Snow, snow, glorious snow. The UK is currently experiencing the impacts of the ‘beast from the east’ as cold air from Russia and eastern Europe creates the conditions that produce, in many parts of the UK, transport chaos. This type of periodic weather disruption to infrastructure is a reminder of how reliant we are on … Continue reading “Snow, Snow, Glorious Snow: Funding and Financing Local Infrastructure in the UK”
Category: Government
Devolution: Are cities on track in the worst of times?
Regardless of the arguments for and against, the subject of devolution is here to stay. The unprecedented interest levels in the EU Referendum meant that record numbers of people voted, and at its core, this was a reflection on devolution, and who makes decisions on our behalf. So, how far has devolution come? In a … Continue reading “Devolution: Are cities on track in the worst of times?”
Birmingham Economic Review 2017: Conclusion
The Birmingham Economic Review was produced in October 2017 by City-REDI, the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce and the West Midlands Growth Company. The review highlights the current strengths and weakness of the Birmingham economy, as well as looking at the opportunities and threats that might impact upon it in the future. This is Chapter 12 of The Review, the … Continue reading “Birmingham Economic Review 2017: Conclusion”
Fiscal devolution: An era of opportunity
City-REDI has prepared this brief to inform the debate on fiscal devolution. The UK has traditionally been a fiscally centralised system with most of the local authority income coming from government transfers. The acknowledgment of the importance of place and local leadership in policies such as the industrial strategy, devo deals and the budget, together … Continue reading “Fiscal devolution: An era of opportunity”
City-REDI publications series: Professor Raquel Ortega-Argiles – The continental divide? Economic exposure to Brexit in regions and countries on both sides of the Channel
As part of a new blog series, we will be highlighting the excellent research produced by the City-REDI team since 2015, with the aim of creating an online searchable library. You can view this work by searching the blog with the relevant tag, either using the name of the author or the year of the publication. The … Continue reading “City-REDI publications series: Professor Raquel Ortega-Argiles – The continental divide? Economic exposure to Brexit in regions and countries on both sides of the Channel”
An Assessment of Brexit Risks for 54 Industries: Most Services Industries are also Exposed
The UK government this week admitted that it did not undertake sectoral impact assessments regarding the potential impacts of Brexit on individual sectors. Two of the main reasons for not undertaking such analyses is the fact that we do not yet know the outcome of the UK-EU negotiations on their future relationship as well as … Continue reading “An Assessment of Brexit Risks for 54 Industries: Most Services Industries are also Exposed”
Growing and Aligning Demand and Supply of Skills for Inclusive Growth
A key challenge for the UK and its regions and cities is low productivity vis-à-vis competitors. Employers are not necessarily investing in capital: uncertainty is a key factor here. But employment levels are at historic highs at 75.3% in September 2017, with 32.14 million people in employment. Unemployment rates have fallen: a rate of 4.3%, the … Continue reading “Growing and Aligning Demand and Supply of Skills for Inclusive Growth”
Is the government’s new industrial strategy really a game changer?
The blog was first published in the NS Tech, part of the New Statesman. The reality is when dealing with productivity there are fundamental drivers academia and policy have recognised for a long time, so making the next iteration of policy different and new is incredibly hard. The government’s industrial strategy white paper is no different; there is … Continue reading “Is the government’s new industrial strategy really a game changer?”
Driving Innovation in the UK Space Sector
The space sector forms a key part of the Government’s Industrial Strategy to spread economic growth across the UK. This reflects the growing importance of satellite-enabled communications and applications to UK businesses and the day-to-day life of its citizens. Smart cities, energy infrastructure, emergency response, food security, environmental monitoring, weather services, and road/rail/maritime traffic management … Continue reading “Driving Innovation in the UK Space Sector”
Professor Simon Collinson interviewed on Radio 4 regarding the Industrial Strategy
Professor Simon Collinson was interviewed this morning (27/11/17), on Radio 4’s Today Show. The interview was part of a panel commentary on the Industrial Strategy, which was published by the government today. Professor Collinson submitted a series of key points on the Industrial Strategy to the show, some of which was covered briefly in the interview: … Continue reading “Professor Simon Collinson interviewed on Radio 4 regarding the Industrial Strategy”