Promoting sustainable local economic development for all areas: Looking forward or looking back?

A review and analysis of recent attempts to promote local economic development and improve public services that considers the potential role of the ‘growth coalitions’ and ‘smart local government’ project in progressing and creating synergy between these two agendas. A critique of the current growth agenda, as represented by Local Economic Partnerships and the Single Local Growth Fund and whether it connects with the potential growth opportunities that can be realised out of local public service expenditure. A consideration of whether Community Budgets, as the current approach to improving local public services, represent a new managerialism rather than a new ‘transformation’ agenda to better meet the needs and address the well-being of local people. Suggestions are made about how to capture the inherent value, and realise transformational change in the provision of local public service services along the lines of the decade-old ‘growth coalitions’ and ‘smart local government’ project. Also, about adding value by creating synergy between local public service expenditure and the work of Local Economic Partnerships and the Single Local Growth Fund, for the benefit of local citizens and growth.