban housing development. Last year, Centre for Cities published research investigating how density in UK cities compares to counterparts in France and Japan, revealing priority areas for delivering denser housing. This new...