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 tools. It recommends a hybrid model that enhances decision-making, strengthens collaboration, and supports place-wide outcomes.

“A place-based business case is not just a bid, it’s a decision-making tool. Done well, it can clarify priorities, improve transparency, build local capability, and help central government allocate resources fairly.”

Professor Rebecca Riley

Read the full analysis and explore how place-based business cases can strengthen strategic planning and fairer investment across the UK.

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Meet the author

Professor Rebecca Riley

Professor Rebecca (Bec) Riley is Co-Director of City-REDI, Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Regional Engagement, Director of the Local Policy Innovation Partnership (LPIP) Hub, and Professor of Enterprise, Engagement, and Impact at the University of Birmingham’s Business School.

Bec’s research interests focus on regional economic development, including research to develop policy and regional strategies, monitoring frameworks, economic forecasting, skills and labour market analysis, and strategic business cases and project evaluation. She applies a mixed methods approach in her research, with a strong focus and record of impactful policy-relevant applied research and stakeholder engagement. She is an experienced lead on research projects, with over 200 research projects carried out across academia, policy, and consultancy roles.

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Publications

Towards an Integrated Understanding of Place

This report draws together evidence from across the Local Policy Innovation Partnership (LPIP) Hub’s extensive programme of evidence reviews, briefings and supporting publications. It asks what becomes visible when evidence on skills, innovation, communities, culture, environment, governance, leadership, data, business cases and partnership working is considered holistically. It finds that

Putting Place at the Heart of Growth: How Evidence Can Make Multi-Level Governance Work

On 27 September 2026, the Labour Party Conference fringe event, Putting Place at the Heart of Growth: How Evidence Can Make Multilevel Governance Work, brought together policymakers, researchers, local government leaders, universities, colleges and organisations working across communities and regions. Provocation Before the event, attendees were sent a provocation. The

Place-based Business Case and Economic Appraisal: Capacity and Capability

This report, by Alice Pugh, City-REDI, University of Birmingham, examines the capacity and capability of officers working in strategic authorities to develop, commission, scrutinise and use business cases and economic appraisals, while also considering the implications of devolution for place-based investment and assurance. The report draws on a mixed-methods survey

Local Innovations, Shared Lessons: Unpacking HDRC Community Engagement and Partnership Working in London

This research report focuses specifically on public and partner engagement across London’s Health Determinants Research Collaborations (HDRCs) and comparator boroughs, evaluating how local authorities are reshaping collaborative networks to address health inequalities. The study draws on 18 semi-structured interviews across six London local authorities: Islington, Tower Hamlets, Ealing, Lambeth, Southwark,