This report puts the spotlight on the critical role of councils in enabling inclusive economic growth.
After a decade of slow growth and flatlining productivity, the Government has put kickstarting growth and raising living standards at the heart of its ambitions for change. This report identifies the essential role that councils have to underpin inclusive growth, ensuring that ourresidents and businesses are central to providing that growth and benefit from the opportunities that growth brings.
In an increasingly uncertain global context, returning to sustained economic growth will require leadership and expertise from across the whole country. It will require local, regional and national government working in partnership together and with the private sector. Crucially, as this report sets out, there is untapped potential in the role of local councils as growth facilitators.
Councils are convenors of place. We are the front door for our places, ambassadors for international firms and capital looking for new opportunities and honest brokers able to forge new investment partnerships with transformative potential for our communities. Through our planning powers we shape the environment for growth, and develop transport, energy and digital infrastructure to support businesses large and small.
Through our ever-closer working with mayoral combined authorities, councils work collaboratively to overcome barriers to growth in towns, cities, rural and coastal areas. This report, commissioned by the LGA, provides new research that shows how £276 billion could be added to the economy through place-based industrial strategies across the whole country. Growth that supports every community and place.
The message from the report is clear: councils are a force for growth. National government cannot deliver on its ambition to deliver higherliving standards in every part of UK without local councils. This report provides helpful recommendations which will help the LGA develop its blueprint for inclusive growth.
Cllr Tom Hunt
Chair of the LGA’s Inclusive Growth Committee
