The economic and social impacts of COVID-19 have been both profound and far-reaching, indeed their true scale is not yet fully known. However, the economic analysis in our latest report with the County Councils Network Place-based recovery – how counties can drive growth post COVID-19 finds that county areas, as a whole, are the most vulnerable to the economic impact of the virus.

The pandemic has only exacerbated longstanding place-based inequalities and the scale of the economic disruption has also demanded a fundamental rethink around economic development and growth.

Accounting for almost half of England’s population, homes and businesses, county authorities offer a unique perspective of the country. Our research shows the critical leadership role that county authorities can play in driving UK economic recovery, but also outlines the ongoing and unique challenges that these areas face. Challenges that are different – in both scale and nature – to other parts of the country and are only likely to be exacerbated by the pandemic.