PlaceCast is a Local Policy Innovation Partnership (LPIP) Hub production based at City-REDI, University of Birmingham. Our new podcast is essential listening for those keen to explore the ins and outs of knowledge mobilisation for influence in central and local government, based on the view that it’s only through animating the power of place-based leadership that the wicked problems of 2025 can become more manageable.
This conversation, between Dr Nicola Headlam, the LPIP Principal Investigator (PI), Professor Rebecca Riley and LPIP Leadership Theme Lead Dr Abigail Taylor, was a wide-ranging introduction to all things place-based, as all three women have a lot of experience moving within and between universities focused on subnational economic development.
Key points from the podcast
The relationship between Whitehall and place isn’t working. There isn’t a good understanding between central government and the devolved nations/ regions in the UK.
To make the place agenda real, there is a lot to do; “the next phase is, How do we do it? What do we do? How does that work? That includes upskilling people in universities, understanding regions, understanding civic, understanding the place they’re and the impact that they can have setting ambitious corporate goals.” Professor Rebecca Riley.
Trying to understand place leadership. As part of the LPIP Hub research programme, Abigail Taylor and Jamie Oanun (Founder of Inner Circle Consulting and a member of the LPIP Hub Leadership Team) will be investigating the daily life of place leadership to contextualise understanding of how they make decisions around the themes of the LPIP Hub. Understand how their role is changing and mapping the process from crisis to recovery to thriving and draw out the leadership learning for partnership working at each of those points.
The structure of government in England is very complicated and multilayered. “It is so fractured at the English scale, there is something about the different tiers of devolutions and the different powers… The three LPIPs in the devolved nations have much closer relationships with their national governments” Professor Rebecca Riley.
Be flexible at the scale at which work is undertaken. It’s about marshalling scope at the scale at which we can have an impact with a policy rather than restricting work by neighbourhood, local authority, health boundary etc.
This may be the time for placed-based working to become embedded. “For a very long time I’ve been doing the same thing, but with different job titles, and in different organisations. But this moment is completely different in terms of embedding and implementing. The stars are aligned and universities really are getting turned on to ‘doing civic’ in a far greater way I think we are at the turning point whereby funders are pushing us to support local partners. As John Godard said ‘Universities have always been full of people who want to change the world and we need to do that in a less accidental and improvised way in the future’”. Nicola Headlam.
Show notes and links
The following links are referred to in the pod. Although there is so much content here it is like a literature review on the governance and development of regional systemic economic development and the role of universities in their places.
- Smart Specialization Hub
- Industrial Strategy Council, Fellowship
- CIPFA, the Charter Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy
- City-REDI led the Midlands Engine Economic Observatory
Defining the power of place
- The LPIP event – November 2025
- Letter from Bridgette Phillips about the role of universities in growth, all of these things start to shape the way universities
- UPEN
- Universities UK – Generating local growth
- UUK Place Tool Kit
- National Civic Impact Accelerator
- Civic University
- Local Policy Innovation Partnership – Evidence Review on Innovation
- South Yorkshire mayoral combined authority had collaborated with various partners
- Tackling the UK’s regional economic inequality: Binding constraints and avenues for policy intervention
- The French “Politique De La Ville”: Urban Policy and City Contracts
- Demonstrating the economic impacts of civic universities
- How the build an anchor network – CLES
- How Universities Add Value in Smart City Innovation
- New Urban Mechanics
- Bradford’s City of Culture
This blog was written by Dr Nicola Headlam, Policy Fellow, City-REDI, University of Birmingham.
Find out more about the Local Policy Innovation Partnership Hub.
Disclaimer:
The views expressed in this analysis post are those of the author and not necessarily those of City-REDI or the University of Birmingham.