Category: Publications

What the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget needs to say

Use the rise in land value to build 150,000 new homes and invest £8bn in infrastructure along the Cambridge to Oxford corridor

Use rise in land value to build 150,000 new homes and invest £8bn in infrastructure along the Cambridge to Oxford corridor

As the Chancellor starts preparing for his Autumn Budget, increasing investment in housing and infrastructure will be towards the top of his priority list. The challenge for Philip Hammond is that the uncertainty surrounding Brexit has negatively impacted the economy, leaving him less wiggle room than he had previously hoped.

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How a lack of technical skills may be holding back the West Midlands economy

Recent analysis by the Centre suggests that the economy is being held back by a lack of key technical skills, with as many as 43% of vacancies for technical roles categorised as skills shortage vacancies.

 

Earlier this month, in the latest step along a path of regional devolution designed to drive local economic growth across the country, metro mayors were elected in six of the UK’s new combined authorities. In the West Midlands, Conservative Party candidate Andy Street narrowly beat Labour’s Siôn Simon to become the city region’s first elected mayor.

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Response to the Industrial Strategy Green Paper

The Centre responds to the government’s recent green paper, ‘Building our Industrial Strategy’

The government recently published its industrial strategy green paper, outlining its vision for ‘a stronger, fairer Britain that works for everyone’. The Centre for Progressive Capitalism welcomes the government’s ambition to improve living standards and economic growth displayed in the paper.

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Report: Rebalancing the UK economy – A post-Brexit industrial strategy

An industrial strategy should address the persistent overvaluation of sterling and the failure to develop an appropriate system of technical education

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Executive summary

On the eve of the EU referendum vote, according to numerous measures the British economy was performing exceptionally well. Unemployment was low and employment participation rates were at all-time highs, with continued low inflation. GDP growth since the financial crisis was only marginally behind Canada and the US, but well ahead of Germany and France.

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Report: Bridging the infrastructure gap

A report on financing infrastructure investment to unlock housing

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Financing infrastructure investment to unlock housing

Infrastructure is a key element of the enabling environment to increase economic growth. Access to infrastructure such as energy and transport greatly influences the productivity of private investment and an economy’s competitiveness. Moreover, physical infrastructure plays a central role in fulfilling the ambitions of citizens including the ability to live in an affordable, good quality home that is reasonably close to their place of work.

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Report: The challenge of accelerating UK housebuilding

Britain’s housing crisis results from the failure of politicians to ensure that markets work in the public interest rather than to the benefit of the unproductive few

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Britain’s housing crisis results from the failure of politicians to ensure that markets work in the public interest rather than to the benefit of the unproductive few. This failure, besides the ongoing social issues surrounding housing, has had a negative impact on the UK economy through increasing monetary instability as well as lower output and employment due to a transfer of resources to pay for mostly existing assets as opposed to acquiring new goods.

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