iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

The biggest impact from Whitehall secondments into Mayoral Strategic Authorities might not be in MSAs themselves. If it becomes a must-have experience for serious policy careers, the biggest payoff could be culture change in Whitehall. David Marlow and I discuss in our latest LEDC podcast.

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Quick nudge 👇 Onshore wind is back in England but can host communities reap the benefits? David Marlow and I explore in our latest LED Confidential episode

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Planning applications for onshore wind in England are at a ten-year high. Our new LED Confidential podcast episode explores how host communities can capture the benefits and why renewable generation belongs in local economic strategy as a wealth question, not just an infrastructure one.

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Quick nudge 👇 Homes or data centres? And has anyone done the energy and water sums? Catch our latest LED Confidential Espresso Shot on the new National Planning Policy Framework and the choice-of-use questions it leaves places to answer.

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Does the new National Planning Policy Framework pay enough attention to local economic development and placemaking or is it still mainly about homes? Our new 10-minute LED Confidential episode looks at the energy and water trade-offs in its push for homes, AI growth zones and data centres

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Quick nudge 👇 Can Scotland build its own "Manchesterism" within a tripartite governance system? Check out our latest LED Confidential episode with guest David Waite from the University of Glasgow.

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Should Scotland copy Greater Manchester's playbook, or build its own model of regional empowerment? Our new LED Confidential episode with David Waite (University of Glasgow) digs into Glasgow City Region's £400m devolution bid and what a genuinely Scottish approach to devolution could look like.

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Quick nudge 👇 If a 48-nation World Cup can't dislodge the existing footballing hierarchy, can devolution dislodge the existing hierarchy of the UK's local economies? David Marlow and I discuss (somewhat light-heartedly!) in our latest LED Confidential podcast episode

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

The semi-finalists of World Cup 2026 were who the rankings said they'd be before a ball was kicked. So is "good growth in every postcode" a genuine goal, or just better branding of a predetermined set of outcomes? David Marlow and I discuss In our latest LED Confidential podcast episode.

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Quick nudge 👇 Local Skills Improvement Plans might be quietly setting the standard for stakeholder engagement in local economic strategy. Our latest LED Confidential Espresso Shot makes the case.

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Reposted by Mike Spicer

jacktshaw.bsky.social @jacktshaw.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Following the meeting at No10 North today, the Government announces a new package to support strategic authorities build capacity and capability:

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

England's new wave of Local Skills Improvement Plans are among the most rigorous local strategy exercises in recent years. In our LED Confidential podcast episode David Marlow and I ask: how might LSIPs inform the development of local economic strategies beyond labour market and skills?

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Quick nudge 👇 2,700 estimated heat deaths this summer and now govt alerts sent to our mobile phones...but still no clear strategic owner at the 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭 level. Check out our latest LED Confidential episode on heat, place and who should be leading the response.

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

2,700 estimated heat deaths this summer in England and Wales, so why is heat adaptation still lacking local strategic oversight, in contrast with flooding? David Marlow and I discuss in this 10-minute LED Confidential podcast episode on heat, place and who should be leading the response.

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

If you haven't caught this yet… Is "Manchesterism" really a template any place can copy, or is it the product of a very particular 35-year institutional journey?

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Reposted by Mike Spicer

City-REDI @city-redi.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

In a new series, we are meeting all of our new City-REDI Associates! Up next is Mike Spicer discussing where his research interests hits and what he hopes to achieve as an associate. ow.ly/49k450ZxZP7

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

With Andy Burnham now setting policy from Downing Street, what does "Manchesterism" actually mean for places that don't have Greater Manchester's history, geography or mayor? Our new LED Confidential episode asks whether it's a genuinely transferable model.

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Quick nudge 👇 Catch our latest LED Confidential episode with the House of Commons Library's Mark Sandford on devolution, evidence and Westminster.

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

How do you brief MPs on devolution and stay completely neutral? Our new LED Confidential podcast episode is with Mark Sandford of the House of Commons Library, on what MPs really want to know about place, why mayors went from controversial to consensus, and what fiscal devolution could change next.

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Quick nudge 👇 Are rural areas being planned for or planned around? Our latest LED Confidential episode on MSAs, the "Defra gap", and what LED professionals can do about rural inclusion right now.

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Can Mayoral Strategic Authorities deliver whole-geography growth or is the devolution model structurally biased toward cities? Our new LED Confidential episode asks what happens to market towns, coastal communities and rural hinterlands when Defra stays outside Integrated Settlements.

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Quick nudge 👇 Can inclusive innovation actually be measured? Catch our latest LED Confidential episode with Belfast's Innovation Commissioner, Dr Adrian Johnston MBE, on inclusion capital and the £1bn city deal testing it.

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

Should every UK city region have an innovation commissioner? Our new LED Confidential podcast episode is with Dr Adrian Johnston MBE of Innovation City Belfast, who argues inclusive innovation can work only if you measure it properly 👇

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Quick nudge 👇 If councils can't borrow to invest, what exactly is the growth model? Our latest LED Confidential episode covers the UK Government's consultation on a new capital risk framework and what it means for place-based investment.

