Skills for the Future: Demand for and Supply of High-Skilled Labour Across England
This study maps employer demand for higher-level qualifications (at Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) Level 4 and above), the supply of residents with these qualifications, and the resulting demand-supply gaps across England’s 38 Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) areas (as defined in 2023). It combines online vacancy data and official labour market sources to examine patterns […]
Dialling Up Democracy in the 21st Century: Pathways for Renewal
This policy working paper explores how democratic innovation can help renew trust, participation, and legitimacy in the UK’s democratic system. Building on earlier LPIP work on social value and community-centred innovation, it examines the social, institutional, and structural pressures currently facing democracy, particularly in the context of devolution and regional governance. Drawing on UK and […]
Skills Matter in Place-Based Green Industrial Policy: Lessons From the Closure of MG Rover, 2000-2005
Longbridge: Former MG Rover works. Image by harry_nlCC on Flickr (BY-NC-SA 2.0) In this LPIP Hub report, Ed Atkins examines how the experiences of workers following the closure of MG Rover in Longbridge, Birmingham, offer lessons for green industrial policy today. He shows how proactive, place-based and skills-centred interventions helped mitigate the regional economic impacts […]
Developing Place-Based Green Industrial Policy in the UK
In this report, Ed Atkins argues that green industrial policy in the UK must be rooted in place. Through the review of cases of Vestas in the Isle of Wight, BiFab in Scotland, and Britishvolt in north-east England, he illuminates how gaps between political ambition and political economy have led to missed opportunities and industrial […]
What Are Place-Based Business Cases?
This report explains what a place-based business case is and how such cases can support more effective, strategic, and accountable investment decisions across local and national government. Drawing on insights from the Green Book review and City-REDI research, this document outlines three potential purposes for place-based business cases: funding gateways, strategic investment frameworks, and governance […]
Examining the Evidence on Place‑Based Research Partnerships: Towards a Set of Principles for Successful Partnerships
This evidence review brings together academic and practice‑based literature to understand what makes place‑based research partnerships work effectively. It identifies the outcomes these partnerships can deliver, the infrastructure and systems that support success, the skills and expertise required, and the behaviours and values that underpin strong collaboration. The review also highlights major gaps in existing […]
Regional Pathways to Net Zero: Energy and Emissions Intensities in the UK From 2015-2023
This report examines how UK regions’ GVA is becoming decoupled from energy inputs and emissions. Using data related to economic activity (GVA), energy inputs and emissions generated between 2015 and 2023. Nationally, GVA increased by 13 per cent over this period, with regional growth ranging between 7 and 16 per cent. At the same time, […]
The Future of Local Democracy – Devolution and the Need to Empower Town and Parish Councils
Dr Amy Burnett (LPIP Place Fellow), Dr Jason Leman (Citizen Network) and Dr Daniel Ozarow (Middlesex University) examine how town and parish councils could play a central role in making devolution work for communities. This discussion paper was developed following the National Association of Local Councils’ Power Shift Conference and responds to the English Devolution […]
Community Empowerment and Living Heritage in 2026: Community-Owned Culture and Heritage in Local Growth Plans
This briefing paper was written at the advent of the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, and the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill coming into action in the UK. The paper provides an initial provocation as to whether 2026 could provide the strongest mandate yet for valuing community culture and […]
Business Cases and Place-Based Funding
This report critically examines the application of the Better Business Case Green Book model by practitioners when seeking to secure past place-based economic development funding. The business case framework is used to appraise and manage the development of an intervention, as set out in the HM Treasury’s Green Book guidance. The report systematically reviews and […]