Localis is an independent think tank that promotes neo-localist ideas. It was founded in 2001 and is currently based in Westminster, United Kingdom.[1] Its research programme is guided by the concept of neo-localism which it describes as giving places and people more control over the effects of globalisation.[2]
Localis publish papers on a variety of public policy areas, including reshaping the economy; culture, tradition and beauty; reforming public services; and improving family life. Past publications have argued for greater financial autonomy for local authorities,[3] the creation of a national infrastructure bank[4] and that the Right to Buy should be extended into equity slivers. The think tank has also published reports on topics including health and social integration,[5] Local Enterprise Partnerships [6] and municipal enterprise.[7]
Current members of the board include Sir Merrick Cockell (who is also chairman), Councillor Paul Carter, Councillor Paul Bettison, Councillor Louise Goldsmith and Councillor David Renard.[8] Former chief executives include James Morris, elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Halesowen and Rowley Regis in May 2010.[9]
On 25 July 2016, Liam Booth-Smith took over the role of Chief Executive, replacing the outgoing Alex Thomson.[10] Booth-Smith stepped down in 2018, with Jonathan Werran replacing him in July of the same year.[11]
Notable publications
Can Localism Deliver? Lessons from Manchester
In 2009, Localis published a report entitled Can Localism Deliver? Lessons from Manchester.[12] It series of recommendations to devolve powers to local government was highly influential in the establishment of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.[13]
The report included a foreword by Michael Heseltine who was influential in the 2010-15 coalition government’s attempts to promote the advancement of devolution, especially through the Northern Powerhouse.[14] Heseltine mentioned in the report that “we need mechanisms that drive communities together, embracing academia, the private sector, the voluntary sector and others with a stake in our society to seek solutions designed in the circumstances on the ground and not forged as a national ‘one solution fits all’ diktat from London.”[15]
The Rate Escape: Freeing Local Government to Drive Economic Growth
In 2011, the think tank also published a report which argued that local government must be given greater local financial autonomy through being allowed to retain business rates.[16] The report attracted support from a range of prominent figures. Bob Neill said that the report “underlines the real importance of Government's drive to end councils' dependence on the whims of Whitehall grants” whilst Miles Templeman called it a “powerful model for business rate reform”.[17] In 2015, George Osborne announced that English councils would be able to keep all of the proceedings from business rates, calling it “the biggest transfer of power” in recent history.[18]
The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) is a progressive think tank based in London. It was founded in 1988 and is an independent registered charity. IPPR has offices in Newcastle, Manchester, and Edinburgh. Funding comes from trust and foundation grants, government support, and individual donors. The think tank aims to maintain the momentum of progressive thought in the United Kingdom through well-researched and clearly argued policy analysis, reports, and publications; as well as a high media profile.
The pattern of local government in England is complex, with the distribution of functions varying according to the local arrangements.
London Councils is the local government association for Greater London, England. It is a cross-party organisation that represents London's 32 borough councils and the City of London. It was formed in 1995 as a merger of the London Boroughs Association and the Association of London Authorities. In April 2000 it gained further functions as strategic local government in London was reorganised. London Councils is a think tank and lobbying organisation, and also provides some services directly through legislation that allows multiple local authorities to pool responsibility and funding. London Councils is based at 59½ Southwark Street.
The New Zealand Initiative is a pro-free-market public-policy think tank and business membership organisation in New Zealand. It was formed in 2012 by merger of the New Zealand Business Roundtable (NZBR) and the New Zealand Institute. The Initiative’s main areas of focus include economic policy, housing, education, local government, welfare, immigration and fisheries.
Directly elected mayors in England and Wales are local government executive leaders who have been directly elected by the people who live in a local authority area. The first such political post was the mayor of London, created as the executive of the Greater London Authority in 2000 as part of a reform of the local government of Greater London. Since the Local Government Act 2000, all of the several hundred principal local councils in England and Wales are required to review their executive arrangements.
Gregory Alan Mackie (OAM) is a South Australian cultural advocate, entrepreneur and leader who has worked to promote the arts and culture in Australia. He is an elected Councillor at the Adelaide City Council. He was co-founder and was managing director of independent bookshop Imprints Booksellers (1984–2007), served on many public bodies, including Arts SA and Adelaide Writers' Week, and founded the Adelaide Festival of Ideas in 1999. As of May 2020 he is CEO of the History Trust of South Australia, after being appointed to the position in 2016.
