In 2021 the CfGS and Localis published the ‘Governance risk and resilience framework’ to popular acclaim across the sector. In the intervening five years, the pressures we initially took as the original framing for ‘Decline and fall: understanding how and why local government fails, what leads to central Government intervention, and what comes after’ have only exacerbated across the […]
‘Champions of Place – lessons in local leadership’ is a new research and events programme by Localis in partnership with Willmott Dixon. The aim of this major initiative is to better understand the underlying issues limiting housing and regeneration growth through a series of in-person forums and evidence gathering. Our work will result in a […]
Public service reform in England is increasingly understood to require more joined-up, place-based ways of working: services organised more coherently around people, communities and outcomes, rather than around institutional silos alone. Yet while this direction of travel is widely recognised, local authorities still face a stubborn problem. The case for reform is often accepted in […]
Last year’s Localis report ‘Connected Devolution’ set out the operating context for digital reform under English devolution and local government reorganisation: fragmented legacy estates, uneven capability, incomplete national rails, and the need for stronger governance, sequencing and market discipline. Our follow-up project, ‘Connected Prevention’, will move the policy dial from integration for back-office functionality to integration as a practical enabler of preventative public service reform. This is […]
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 policy, rather than treated as part of the civic and economic infrastructure through which places grow and adapt. What’s Past is Prologue uses […]
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, service delivery mechanisms, and accountability processes of local and strategic authorities. When it comes to devolution, […]
The wave of local government reorganisation (LGR) heralded by the English Devolution Bill represents the most significant structural upheaval outside of central government since the 1970s. The creation of new unitary authorities is designed to increase productivity and streamline governance, to the desired end of providing residents with better quality public services. The logistical challenge […]
In her 29 January speech outlining the Government’s ‘Plan for Growth’, chancellor Rachel Reeves argued our cities will require focus on the two key areas of infrastructure and investment if they are to realise their potential and promise, with central government bringing in a raft of institutional and policy reforms to help support the financing […]
In October 2024 Localis launched New Values: Public Contracts for Social Prosperity with Norse Group. It is an in depth look into how local authorities can work towards strategic, locally beneficial procurement by adopting a blended approach and using hybrid models to deliver gains in efficiency, productivity and social value. A year later much has […]
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, regional inequality, and fragmented support services. Centralised, siloed approaches have proven insufficient. Guarantee of Potential argues that local authorities, […]