The Work Foundation has released a new report as part of its Bottom Ten Million research programme, funded by the Barrow Cadbury Trust, Tudor Trust, The Private Equity Foundation and Working Links.

In the face of large cuts in public finance, the government has radically reduced funding for regeneration. ‘Area based initiatives’ for regeneration have been ended. Critics have argued that this means cutting funding from those parts of the country with the weakest economies. Yet others argue that the old model of regeneration had failed, and that place based economic development had only limited impact anyway. Given cuts in public finance and the limitations of old models of regeneration, the focus should be on policies for people, not place.

‘People or Place? Urban policy in the age of austerity’ investigates these issues and finds that the Government’s current policies for rebalancing the economy are likely to widen regional divides and hasten decline of poorest areas. You can read the report in full here.