Local authorities across the UK face significant funding pressures brought upon by a combination of tight settlements from central government, a lack of elasticity in their tax base, and growing demand for services.
Regional inequality in the UK has been a pervasive challenge that has been exacerbated by the cost of living crisis. Recent years have seen a focus on the UK’s productivity puzzle as a route to understanding our relative stagnation.
It is reasonable to assume that the work of governments, businesses and civil society goes better if the people making decisions are well-informed, using reliable facts and strong evidence rather than only hunch and anecdote.
