About Us

We’ve been going since 1991, since which time we have carried out almost 800 assignments for clients in the public, private and voluntary sectors. Our portfolio has always included a combination of leading-edge policy development and evaluation for central government, and support at local level for policy implementation. For example, our central policy work has included:

  • Assistance to the Inner Cities Unit with the management of their inner city Task Forces;
  • Support to the then DOE with the introduction of City Challenge;
  • Work with the Social Exclusion Unit on the development and introduction of the National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal;
  • A leading role in the national evaluations of the New Deal for Communities and neighbourhood management pathfinder programmes;
  • Development of and quality control (since 2002) for all content on the DCLG neighbourhood renewal good practice website which can be found at www.renewal.net 

Locally, we have provided assistance with strategy development and implementation, project development and appraisal, partnership building, programme evaluation and staff development to a wide range of regeneration and neighbourhood renewal partnerships. These have included City Challenge, SRB,, Business Links, local Learning Partnerships, Community Empowerment Networks,NDC, Local Strategic Partnerships and LAA partnerships.  This combination means that our national policy work is always informed by practical local experience; and our work locally is always informed by an up-to-date understanding of current policy priorities. 

Our clients

Nationally, our clients have included:

  • The Department of the Environment (DOE) and its successors, the Department of the Environment, Transport, and the Regions (DETR) and the Department for Transport Local Government and the Regions (DTLR);
  • The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM);
  • The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG);
  • The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI);
  • The Department for International Development (DfID);
  • The Department for Education and Science (DES) and its successors, the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE);
  • The Housing Corporation;
  • The Social Exclusion Unit

We have worked for more than 50 local authorities throughout England, including most London boroughs and, among many others, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Bradford, Coventry, Sandwell, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Sheffield, Stoke and Wolverhampton.

  • Government Offices for the Regions in West Midlands, East Midlands, London, South West, East of England, and London.
  • Regional Improvement Partnerships in the West Midlands
  • Learning and Skills Councils, and their predecessors Training & Enterprise Councils