Policy area: Local government

Reports

Healthy places, inclusive growth: Realising the potential of devolution

This report from UK think tank the Growth and Reform Network looks at how national policy can help realise the potential of devolution. Population health is currently a major policy concern in the UK. At an individual level, health is a fundamental precursor to economic participation, and poor health has consistently been recognised as a...

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Let mayors build

This report from UK think tank Labour Together looks at mass transit systems. The UK has fewer mass transit systems than other European countries. This paper, co-authored with the Centre for British Progress, argues that giving metro mayors the power to fund and approve new infrastructure could usher in a new wave of building. Tracy...

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Expert roundtables: Insight summary

This report from UK think tank Carnegie UK summarises insights gained from expert roundtable discussions held in Glasgow, Cardiff, Newcastle and Belfast. In 2025 we hosted four roundtable discussions in Glasgow, Cardiff, Newcastle and Belfast. These sessions brought together experts in academia, business, economics, government, public policy and the third sector to grapple with some...

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Impactful Devolution 03: A toolkit for regional growth and industrial strategy

This report from UK think tank the Future Governance Forum recommends developing a Renewal Investment Tracker to shine a light on public investment. If the government’s Modern Industrial Strategy is to succeed, it will need to maximise the UK’s economic growth potential in a highly uncertain and rapidly changing global context, while at the same...

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Housing First

This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation discusses how to radically reduce rough sleeping this parliament. Some have argued that rough sleeping is an intractible problem. This briefing sets out the case for why this is not the case and that by using a Housing First model, government can begin a journey...

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Pride and prosperity

This report from UK think tank Labour Together looks at why places should be integral to society. This paper, by Labour Together’s director of devolution policy, JP Spencer, makes an argument for why places should be integral to the society we want to create, restoring civic power so that we can build a stronger economy,...

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New house rules

This report from UK think tank Re:State sets out the case for a radical restructure of the Government’s housing and regeneration system. Housebuilding is at the heart of the Government’s agenda. For decades, England’s efforts to develop, build, and regenerate have stagnated, creating a national housing shortage. Efforts to reboot economic growth hinge upon a...

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Educational outcomes across England: Performance Tracker Local

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government examines the performance gaps in schools. The 2010s saw educational attainment increase, and disparities narrow, across England’s schools – but this progress was brought to a shuddering halt when Covid hit. Since 2019, educational inequalities have again grown wider and more pronounced, both across the...

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Civic society and volunteering

This report from UK think tank PBE explores the economic contribution of civic society. Civil society and volunteering are widely recognised as important generators of social value. From food banks to cancer research, local sports teams or youth clubs, it’s clear that civil society provides vital services, makes our communities stronger and boosts our wellbeing....

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Centralisation, local decline and the future of community power

This report from UK think tank Localis explores centralisation, local decline and the future of community power. Ever since the radical restructuring of public finances that heralded the beginning of austerity policy in 2010, successive governments have promised to balance their policy agendas with a commensurate uptick in control for local communities. The language of...

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Go big or go home: governing England’s polycentric regions

This report from UK think tank Re:State sets out a radical but practical plan to introduce a new tier of regional government: provinces. England’s devolution project is expanding fast, but its next phase risks failing vast areas of the country. New Strategic Authorities are being rolled out nationwide, aimed at boosting local growth and reforming...

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Checking out

This report from UK think tank Centre for Cities identifies four key reasons why high street vacancy rates vary so much from city to city and how to improve their fortunes. Centre for Cities looks at the variation in performance across high streets in the centres of the UK's largest cties and towns to understand...

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Cross-nation policy learning and research series: England roundtable full report

This report from UK think tank PolicyWISE looks at devolution in the English regions. This report discusses of the findings of PolicyWISE’s roundtable in April 2025’s in Manchester which explored devolution in English regions, using Manchester as a case study. Digital infrastructure and data collection across regions was highlighted as a barrier to ongoing research...

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Guarantee of potential

This report from UK think tank Localis argues that local authorities must now lead the response to tackling worklessness. Tackling worklessness, long a stated goal yet persistently unmet by government, has become a structural crisis demanding locally driven reform. With over nine million economically inactive working-age adults, the challenge stems from overlapping issues: long-term illness,...

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This time must be different: Overcoming barriers to social care reform

This report from UK think tank IPPR examines barriers to social care reform. Adult social care services across England are struggling to keep up with increased demand, let alone improve. But failure is not an option. Every one of us, and those we love most, will rely on someone else’s care during our lives. Despite...

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