📢 Team announcement📢

There's never been a bigger need to put communities at the heart of decision making & public service design.

To help do this, I'm delighted to introduce the @wearenewlocal Policy and Research Team: @Grace_Pollard1, @Ihash123, @PLLord1 & @LA_Charlesworth! First up, @Grace_Pollard1 is our Senior Policy Researcher and #communitypower expert. Having worked on a variety of research and practice projects, she understands the things councils and other public service organisations need to do to put communities at their heart. Reach out!

This is such an important piece in the FT. I remember leading on Brexit / Covid19 impacts and all roads led to SMEs - who have dwindled in number/output since GFC - getting squeezed to breaking point. How do we want this sector to operate? on.ft.com/39PCa8h "UK construction has 244,000 fewer employees than three years ago due to a loss of EU workers and early retirees." #ukhousing

So many killer lines in this piece by @JerusalemDemsas.

theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/… "When wealthy homeowners oppose new development in their neighborhoods—and when elected officials let them—fewer homes are built overall raising...prices for everyone. Their opposition...pushes what housing does get built into a handful of places where dissent is weaker"