The Government’s recent Rewiring the State‍ paper admits that decision-making in the UK has become over-centralised, often acting as a brake on growth and productivity. It also implicitly recognises that where regions have exploited their inherent strengths, such as South Yorkshire growing its advanced manufacturing base through the development of its Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District over the past two decades, it has led to both spectacular out-performance and the re-shoring of the country’s apparently lost sovereign capabilities.

Making this work in practice however will be tricky, particularly given the demand for swift and highly visible results. In economic growth terms, its success is dependent upon:

• Regions fundamentally knowing their strengths, including a recognition of the factors that currently prevent capital or skill investment;

• Developing a pipeline of investible infrastructure projects to address these factors;

• Knowing its role in how these projects are funded, either through direct investment or in performing a ‘broking’ service with capital sources including pension funds; and

• Having appropriate Governance models in place, striking a balance between gauging and committing investment quickly whilst proving value for money to the taxpayer.

A key part of our offer is helping to make this change happen. We work up and secure funding for regionally significant residential, commercial, energy and manufacturing-related developments for clients, whilst also using our knowledge of the market to help shape new products and interventions in the regions themselves, including for Housing.

Browse all of our regional services in the taskbars below.