New Local - Smart Thinking

New Local is a think tank and network working to energise local government, improve public services and empower communities. For over 25 years, New Local has researched some of the most pressing issues society facing today – such as housing, social care, welfare and economic equality. Its network is home to over 70 forward-thinking local authorities, while its practice team is commissioned by councils and others to help solve some of their trickiest issues.

At the heart of New Local’s work is ‘community power’ – the belief that people should be given the means to transform the places they live and the services they use. It believes this is key to reducing the burden on our public services, and to creating a better society for all.

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Latest reports

Constructing consensus

This report from UK think tank New Local argues that the key to unlocking our fraught planning system is to give communities more power and influence to shape local development. Our country needs to build more. More houses are required to meet current and rising demand. High streets and town centres need regeneration. Our infrastructure...

Place-based public service budgets

This report from UK think tank New Local looks at making public money work better for communities. Severe challenges face public services in England. Austerity has created a ‘doom-loop’ whereby the short-term urgency to respond to crises prevents the development of long term solutions to underlying problems. Top-down efficiency initiatives no longer produce real savings,...

Well-placed: The impact of Big Local on the health of communities

This report from UK think tank New Local looks at the impact of Big Local on the health of communities. New Local measured the impact of Big Local - a programme focused on 150 ‘hyperlocal’ neighbourhoods, which shared common characteristics of high levels of deprivation, low levels of social capital and lower-than-average health outcomes. Each...

A Labour vision for community power

This report from UK think tank New Local looks at a Labour vision for community power. A Labour Vision for Community Power is an ambitious agenda for action, driven by the principles of participation, prevention and devolution. It sets out how in practice a mission-driven approach to government would redistribute power out of Westminster, across...

Fiscal devolution

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...

A community-powered NHS

This report from UK think tank New Local looks at making prevention a reality in the NHS. As the NHS faces ever-rising demand, its founding principles of being free and universal are under threat. But there is a solution: a radical shift towards a healthcare system focused as much on preventing illness as treating it....

Housing beyond markets and state

This report from UK think tank New Local looks at the powers that councils and communities need to fix our broken planning system. It’s not NIMBYs preventing housing being built – it’s a system that creates conflict by design. Local planning authorities should be given the chance to let communities say Yes. Housing Beyond Markets...

Communities vs climate change

This report from UK think tank New Local looks at the power of local action in combating climate change. Local action is the ‘missing piece’ of plans to fight climate change. This report sets out a vision for tackling climate change from the ground up.   The current ‘levels’ of climate action – international agreements, national targets, and personal...

Trusting the people

This report from UK think tank New Local looks at the case for community-powered conservatism. New Local and the New Social Covenant Unit are pleased to co-publish this report by 10 Conservative MPs from the 2019 intake, making the case for community power as the future of the party. Trusting the People explores how to...

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