Life after the spending cuts: Envisaging local government in 2015

May 5, 2011

Kindly supported by NESTA.

Nesta Logo

The government is pursuing a policy of ‘creative destruction’. This is a highly innovative but very risky strategy. What are the implications of such radical change? Will we even recognise our local authorities and local public services in five years’ time?

The danger is that some councils will simply cut back to their core services and wait vainly for spending growth to start again, while others may cut blindly in the short term and close down medium term opportunities for innovation. To avoid this, councils need to take the long view, thinking innovatively about the kind of services they want to deliver and the role they want to play in their communities, then developing a clear route map for realising that vision. Using scenario planning techniques, this project aims to promote this kind of long term thinking among the local government community, with a particular focus on promoting innovation.


Explore More