From rhetoric to regeneration: rebuilding England’s regional policy

What's blocking regional rebalancing and regeneration in England, and could new institutions tackle the north-south divide? In this episode, David and Mike are joined by Peter Hetherington – one of the UK’s most respected commentators on regional affairs, land use and the north south divide. Peter argues that a step‑by‑step dismantling of regional policy has left England without a national regeneration agency, spatial strategy or coherent institutional framework – and he tells LEDC what it would take to rebuild one. From the tensions between Whitehall control and genuine local autonomy, to the crisis in local government finance and the case for taking social care out of council budgets, they explore what “radical but realistic” reform might look like in practice.