Auckland Council is the local government council for the Auckland Region in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority that has the responsibilities, duties and powers of a regional council and so is a unitary authority, according to the Local Government Act 2009, which established the Council. The governing body consists of a mayor and 20 councillors, elected from 13 wards. There are also 149 members of 21 local boards who make decisions on matters local to their communities. It is the largest council in Oceania, with a $3 billion annual budget, $29 billion of ratepayer equity, and 9,870 full-time staff as of 30 June 2016. The council began operating on 1 November 2010, combining the functions of the previous regional council and the region's seven city and district councils into one "super council" or "super city".
The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) is a combined authority for Greater Manchester, England. It was established on 1 April 2011 and consists of 11 members; 10 indirectly elected members, each a directly elected councillor from one of the ten metropolitan boroughs that comprise Greater Manchester together with the directly elected Mayor of Greater Manchester. The authority derives most of its powers from the Local Government Act 2000 and Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009, and replaced a range of single-purpose joint boards and quangos to provide a formal administrative authority for Greater Manchester for the first time since the abolition of the Greater Manchester County Council in 1986.
James George Morris is a British Conservative politician who has served as a Government whip since 14 February 2020, and has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Halesowen and Rowley Regis since the 2010 general election. He has served on the Communities and Local Government Select Committee since his election. Like the other junior Government whips, Morris holds the sinecure title of Lord Commissioner of the Treasury.
Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council is the local authority for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London. Kensington and Chelsea is divided into 18 wards, each electing either two or three councillors. The council was created by the London Government Act 1963 and replaced two local authorities: Kensington Metropolitan Borough Council and Chelsea Metropolitan Borough Council.
The Localism Act 2011 is an Act of Parliament that changes the powers of local government in England. The aim of the act is to facilitate the devolution of decision-making powers from central government control to individuals and communities. The measures affected by the Act include an increase in the number of elected mayors, referendums and the "Local authority’s general power of competence" which states "A local authority has power to do anything that individuals generally may do".
Sir Merrick Richard Cockell is a Conservative politician in the United Kingdom, former Leader of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and former Chairman of the Local Government Association. He was made a Knight Bachelor in 2010.
The Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP) is one of 39 Local Enterprise Partnerships set up by Government to drive economic development in England.
The District Councils' Network (DCN) is a special interest group in the Local Government Association. It represents 187 non-metropolitan district councils in England, representing over 40% of the population and 68% of the land. It is funded by membership subscriptions and its purpose is to "act as an informed and representative advocate for districts to government and other national bodies, based on their unique position to deliver for 'local' people".
The South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership (SEMLEP) was established in 2011, and is one of 39 Local Enterprise Partnerships set up by the Government to drive economic development in England. The SEMLEP geographical region includes 36 enterprise and innovation centres, and five universities. Its board is made up of representatives from the public and private sectors, in addition to skills providers.
Richard Carr is a historian, political commentator and academic. He has been a Lecturer in History at Anglia Ruskin University since 2013 having previously served as a Research Fellow and Senior Visiting Fellow at think tank Localis and as a Lecturer at the University of East Anglia.
Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) is a proposed major rail programme designed to substantially enhance the economic potential of the North of England. Featuring new and significantly upgraded railway lines, it aims to transform rail services between the region's towns and cities. It would be the region's single biggest transport investment since the Industrial Revolution. The specific proposal to build a high speed line between Liverpool and Leeds has been nicknamed HS3. Design of the network is to be coordinated with design of HS2 Phase 2b which, by 2035–2040, will provide high-speed services from Crewe to Manchester and from Birmingham to Leeds.
The Northern Powerhouse is a proposal to boost economic growth in the North of England by the 2010–15 coalition government and 2015–2016 Conservative government in the United Kingdom, particularly in the "Core Cities" of Hull, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield and Newcastle. The proposal is based on the benefits of agglomeration and aims to reposition the British economy away from London and the South East. The spatial footprint of the Northern Powerhouse is defined as the 11 Local enterprise partnership areas of the North of England.
The Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom designed to introduce directly elected mayors to combined local authorities in England and Wales and to devolve housing, transport, planning and policing powers to them. The bill was introduced to the House of Lords by Baroness Williams of Trafford, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, on 28 May 2015.
Edward Julian Udny-Lister, Baron Udny-Lister, is a British special adviser, political strategist and former politician. He served as Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Chief Strategic Adviser from 24 July 2019 until assuming the position of Downing Street Chief of Staff from 13 November 2020 to 1 January 2021 in an acting capacity following the departure of Dominic Cummings as Chief Adviser to the Prime Minister. He was previously the Deputy Mayor of London for Policy under Johnson between 2011 and 2016, and was also the Leader of Wandsworth Council from 1992 to 2011.
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