Last year came three reports on the downturn in global trade: From the container industry: Søren Skou, chief executive of the Maersk Line, which carries goods and products between Asia, Europe, the US, Africa and Latin America and is now described as the only profitable freight line. In a report from the Centre for Economic Policy Research: theslowdown in […]
New Start magazine, which champions urban regeneration that is inclusive, sustainable and socially just, has reported on the work of CLES (Centre for Local Economic Strategies) with Preston City Council. Innovative Quinton councillor John Clancy, who has been to Preston to meet councillors there at a CLES conference, has already tweeted the New Start article. CLES is exploring how anchor […]
Lord Norton, Professor of Government in the Department of Politics and International Studies, thinks that this bill will not “correct the mischief that has motivated its introduction”. Baroness Ann Mallalieu, a member of the Commission on Civil Society and Democratic Engagement, criticised the bill on Radio 4 this morning, following the publication of the Commission’s report, ‘Non-Party Campaigning Ahead of […]
. Compass, an ideas and action based pressure group, is discussing alternatives to the Government’s economic ‘Plan A’, which isn’t working, with over 50,000 members and supporters around the country. Its original Plan B, one page summary here, includes elements advocated in the last post by LWM’s co-founder Colin Hines: “infrastructure programmes, such as more housing, making every building energy […]
From field to fork: The value of England’s local food webs, a report by the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England was released earlier this month. Farming Online reports that it indicts government food policy and the supermarket model, revealing the role both have played in undermining the UK’s local food networks and jeopardising the vibrancy of rural regions. […]
More clearly expressed wisdom and informed commonsense from economist David Bailey For some background on the Markets, look at his last column in The Post which can be found here. A few points made: One way of saving – let alone creating – several thousand jobs is for the LEP, and in particular Birmingham City Council, to recognise that Birmingham […]
With caveats, John Clancy commends two decisions made by Communities Minister Eric Pickles in his recent announcement: . a LEP has to be about new business and not displacement and relocation of businesses – as the National Builders Federation website puts it: ”Zones should not be displacing economic activity from one part of an LEP to another”; local councils will be allowed […]
The Post reports that the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), has now agreed to put forward Birmingham city centre as the location of the Enterprise Zone due to its potential to generate considerable private investment and jobs, as well as the potential for substantial business rate growth. Where will the boundaries be drawn? One possibility: The […]
On March 15th in the Financial Times Gillian Tett pointed out the vulnerability of global supply chains: “[B]efore 2007, bankers had created numerous convoluted, cross-border financial chains. And while these chains seemed to make the system more efficient and safer in good times, when disaster struck, they produced new risks which took investors by surprise.” She quoted research on the […]
At noon on Thursday 9th December the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee meeting’s decisions will be announced. LWM’s co-founder, Colin Hines, sends news of a report released by members of the Green New Deal group and the consultancy ‘Finance for the Future’, which calls for the Committee’s discussions on when to introduce a further round of quantitative easing (the so […]