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

The UK Government's consultation on a new capital risk framework for English local government closes on 6 August. Our new LED Confidential episode asks if new borrowing controls protect taxpayers or micro-manage economic development just as Integrated Settlements are meant to give more flexibility.

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Quick nudge 👇 Is the NEET crisis a skills problem or a system design failure? Our latest LED Confidential Espresso Shot is all about the Milburn Review and what its interim findings means for local economic development.

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Alan Milburn's interim review names 1 million young people as not in employment, education or training ('NEET') with ill health now a major driver. Our new LED Confidential episode asks whether this is a youth employment challenge or a place-based failure of governance

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Quick nudge 👇 Are we planning for growth or resilience? Check out our latest LED Confidential podcast episode on health life expectancy, productivity and place.

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

What happens to economic growth strategies when the length of healthy working lives is shrinking? Our new LED Confidential podcast episode explores healthy life expectancy as an economic constraint and why prevention, not just growth, may now sit at the heart of local strategy.

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Have we underestimated how much professional capacity matters in local growth? Following the publication of the Local and Regional Economic Development Handbook, David Marlow and I talk to author Glenn Athey about what practitioners actually need to do the job well.

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

What does professional capacity in local economic development actually look like today? With Glenn Athey, we explore why delivery is so hard right now and what practitioners need to rebuild the craft: (1) skills + judgment, (2) curiosity + engagement and (3) getting out from behind the desk

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

Worth catching up on 👇 Our latest LED Confidential podcast episode: does the new devolution settlement accelerate progress — or freeze inequalities between places?

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

The Devolution & Community Empowerment Act is now law but what does that mean for places not on the fast track? In our new LED Confidential podcast episode David Marlow and I ask if England is heading towards a completed devolution map or a two‑speed system that leaves areas waiting indefinitely.

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

Quick nudge 👇 Are post‑election local politics now something investors price in? Check out our latest LED Confidential podcast episode on governance, confidence and delivery risk.

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

What signals are investors taking from the 7 May English local elections? Our new LED Confidential podcast episode looks at whether political volatility is just democratic noise or increasingly seen as delivery risk, and what LED professionals can do to signal continuity when things feel unsettled.

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

If you haven't already - check our latest Espreso Shot episode of LED Confidential in which David Marlow and I explore the place dimension of AI, including why AI adoption strategies may matter most for the places that aren’t obvious magnets for AI investment. 👇

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

How are the opportunities and risks of AI being handled in your local economic development and skills plans? And is AI likely to widen disparities between regions, and within them? In our latest short episode of LED Confidential, David Marlow and I explore the place dimension of AI.

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

If you haven't already check out our new LED Confidential podcast episode with East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward! We talk building Combined Authorities from scratch while delivering for residents, fiscal devolution in England, and the value that mayors can bring to public services reform

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

So - a big coup for LED Confidential...East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward joined me and David Marlow on the podcast for an extended discussion on her experience of being a first-term Mayor, and what it takes to build a Combined Authority from scratch! 🎧 Listen now on all good podcast platforms!

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

In our latest LED Confidential podcast episode, David Marlow and I explore what the Chancellor’s Mais Lecture signals for fiscal devolution to England's regions, and the unanswered questions this raises 👇 🎧 Listen now on all good podcast platforms!

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

In our latest LED Confidential podcast episode, David Marlow and I ask: what do the announcements on fiscal devolution in Rachel Reeves' Mais Lecture actually mean for local economic development and place making practitioners?

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

In our latest short LED Confidential podcast episode, David Marlow and I unpack the latest government decisions on Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) 👇

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

In late March the UK Government announced a major new Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) decisions for parts of the east and south east of England — with big implications for local economic development and place making. David Marlow and I unpack the issues in our latest LED Confidential pod

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

From note‑takers that can turn a full‑day workshops into briefings in minutes, to tools that compare reports and spot gaps in business cases – AI is already helping LED professionals in their work. In our podcast David Marlow and I explore how far we should go and the risks if we lean on it too much

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

In our latest 10-minute LED Confidential episode, David Marlow and I reflect on how we're using AI in our own work – where it is adding value and where it's gone wrong...

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

Is the recent rise of the Green Party a short‑term thing or a deeper shift that could reshape how we do local economic development? In our latest 10-minute LED Confidential podcast episode, David Marlow and I look at what the “Green wave” could mean for LED and placemaking practice.

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

Is the recent rise of the Green Party in England and Wales a short‑term thing or a deeper shift that could reshape how local economic development gets done?In our latest 10-minute LED Confidential podcast episode, David Marlow and I look at what the “Green wave” could mean for LED and placemaking?

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

In our latest LED Confidential episode David Marlow and I look at how grid connections and competing demands on energy are fast becoming binding constraints on local economic development and placemaking in the UK. How are things shaping up where you are?

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

Is energy still just a context for your local economic strategy – or has it become the organising principle? In our latest 10‑minute LED Confidential episode David Marlow and I look at how grid connections are fast becoming a binding constraint on local growth, regeneration and net zero delivery.

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Mike Spicer @mikespicer-pd.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

In our latest episode of LED Confidential, David Marlow and I talk to Liz McAreavey, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, about Edinburgh 2030 – a business‑led call to action for one of the UK’s most successful city economies. 👇

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