How can local government support thriving and prosperous communities?
This briefing looks at Australia’s cities and regions, and how they function now and into the future, with a specific focus on employment density – and aims to answer the question: ‘is there such a thing as an ‘optimal’ size for a city or region?
In an unusual move, Cork County Council recently brought a High Court challenge against a minister in a dispute over the Minister’s direction that it annul a change to the county development plan. This briefing examines the background, policy context and dramatis personae in this interesting battle,
Today, in the first major event since the death of His Royal Highness Prince Phillip, The Duke of Edinburgh, Her Majesty the Queen opened a new Parliamentary session with her speech outlining the Government’s legislative agenda. Key focuses for local government were on voter ID, Covid-19 recovery and delivering a programme for levelling-up.
Launched in 2020, the Scotland Loves Local campaign has encouraged people to support their local town centres out of loyalty and community solidarity. Phil Prentice, Chief Officer at Scotland’s Towns Partnership, tells us about the latest initiative: a government-funded ‘Scotland Loves Local’ gift card.
The set of elections on 6 May are complicated, extensive and fascinating. What are the main themes in the campaigns? What will the results tell us about the state of devolution and local government in 2021?
Scottish Government produced its first national population strategy in March 2021, framing and responding to the demographic challenges that Scotland faces. The strategy outlines a programme of work to address these challenges and harness new opportunities.
A year has passed since the start of lockdown restrictions in the UK. This briefing discusses the impact of Covid-19 according to official statistics and a study about how it felt to live through the last year and people’s expectations for the future. Some of the findings may be surprising.
‘Disconnected? Exploring the digital skills gap’ was published in March 2012 by World Skills UK and the Learning and Work Institute. It assess the current state of digital skills in the UK and finds growing demand for advanced digital skills from employers but also a skills gap and declining digital skills training in school, further…
The role of childcare in supporting parents in employment is often overlooked. As much of the provision is in the private, voluntary and independent sectors, with local authority oversight to ensure sufficiency, it has been significantly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. This briefing looks at the current position using the recent annual update from the…
The development of new and smart technologies to improve urban living continues apace. This briefing is on the developments in the City of Helsingborg and in preparations for a City Expo in 2022 to showcase what has been achieved.
