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A Phoenix Moment for our Town Centres?
Is Coronavirus the death knell of our high streets, or a chance to make them genuine community anchors? Within about 24 hours last week...
3 min read
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When it comes to levelling up, is money enough?
Rishi Sunak’s Spending Review this week saw the Government commit £4bn to a new ‘levelling up fund’. Designed to resource “the...
3 min read
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Glitz, Glamour and Grimsby: Celebrity and Town Identities
The looming crisis facing lower-league football clubs, heightened by the outbreak of coronavirus, has consequences for our towns, where...
4 min read
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The economics of COVID-19 could affect a different sort of town
How does a small town cope with the impact on the social fabric of the COVID-19 lockdown? A recent Guardian short film set out to answer...
3 min read
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What can we tell from a first look at the government’s 101 Town Deals?
Last week the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) announced financial backing for communities in seven areas,...
4 min read
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Loss on the Terraces: Foreword
People want to be a part of something. And as we’ve discovered through the outbreak of COVID-19, that doesn’t stop when the football stops.
3 min read
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It’s time to get real about ‘ghost towns’
The end of the summer has centred on a furious debate about remote work, city centres, and whether employees are morally obliged to help...
3 min read
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How can 'levelling up' become a reality?
It was announced this week that Tory MPs are launching a Levelling Up Taskforce. The new group – which includes many of the MPs installed...
3 min read
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How heritage can play it's part
This is how heritage can play a part in building more resilient and inclusive communities
2 min read
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Investment much reach beyond city level
Investment must reach beyond city level and provide opportunities for local people to connect and contribute
2 min read
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Investment at neighbourhood level is key
Investment at the local neighbourhood level in social infrastructure must therefore be a key part of any vision for revitalising our towns
2 min read
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The backdrop to scepticism and concerns about migration
Poverty, austerity, insecure labour markets, deindustrialisation, declining town centres and a paucity of community spaces are often the bac
2 min read
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Hopeful Towns: Foreword
Since my election to Parliament on 7 May 2015 it is no exaggeration to say that each and every day I have felt an enormous sense of honour a
3 min read
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A growing evidence base of challenges
The findings from this HOPE not hate Charitable Trust report contributes to a growing evidence base of the particular challenges facing our
2 min read
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