LED Confidential

In this guest episode, David and Mike are joined by Dr Adrian Johnston MBE, Innovation Commissioner for Innovation City Belfast, to explore whether inclusive innovation can be measured in practice. Adrian explains how Innovation City Belfast, a partnership of seven anchor institutions built around the £1bn Belfast Region City Deal, moved beyond GVA and patents toward a broader "inclusion capi...

In this Espresso Shot, David and Mike  unpack the UK Government's new capital risk framework for local authorities — a consultation launched on 28 May 2026 proposing powers to monitor debt, investment, and revenue sustainability across every council, with intervention triggers where thresholds are breached.  At the time of recording six councils remained under Section 114 intervention; 37 othe...

In this Espresso Shot episode, David and Mike unpack Alan Milburn's interim review findings into young people and work  — a diagnosis that names nearly 1 million 16–24 year-olds as not in employment, education or training ("NEET"), at an estimated economic cost of £125bn annually, and describes a "generational fault line" in the UK labour market. They explore the structural...

The UK’s latest healthy life expectancy figures published in Spring 2026 have been described as a watershed moment, and for local economic development they raise uncomfortable questions. In this Espresso Shot episode, David and Mike explore what falling healthy life expectancy, widening spatial gaps and changing population dynamics mean for the growth assumptions embedded in many local strategies....

In this episode, David and Mike are joined by Dr Glenn Athey to discuss the state of professional practice in local and regional economic development. Using Glenn’s new handbook as a springboard, they explore why delivery capability has become such a binding constraint on place based change, how years of austerity and institutional churn have hollowed out professional capacity, and what today’s pr...

With the Devolution and Community Empowerment Act now on the statute book, England’s devolution journey feels more settled but perhaps more uneven. In this episode, David and Mike ask whether the new three‑tier system of strategic authorities accelerates progress or risks locking large parts of the country into a holding pattern. They explore Foundation Combined Authorities, Integrated Settlements...

In this Espresso Shot episode, David and Mike  unpack what business and institutional investors may be reading into the 2026 local election results in England at a moment when confidence, continuity and delivery matter more than ever. They explore whether governance instability is being treated as background democratic noise or as genuine execution risk, how this compares with the importance of tr...

This is the second in LEDC’s short run of episodes on AI — focusing on the economic impacts on places and what that means for local skills and growth plans. Drawing on live work on local skills planning,  David and Mike reflect on how uncertain employers remain about how it will impact their recruitment decisions. They explore the spatial dimension: AI may be transformational for places with dense...

In this episode, David and Mike are joined by Claire Ward, the first Mayor of the East Midlands Combined County Authority, to explore what it really takes to lead a new devolved English region through its first term. She reflects on how newer Combined Authorities differ from the earlier Greater Manchester / West Midlands experience, and building institutions at pace across four constituent authori...

The UK's Chancellor of the Exchequer put fiscal devolution firmly on the table with her 2026 Mais Lecture, including a road map for sharing national tax revenues with English regions. Does this foreshadow a permanent shift of power, or the familiar business rate retention model in new clothing?  A model of retaining growth in tax yields without clarity on which public service responsibilities...

In this Espresso Shot episode David and Mike unpack the UK Government’s 25 March 2026 announcements on Local Government Reorganisation in England. These included proposed moves from 44 authorities to 16 unitaries across Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, and the paused decision on Sussex and Brighton & Hove pending further consultation. They ask: Is this good news, bad n...

Is AI changing how you do local economic development and placemaking – or just adding noise? In this Espresso Shot episode, David and Mike share real examples of using AI to augment workshop management, support  stakeholder engagement and review business cases, alongside stories of mistranslations and “garbage” syntheses. They explore where AI genuinely augments LED work – and where human judgemen...

What happens to local economic development when Green Party councillors and (potentially) mayors become a major force in local government? David and Mike explore the “Green wave” – from housing quality and community ownership to a proposed uplift in local government funding tied to net zero and inclusion – and ask whether our current tools and economic plans are ready for it.

Is the capacity of our power infrastructure now the majordeterminant of local and regional growth? David and Mike explore how grid constraints, global energy shocks and local political battles over  the net zero transition are reshaping regeneration pipelines, spatial strategies and local economic  plans. They ask what role Mayoral Strategic Authorities, non -mayoral areas and infrastructure provi...

Edinburgh is one of the UK’s star city economies. But is success breeding complacency? David and Mike talk to Liz McAreavey, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, about Edinburgh 2030 – a business‑led call to action that aims to turn a patchwork of sector plans into a clear local growth strategy and a stronger “Team Edinburgh” voice. They discuss models for strategic leadership, region...

The Chancellor has confirmed a new Local Growth Fund (LGF) – a £900m, four‑year capital pot reserved for 11 Mayoral Strategic Authorities (MSAs) in the North and Midlands of England. But the annual average of £225m is around 60% lower than England’s final‑year UK Shared Prosperity Fund allocation, and many places – including London, the South East, most rural counties and non‑mayoral areas – will...

The UK Government has expanded its Pride in Place (PiP) programme – £20m over 10 years for each selected neighbourhood, with local boards deciding how to spend it on high streets, youth centres, community spaces and events. At the same time, the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods (ICON) warns that current approaches are too small‑scale and partial to turn around outcomes like crime and econo...

David and Mike unpack the “perfect storm” hitting English local government in early 2026. From the new financial settlement and outcomes framework to 52 reorganisation proposals and reinstated local elections, they explore what this blizzard of change really means for local economic development and placemaking. Is this a moment to despair – or to push for system‑level reform in how Whitehall, loca...

What's blocking regional rebalancing and regeneration in England, and could new institutions tackle the north-south divide? In this episode, David and Mike are joined by Peter Hetherington – one of the UK’s most respected commentators on regional affairs, land use and the north south divide. Peter argues that a step‑by‑step dismantling of regional policy has left England without a national reg...

Six years after the pandemic declaration, the Hallett COVID‑19 Inquiry is uncovering lessons with major implications for local economic development. David and Mike discuss enduring economic scarring, deepened health inequalities, the overlooked importance of social infrastructure, and why future LED strategies must embrace resilience, slack and the agency of hyper‑local communities. A sharp 10‑min...

What should England’s new Visitor Levy really be used for — growing the visitor economy, boosting wellbeing, or redistributing tourism across Combined Authority areas? David and Mike unpack the Government’s 72‑page consultation, explore why England’s opt‑in model is unusual when compared to those operating in elsewhere in Europe, and discuss how varying charge levels, lobbying pressures and sub‑re...

As US–Europe tensions over Greenland flare and then cool (for now), David and Mike ask what this kind of geopolitical dispute really means for local economic development. They unpack how tariff threats, critical minerals, energy security and defence policy filter down into business confidence, inward investment, and local growth plans – and why LED professionals need to move from static strategies...

What does it take to turn a 50km stretch of Scotland’s Firth of Forth into a hub for sustainable growth? CEO Sarah Murray gives LEDC the inside track on the Forth Green Freeport. From unlocking £8 billion in investment and creating 34,000 jobs to embedding fair work and Net Zero principles, the Scottish Green Freeport model promises economic, social, and environmental transformation on a grand sca...

2026 could be a year of big moves—or big misses for economic development. In this Espresso Shot episode, David and Mike share their predictions on placemaking, local growth, and the infrastructure bets that could make or break business confidence.

2025 was a year of contrasts for local economic development in the UK: progress on devolution, persistent financial fragility, and political shake-ups. In this Espresso Shot episode David and Mike look back at the stories that mattered—and what they mean for the sector in the year ahead.