What’s past is prologue
This report from UK think tank Localis explores unlocking the value of heritage for local economies. Heritage connects the past, present and future of place. Historic buildings, landscapes, collections, skills, stories and traditions shape local identity while supporting employment, visitor economies, wellbeing and community life. Yet heritage remains too often confined to conservation or tourism...
The great escape
This report from UK think tank the Resolution Foundation explores why Britain is stuck in a fiscal funk and how we can break free. This report is the first in a series on the size and shape of the state, and how the public finances can be better managed in an era of low growth...
Learning lessons
This report from UK think tank the Fabian Society analyses the drivers of the teacher workforce crisis and the impact that it has on pupils and public finances. Teaching is a fantastic vocation, which offers the opportunity to change lives. However, the education system is currently experiencing a retention crisis, with the number of teachers...
The people’s pools
This report from UK think tank the Fabian Society presents a plan for Labour to build lidos. Traditionally, institutions such as the local cinema, the library, and the leisure centre or swimming pool made the high street and city centre the heart of local communities. However, as urban centres have declined across much of Britain...
Taxing for take-off: a new plan for fiscal devolution
This report from UK think tank Re:State sets out a practical but ambitious blueprint for devolving fiscal power in England. Just 5.8 per cent of national taxes are collected at the subnational level in the UK – the lowest share in the G7, and a fraction of France (20.4 per cent), Japan (36 per cent),...
Design principles for the fiscal devolution roadmap
This report from UK think tank Re;State sets out the design principles for the Treasury’s fiscal devolution roadmap. Fiscal devolution would be a genuinely dramatic shift. It would put firepower behind regional efforts to tackle the productivity puzzle, enabling places to go further in experimenting with approaches tailored to their specific context. It would help...
Outside-In: The role of social entrepreneurs in public sector transformation
This report from UK think tank City-REDI explores the role of social entrepreneurs as 'outside-in' actors in public sector transformation. This policy paper explores the role of social entrepreneurs as “outside-in” actors in public sector transformation. It argues that, in a period of profound institutional transition, public systems need to learn not only from within...
Everything in its right place
This report from UK think tank Localis explores establishing strong organisations and practices for successful devolution. England is currently undergoing a dual transformation: that of Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) and the expansion of devolution across metropolitan and, increasingly, rural areas. This period of transition will be marked by significant structural changes impacting the organisational culture,...
Setting Great British Railways up for success – interim findings
This report from UK think tank Future Governance Forum states that GBR needs a clearly defined purpose and a deliberate approach to instilling a new organisational culture. A new report by The Future Governance Forum (FGF) warns that without a clearly defined purpose, strong institutional foundations and meaningful operational autonomy, Great British Railways (GBR) risks...
Room to grow
This report from UK think tanks the Sutton Trust and the Social Market Foundation discusses school-based nurseries and the disadvantage gap. The School-based Nursery (or SBN) programme is a major government policy aiming to deliver on two early years priorities: to expand access to childcare for working families and to increase the proportion of children...