It was an often used phrase when I was growing up in the North East of England, and in this short article I apply it to local economic development!

Unfortunately it seems the new Labour Government’s economic growth programme shows little prospect of significantly boosting growth over the next 2-3 years – particularly in underperforming localities and regions. There’s a lot of worthwhile changes to planning legislation, structures and governance in the pipeline, but little “wow” factor in terms of economic policy. And little that offers a short term boost to growth and the feel good factor.

This means that the government will soon be scrambling to push the dial on growth, and critically, for people to start feeling it in the regions in 3-4 years time as the UK tees up for another General Election.

Perhaps there will be some local/ regional economic stimulus packages? We can hope! But hope isn’t a strategy, be prepared for this opportunity.

𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙖𝙜𝙚? A window exists to shape policy from the bottom up. New governments are malleable, their agendas not set in stone. Advocacy, rooted in evidence and broad stakeholder support, is crucial. Articulate local needs, highlight successful initiatives, and propose constructive solutions.

𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝙜𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝. The government’s new requirements for Strategic Authorities and local government organisation are fairly bureaucratic. They don’t, on their own inspire a revolution in how we do local and regional economic development.

𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 – you could put across your own compelling growth proposition and local narrative. You could highlight your priorities, opportunities, and differentiation.

𝙍𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙜𝙞𝙛𝙩𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙤𝙣 𝙝𝙞𝙜𝙝, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙘𝙧𝙖𝙛𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙘𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙙𝙚𝙫𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙨𝙠𝙨, explaining policy shortcomings and proposing alternatives. Develop a “top 3” project list, showcasing deliverable, high-impact initiatives with broad support.

𝙍𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧, “𝙨𝙝𝙮 𝙗𝙖𝙞𝙧𝙣𝙨 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙩.” 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩, 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙢𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩.

This article updates an earlier one I published with Mike Spicer in September 2023.