Colin Talbot and Carole Talbot

Gearing up government for levelling up? Good DLUHC with that…
24 Mar 2022 Economics
Gearing up government for levelling up? Good DLUHC with that…
The Department for Levelling Up is the latest in a line of Whitehall bodies that has gone through many fusions and fissions over the last 20 years. How will this new iteration fit in with the rest of government – and the wider UK? Colin and Carole Talbot explain
Opinion: Are we set for a levelling up reboot?
07 May 2021 Local & Devolved
Opinion: Are we set for a levelling up reboot?
A prominent MP has been appointed as the prime minister’s adviser on levelling up. What does it mean for the next stage of this agenda?
On the level: What does the government mean by levelling up?
20 Feb 2020
On the level: What does the government mean by levelling up?

Prime minister Boris Johnson has pledged that his government will lead a ‘levelling up’ of prosperity across the UK. But where does he mean and what would count as success? By Colin Talbot and Carole Talbot
One step forward, two steps back? The rise and fall of government’s Next Steps agencies
23 Sep 2019 Civil Service Reform
One step forward, two steps back? The rise and fall of government’s Next Steps agencies

The Next Steps programme represented a generation of reform from Thatcher to New Labour, driven by a desire to deliver services via executive agencies. Carole and Colin Talbot explore its chequered history
Opinion: Is public policy trapped in think tanks?
13 Aug 2019 Government Tax Profession
Opinion: Is public policy trapped in think tanks?

Policy think tanks have become important in the development of policy in a relatively short space of time. Colin Talbot and Carole Talbot ask if this a good thing