Team

	Alex Thomson | Chief Executive   Alex has more than a decade's experience as a policy maker both in government and in opposition. Prior to joining Localis in August 2010, Alex was the Conservative Party's specialist policy adviser for decentralisation and local government, leading on the development of the Party's policies on local government, housing and planning, and responsible for writing the Party’s green papers ‘Control Shift’, ‘Strong Foundations’ and ‘Open Source Planning’. Alex has also worked in central government for various departments including DCLG and Defra, and was part of Boris Johnson’s successful 2008 Mayoral campaign team.
	Dominic Rustecki | Communications Officer   Dominic joined Localis in February 2011. He previously worked as a Research Assistant to Rt Hon. Charles Kennedy MP and Lord Dholakia OBE carrying out research and speech writing. Dominic graduated from Cambridge University with a BA in Social and Political Sciences, specialising in politics. His dissertation examined the effects of US state-level social policies on the Afro-American community. Dominic leads on communications, press management and events at Localis. He also works on environmental policy and has previously authored 'The Big Green Society'. Dominic was responsible for Localis’ 2011 party conference programme, running over 20 public and private events across four conferences.
	Richard Carr | Research Fellow   Richard joined Localis in July 2011 after working as a lecturer at the University of East Anglia and a By-Fellow at Churchill College, Cambridge. He has worked with Rachel Reeves MP and Daniel Zeichner (PPC for Cambridge, 2010) on various projects. Think tank work aside, he has authored a number of academic articles on interwar British Conservatism, and a monograph based on his doctoral thesis is due to be published in 2012. He has a BA and PhD in History from UEA, and a MPhil in Modern European History from the University of Cambridge.   At Localis, Richard has edited a report on Neighbourhood Planning, co-written an analysis of shared management schemes across local authority boundaries and, most recently, authored a report on infrastructure funding. The latter, Credit Where Credit’s Due, received coverage in the Daily Telegraph, Guardian Local Government Network, MJ, LGC, and other prominent sources.
	Steven Howell | Research Fellow   Steven joined Localis in December 2011 after working as an adviser to the Leader of Oxfordshire County Council. Aside from supporting the Leader and briefing Oxfordshire’s MPs on local government issues, he worked on internal policy reviews and policy development, including the county’s strategy for change in schools and establishing the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership. He has also worked on secondment as a press officer and on communications for a conservation charity.   At Localis, Steven has authored a soon to be published report on locally-driven approaches to regeneration and is currently investigating alternative models of public service delivery.

• "Localis is fast gaining a reputation for pre-empting the localist agenda, producing thought provoking research and practical policy ideas"Anthony Seldon, author and political commentator
• "Localis’ commitment to decentralisation crosses party boundaries, and their research illuminates policy problems with new practical thinking"Prof George Jones, LSE
• "Localis offers a great blend of a passion for innovation, grounded practical ideas and unswerving belief in the possibilities of local governance"Derek Myers, Chief Executive, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

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