This report from UK think tank the Centre for Cities looks at persistent issues with the current grant system for local government. Local government relies heavily on central grants to deliver economic policies, and the current system hinders its ability to respond effectively to economic change. The Levelling Up White Paper committed to streamlining the...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at where devolution of policy responsibilities would be most beneficial. This report sets out where devolution of policy responsibilities would be most beneficial. It finds that international evidence on the link between devolution and economic performance is inconclusive at best and regional growth is...

This policy briefing by UK think tank City-REDI looks at the potential role of universities in levelling up. This policy briefing explores the role universities could play in contributing to one of the UK Government’s key levelling-up objectives, Pride in Place.

This report from UK think tank New Local looks at why we need fiscal devolution and how to make it work. Despite localised revenue-raising powers being the norm in many countries, it has long been viewed as far too radical in the UK. But now, policymakers are beginning to recognise the value of letting local...

This report from UK think tank the Education Policy Institute looks at educational outcomes in Gloucestershire. In a new report, the Education Policy Institute (EPI), commissioned by the Gloucestershire Education Forum, reports on the state of educational inequalities across multiple phases of education in Gloucestershire and how this has changed over the past decade. The...

This report from UK think tank Localis looks at adaptation and mitigation in local development as councils adapt to widespread flooding. As climate shifts worldwide, councils across England are being hit by increasingly extreme weather patterns including violent storm surges, unbearable temperatures, and widespread flooding. At the level of place, our local authorities are best...

This report from UK think tank Localis looks at where local government finance might be in 2030. Council finances are in a precarious position. Wound tightly from the time of the astringencies of the 2010 spending review, to the limited protections that saw the sector through the Covid years, the principal cogs of local government...

This report from UK think tank the Institute of Welsh Affairs looks at the role of trade unions in helping rebalance the economy. Months of industrial action have put trade unions in the spotlight, but despite some bright spots the trade union movement in Wales has still experienced a long-term decline. Young workers are not joining...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at the role of England’s mayors in the climate transition. This report calls on the UK government to put England’s mayors at the heart of its net zero strategy and give England’s locally elected leaders the powers and funding to become trailblazers in transitioning...

This report from UK think tank IPPR looks at how the North and the UK measure up in levelling up.  The UK continues to stand out internationally for the wrong reason: because it is the most regionally unbalanced large, advanced economy. Our latest analysis highlights continued and growing regional divides in productivity, incomes, job creation,...

This report from UK think tank the Fabian Society looks at rebuilding rural Britain. Rural and coastal communities are seldom given the attention they deserve in British politics. This edited collection seeks to change that, exploring how the 'peripheral' geography of rural and coastal areas shapes the challenges they face and laying the groundwork for...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at an international comparison for subnational government. England’s usually messy patchwork of governing arrangements makes it an international outlier in its subnational government structures. This report draws on comparable data across large, advanced economies and additional qualitative analysis of Germany and Japan (including interviews...

This report from UK think tank Localis looks at working together against flash flooding. As the impacts of climate change become clearer every year, the UK must be better prepared for the manifold impacts of extreme weather events, including floods. In England alone, some 5.4 million homes – one-in-six – are at risk of flooding,...

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 the Institute of Welsh Affairs maps out current resources available to regulators and policy-makers in Wales. The project will be published in full in early 2023, and include three sections: Part 1 aims to provide an overview of the current legislative and regulatory frameworks governing broadcasting in Wales. Part 2 will...