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The positive paybacks of clearing the air
by James Carson Two reports published last week highlight the potential benefits of policies for reducing carbon emissions and tackling climate change. In the most detailed assessment to date of the...
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The ‘f’ word (fracking): crucial future energy source or greatest threat to...
By Laura Hughes Fracking hasn’t been out of the headlines recently, particularly since the UK Government gave the green light for fracking across many parts of the country, including in national parks...
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Enterprise Zones … did they work then, will they work now?
by Laura Dobie In this article we look at past and present incarnations of Enterprise Zones, their potential to create jobs and growth, and issues to address in policy approaches. Past experiences and...
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Creative contribution – the value of arts education
By Heather Cameron According to the Creative Industries Council (CIC) it’s “an exciting and pivotal time for the UK’s creative industries”, with recent statistics showing that the sector punches above...
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What’s all the fuss about housing affordability?
By Brelda Baum In the Radio Times Magazine last Sunday, I read about a TV programme called ‘How rich are you?‘. This Channel 4 offering set out to examine the polarisation of wealth in the UK. Having...
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Something old into something new: innovations in recycling
By James Carson This is Recycle Week 2015, and, in the spirit of the occasion, I’ve been recycling some of the wealth of information contained in the Idox database in order to highlight innovative work...
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Is the night-time economy waking up our town centres?
By Heather Cameron With the extent of town centre decline in recent years, the potential of the night-time economy in the UK has arguably never been more important. Earlier this year, a new industry...
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Entrepreneurship – the way to drive growth?
By Heather Cameron With endless negative reports on the state of the economy over recent years, the findings of a new study by the Enterprise Research Centre (ERC), The UK growth dashboard 2015, should...
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Learning from “Alcatraz” – the regeneration of the Gorbals
By James Carson For decades, the Gorbals area of Glasgow was a byword for social problems. During the 1920s and 1930s, poverty and overcrowding spawned deprivation, poor health, gang culture and...
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Want to know more about inequality or digital public services? So do our...
Photograph: James Carson One of the big attractions of the Idox Information Service is the wide range of subjects covered by our database. From economic development to crime prevention, social care to...
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Parking charges and the death of the high street
By Heather Cameron “High streets are not just about shops; we have to consider what local people want” (Mary Portas) Councils called for a scrap in parking charges recently following reports of booming...
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Is there any value in preserving our built heritage?
By Alan Gillies Concerns that Edinburgh may lose its World Heritage Site (WHS) status hit the headlines in October, as a team from the UK committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites,...
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Social prescribing – just what the doctor ordered?
By Heather Cameron It is widely acknowledged that wider social, economic and environmental factors have a significant influence on health and wellbeing. According to recent research only 20% of health...
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Costs and benefits of the National Living Wage
By Heather Cameron Britain’s bosses have been urged by the government to prepare early for the introduction of the National Living Wage (NLW) in April next year. Firms are advised to follow four simple...
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Innovation districts – the way forward for sustainable growth?
By Heather Cameron “Innovation is the lifeblood of any society or any economy” Julian Beer, Birmingham City University Innovation districts, first coined by Bruce Katz and colleagues at the Brookings...
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Basic Income – a simple solution to a complex problem?
By Heather Cameron “If you want to incentivise work at every level of income then Basic Income is simply the best system.” (RSA, 2015) Last month MPs in the UK Parliament were asked to consider the...
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Budget 2016 – 5 messages for local government
By Heather Cameron Last week George Osborne revealed the details of his 2016 Budget, at the centre of which was a major deterioration of the forecast for productivity growth. Last year, the Office for...
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EU referendum – what the think tanks are saying
By Heather Cameron With just under a month to go until the UK goes to the polls for the EU referendum, we take a look at what some of the major think tanks have been publishing on the debate....
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Rising household debt: a real risk to the economy?
While household debt is still below its pre-crisis levels, it began to rise relative to incomes in early 2015 and remains high by historical and international standards, according to the Bank of...
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The 24-hour city – the Night Tube launches London into an elite group
By Heather Cameron With the long-awaited launch of the night tube service at the weekend, London has joined a growing number of cities across the globe that offer all-night subway services to varying...
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