Publications Publications
We produce a wide range of publications from research reports to policy briefings, as well as our members' magazine, Clearway, and a monthly Policy Round-Up. Our Handy Guides provide practical information covering topics such as LSPs, Planning and local government. All our publications are designed to provide accessible and relevant information to help you get to the heart of what matters.
Don't know your Handy Guide from your Briefing? Read our explanation of what our different publications are.
consultation on a microgeneration strategyCONSULTATION: Encouraging microgeneration in homes, businesses and communities
Urban Forum are keen to hear members views about certain aspects of the Government's Microgeneration Strategy, which will seek to create a decentralised energy revolution, grow the local energy economy and encourage small scale energy generation in homes, businesses and communities. It is crucial that the community sector are vocal in suggesting ways to drive this strategy forward and so Urban Forum are seeking views on a couple of important areas of the strategy.
If you're interested in contributing to Urban Forum's response, please read the consultation document here, and email any responses to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .
A community ‘right to challenge' (previously referred to in the Queen's Speech as a ‘right to bid') has been introduced in the Localism Bill. If enacted, the Right will give local communities the ability to register an interest to bid to take over a local public service which they would like to run better or differently. The Localism Bill was introduced 13th December 2010 and went through a second reading on 17th January 2011. A consultation on the details of both the Community Right to Challenge and the Community Right to Buy will run in parallel with the Bill's passage through Parliament.
Urban Forum has responded to the OCS consultation on Supporting a Stronger Civil Society, which suggests some ways that the government think improvements could be made that would support the delivery of the Big Society and seeks feedback to 10 questions that they ask. (See our briefing on the consultation document here)
Right up to the last, the content of the localism Bill arrived before the Bill was actually published...we had a written ministerial statement, an oral statement, an essential guide and a media briefing note in advance of the Bill finally being published. And the second part of the bill - all 247 pages of it - was only published today. There were therefore unsurprisingly few surprises in it.
On 13th December the government published the Localism Bill setting out plans it says will give communities and local government greater powers and freedom from Whitehall. Alongside the Bill, they also published an ‘essential guide to decentralisation' explaining what they wanted to achieve, why and how.
Nick Hurd, Minister for Civil Society, has published ‘Building a Stronger Civil Society: A strategy for voluntary and community groups, charities and social enterprises', the government's strategy for supporting the civil society sector. This comes alongside the government's consultation, ‘Supporting a Stronger Civil Society' (see Urban Forum briefing) which asks what support groups will need from the government in order to be effective.
The latest edition of our online magazine, Clearway, looks at the issue of Social Finance. 