In this episode, I sit down with Scott Tompkins, an expert in Highways, Transport, and Place, to delve into three critical issues facing the Place Agenda with Local Authorities.

1. Finances: The impact of austerity on local authority budgets, the rise of S114 notices, and the difficult balance between statutory duties and ‘nice-to-haves’. We discuss how authorities are stretching capital spending guidelines to cover revenue needs, and the long-term consequences for infrastructure resilience.
2. Resources: The growing skills shortage across local authority roles, particularly in highways planning. Scott highlights the struggle to recruit and retain skilled staff, the over-reliance on agency workers, and the innovative approaches some councils are taking to develop their own talent pipelines.