In June 2020, the Southern Policy Centre published Recovery in the central South: collaboration for growth. That report summarised the conclusions of a series of online consultations with key players from business, economic development, local authorities, further and higher education and the voluntary sector. It focused on priorities for economic recovery for the central South in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Re-imagining Tomorrow’s City Centres: Report Launch “We can’t predict the future of cities, but we can invent them” Mike Batty, UCL Last week Blake Morgan and the Southern Policy Centre launched their research report exploring the future of the central South’s city centres. We were joined by Andrew Carter from the Centre for Cities and over 100 participants from across the region – representing councils, businesses and the community. A full copy of the report can be accessed here.…
Recovery from Covid-19: 24 June 2020 As the nation emerges tentatively from lockdown there are many conversations about what recovery may look like: what may change, what have we learnt from months of enforced isolation and behavioural change? Newspapers are full of articles about our ‘new normal’, the BBC has promoted fresh thinking through its “Rethink” series and SPC has stimulated the local debate with our economic recovery seminars, for example. As we have that national debate it’s important that…
Briefing Note from the Southern Policy Centre Download a copy here. What next for devolution in central southern England With a new devolution White Paper likely to be published soon, it seems Ministers will make devolution to our larger cities and regions part of their planning for economic recovery. In 2019 the Southern Policy Centre explored whether the central South can be seen as a coherent region, analysing the published plans and strategies of LEPs and local authorities, and asking…
In a report published earlier this month the Resolution Foundation argued that one consequence of economic recession is the challenge those leaving full time education will face in finding jobs.[i] The ‘lockdown’ in response to the threat of the Covid-19 virus is pushing the UK into one of the deepest recessions we have seen for many years,[ii] and the Foundation suggest that up to 640,000 under 25s could face unemployment. The Institute of Student Employers found that by early May…