The Seven Essentials of Effective Place-Based Growth: What Can the Government Learn From City-Region Mayors and Devolved Nations?

As the UK faces persistent regional inequalities, economic uncertainty, and the urgent need for a just transition to net zero, the case for a more empowered, locally driven approach to growth has never been stronger. This briefing sets out seven essential principles for effective place-based growth, drawing on the lived experience and emerging evidence from city-region mayors, devolved nations, the UKRI-funded Local Policy Innovation Partnership Hub and the four funded partnerships: Rural Wales, EPIC Northern Ireland, Forth2O (Scotland) and YPIP (Yorkshire).

It aims to inform Labour’s evolving policy agenda on devolution and local economic renewal, offering actionable insights for national government based on what is already working in places.

This work is grounded in the research and practice of the City-Region Economic Development Institute (City-REDI) at the University of Birmingham, which is the lead for the LPIP Hub (Strategic Coordination Hub), the Heseltine Institute for Public Policy, Practice and Place at the University of Liverpool, and the four LPIP pilot partnerships. These partnerships bring together local authorities, universities, business and civic actors to co-produce evidence-informed strategies for inclusive, sustainable growth. Their work highlights the importance of local capacity, collaborative governance, and long-term investment in unlocking the potential of place.

Download the report

Publications

Building Intergovernmental Capability Through Secondments: Lessons From Japan for the UK

This policy briefing explores how England’s devolution reforms could work more effectively by using staff secondments as a core part of the delivery system. Drawing on lessons from Japan’s structured, legally grounded approach, it shows how predictable and reciprocal staff movement can strengthen local capability, improve coordination across government tiers,

Policy Fragmentation and Place-Based Opportunity in UK Fashion and Textiles

This report analyses the positioning of the UK fashion and textiles sector within national, devolved and local policy frameworks to assess its capacity to operate as a stable, place-based economic system that supports skills retention, inclusive growth and regional resilience. Using fashion and textiles as a case study for the

AI in Local Government: Adoption, Benefits and Challenges

This report provides a timely stocktake of how artificial intelligence is being adopted in local government, what benefits are emerging, and what barriers still limit its wider deployment. It draws on analysis of 101 published AI case studies and engagement with a wide range of stakeholders, from local and central

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