Inclusive Growth
Birmingham has a bold vision for levelling up
The levelling up White Paper must show how double devolution can deliver opportunities for every local place and back the innovations Birmingham is leading the way on, says Cllr Ian Ward.
Buying benefits for communities
Associate director of CLES Tom Lloyd Goodwin looks at how the quest for social value is being approached through making the most of opportunities within local 'anchor institutions'.
A unique moment in time
At The MJ’s recent Future Forum, BT outlined the immense opportunities digital and online services are currently offering councils – and the chance for true innovation must be taken.
Leadership in a tough climate
Leader of Glasgow City Council Susan Aitken says COP26 is the city’s chance to show how its own integrated approach can lead the world in ensuring a climate-resilient future.
A rare moment for change
The Centre for Progressive Policy’s annual Inclusive Growth Conference emphasised the role of place in creating a greener, fairer economy, with localism identified as the biggest lever for system change. Thomas Hauschildt and Ross Mudie report.
Wages and good and bad government
Many communities in the UK would benefit from higher wages, says Mike Emmerich, but does the Prime Minister have a strategy for delivering them?
Levelling up the UK’s most unequal city
Tackling inequality and promoting food justice are key priorities for Cambridge as the council aspires for the city to be a global exemplar of a fairer, greener and more inclusive way of life, explains Robert Pollock.
Put education at the heart of levelling up, say CPP and NRG
Education should be at the heart of the levelling up agenda, according to the influential Northern Research Group (NRG) and think tank the Centre for Progressive Policy (CPP).
Bridging the great divide
What can be done to reduce the digital divide? Erica Roscoe looks at recent research centred on England’s North East.
A charter for good employment
Joanne Roney looks at how collaboration between Metro Mayors and local authorities is focusing on delivering decent working conditions for people.
A discussion not to be missed
Cratus has announced the third Chamberlain lecture, delivered by Bristol Mayor, Marvin Rees, in celebration of local government.
Why women lose out in the workforce
Women were already off to an unequal start before the pandemic. Now the clock could be turned back even further, says the Centre for Progressive Policy. Ann McGauran investigates.
Ministers urged to turbo-charge levelling up agenda
Ministers have been urged to turbo-charge their ‘levelling up’ agenda after latest figures show the North of England economically slipping further behind the rest of the country.
Ministers urged to invest in West Midlands
Ministers have been urged to inject £3.2bn over the next three years into the West Midlands economy to offset the impact of the pandemic.
Redefining the geography of levelling up
The Red Wall of traditionally Labour-voting areas are not the only places that need support, says Rosie Stock Jones. Many of the most vulnerable communities are also in London and the South East.
EXCLUSIVE: Authorities 'key' to local economic wealth
Local government must be the key player in a democratic reform of our economies that takes a decade of community wealth building into the mainstream, says CLES.
The 2020 Public Services Commission: 10 years after
Ben Lucas and Dr Henry Kippin assess the work of the 2020 Public Services Commission. They also address how society can recover from the coronavirus crisis, and argue the need for a different economic model if we want to build back better.
Putting local communities at the heart of the green jobs revolution
Councils are driving the climate change agenda locally, says Cllr Sir Richard Leese. They can be the catalyst for a new green jobs bonanza to help recovery, he adds.
No glorious but implausible utopias
Mike Emmerich says we should use the recovery phase to build on what councils have been doing during the emergency – quickly rising to the challenge. Councils need to put concrete ideas on the table, he adds.
Where do we go from here to ‘level up’ this country?
The survival of the local state might be at stake, but this ‘failing’ is not of its own making, says Dr Arianna Giovannini. Our ‘broken centralised system of governance is the root cause of the meltdown that most councils are facing’, she adds.
