The ring road that strangled Birmingham
The pain of England’s second city comes from political decisions that could have been different. But there is hope for…
ByLocal economies
Who will save local news?
The community papers that hold politicians to account are slowly dying.
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Letter from Wigan
In the post-industrial north, a town searches for a sense of belonging.
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Bankrupt councils are a disaster for Keir Starmer
Labour relies on strong local services to deliver its national missions.
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Britain needs to grow again
A mission-oriented industrial strategy can help the UK escape its cycle of underinvestment.
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Community ownership matters
Extending cooperative models of ownership for core community assets can open the path to true decentralisation.
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The Research Brief: more community and cooperative ownership, please
Your weekly dose of policy thinking.
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How might Keir Starmer run the country? Look to Labour councils
Labour-led authorities have governed under austerity for more than a decade, with mixed success.
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Oxford Street’s decline is a parable for the UK
The failure to pedestrianise the shopping street shows our local government system is broken.
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Why we need an industrial strategy
Business is deserting the UK as a place to invest.
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“The people who have the power lack diversity”
We need a wider cohort of policymakers to make society fairer, says Felicia Odamtten, founder of the Black Economists Network.
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Why communities are vital to tackling the multiple crises we face
Radical local policies can build the Green New Deal.
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Why Manchester needs more than trickle-down economics
New research on manufacturing in the region suggests growth doesn’t always translate into more jobs and better pay.
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Labour must be radical on public service reform
Rethinking public services can rebuild trust in the state – and rebalance our economy.
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The Policy Ask with Adam Lent: “You can’t rip resources away from councils and claim to have a moral compass”
The chief executive of the New Local think tank on flexible working, the underfunding of local authorities and what the…
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Economic growth won’t fix the cost-of-living crisis
The problem isn’t a lack of solutions – it’s a lack of imagination.
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