This blog summarises the latest policy news that is important to place, including reports, inquiries, consultations, government research and events. This blog summarises the latest policy news that is important to place, including reports, inquiries, consultations, government research and events. View previous editions.
UK Government inquiries and consultations
| Title | Details | Deadline |
| Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) – areas of research interest | This document reflects the department’s ongoing and latest priorities and summarises their key research interests, with some illustrative questions. | No deadline |
| Mission Government | The Government has announced a series of five “missions” on which policy will be focussed. This focus on missions will, it claims, enable the government to operate in a less siloed and more long-term manner. This inquiry is part of this committee’s ongoing focus on the Civil Service that the UK needs and how we get it. | You can submit evidence until Monday, 14 April 2025. |
Reports from the UK Government and Parliament
| Title | Details | Published |
| Interim Report – Think Neighbourhoods | Think Neighbourhoods, the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods’ interim report. | March 2025 |
| Public First – Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods: Opinion Research Summary | Public First were commissioned by ICON to conduct a nationally representative survey of adults in England, to understand attitudes across the country. | March 2025 |
| Frontier Economics – The Evidence for Neighbourhood Focused Regeneration | As part of ICON’s ongoing research into the state of neighbourhoods in England, Frontier Economics was commissioned to perform three rapid evidence reviews. | March 2025 |
| Community-based climate change approaches | A POST note from the UK Parliament. Achieving climate policies will require local community action. What can be done to involve communities in climate mitigation and adaptation? | 13 February 2025 |
Reports from Academics and Think Tanks
| Title | Details | Published |
| An exploration of local variations in health and job outcomes across the UK | Report from the Learning and Work Institute | March 2025 |
| The Value of High Street Heritage Action Zones | An evaluation of Historic England’s High Streets Heritage Action Zones programme | March 2025 |
| The future is green: the economic opportunities brought by the UK’s net zero economy | Report by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) | March 2025 |
| Local government reorganisation: evaluating the financial impact of population thresholds | Report by the County Councils Network | March 2025 |
| 2025 State of Local Government Finance in England – final report | Report by the Local Government Information Unit. | March 2025 |
| High-speed rail development and economic performance: A perspective on urban-rural disparities in the treatment and spillover effects | A paper in Research in Transportation Business & Management. High-speed rail is positively linked to local economic development in urban and rural areas but has a higher impact on urban areas. | March 2025 |
| How can areas successfully reorganise local government and implement devolution at the same time? | Report from the Institute of Government | March 2025 |
| Fostering Democratic Innovations in Wales: Lessons From Around the World | Report by Aberystwyth University and the Centre for Welsh Politics and Society | March 2025 |
| Y-PERN: Connecting the region through university policy engagement | A report by Y-PERN detailing their work to connect policy makers, researchers and community organisations in the Yorkshire region. | February 2025 |
| Radical Leadership: Power, Possibility and Public Service | What qualities, skills, and mindsets are needed to navigate the choppy waters surrounding public services? And what old models no longer serve us? New Local investigates in this report. | February 2025 |
Events
| Title | Details | Date |
| Liverpool City Region Economies for Healthier Lives Showcase Event | The Heseltine Institute for Public Policy, Practice and Place at the University of Liverpool and Liverpool John Moores University invite you to the Liverpool City Region Economies for Healthier Lives Showcase Event on 27 March 2025. This event will share insights from the Liverpool City Region programme, funded by the Health Foundation, which aimed to better understand the impact of health conditions on employment prospects and how to overcome these challenges. | Date: Thursday, 27 March 2025 Time: 10.30am Place: Hilton Liverpool City Centre |
| Capability and Capacity Building in Place Leadership: Identity, Inclusion and Change | The seminar provides an opportunity for participants to present and discuss evidence-based examples of leadership at local, regional and national levels that cross and transcend borders. | Date: Thursday, 10 April 2025 Time: All day Place: 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 authors and not necessarily those of City-REDI or the University of Birmingham.