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What do Green Belt, Migration, and Apprenticeships have in common? Well – they all feature in our May round up of current affairs. And they each offer huge opportunities for local innovation, more effective delivery, coherent and better policy outcomes with changes in relative national, regional and local powers and resources. Find out what we …

Are there local solutions to failing national policies? LEDC’s May 2023 review Read More »

If you have ever grappled with why your local universities seem to spend more time chasing overseas students, focusing on national league tables, and opening campuses elsewhere, than with local placemaking and economic development priorities, this episode is for you.   Dr Louise Kempton of CURDS (the Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies, Newcastle) …

Making the most of local universities in LED and placemaking Read More »

On the latest episode of LED Confidential, Mike Spicer and I are joined by Pete Tyler, Professor of Urban and Regional Economics at the University of Cambridge. They discuss the UK’s forthcoming Investment Zones and the history of area-based initiatives, from the pioneering Enterprise Zones of the 1980s, through Freeports, and the more recent Opportunity Zones of the US. …

How do Investment Zones fit into the history and current government appetite for incentive-driven area-based initiatives? Read More »

The transition from March to April is associated with moving from Winter to Spring, the clocks going forward, and the closure of one and commencement of a new financial year. And in some senses, our review considers how far the Budget crossed some of the boundaries that have typically restricted local economic development (LED) and …

Crossing LED and devolution borders Read More »

A huge pleasure to get the perspectives of Jim Savege, Chief Executive of Aberdeenshire Council, on the impacts of the multiple current global crises on local places and communities. Amidst a breadth of practical examples and insights, this episode highlights a number of preconditions for better local turnaround and recovery management. Building social capital and …

Permacrisis…what permacrisis? Read More »

Our February review anticipates three of the issues to look out for in the impending Budget this week – missions, local government finance, and perspectives on shifts to greener, healthier transport. “Missions, missions, missions…” – from the twelve missions of the February 2022 Levelling Up White Paper (LUWP) to Labour’s February 2023 five missions for …

Missions, Local Government Finance, and Green Economy culture war Read More »

Without doubt, one of my favourite activities in 2022/23 so far has been the launch of the podcast LED Confidential, with my co-host Mike Spicer of Policy Department. Billed as “the podcast that tries to lift the lid on those intractable, enduring challenges facing those of us working in and on local economic development (LED) …

LED Confidential Revealed Read More »