Laird Ryan

Laird Ryan is a Co-Director of the National Coalition for Independent Action. A freelance advisor on planning, equalities and community development, he has held a range of senior roles in government, academia and the voluntary sector.

Who really runs our neighbourhoods?

Looking at the progress of the government’s not-knowingly-undersold neighbourhood plans: are they really helping local people take charge of their neighbourhoods? And if not, who’s really benefitting?LocalismWatch Resources December 2014

By Laird Ryan

/ 9 Dec 2014

DevoMix: localism and the devolution debate

Considering a wide range of media reports and commentaries on the UK’s ongoing devolution debate - do the solutions politicians seem to be offering genuinely address the issues as seen by local people?

By Laird Ryan

/ 18 Nov 2014

Upcoming Localism Events: late November onwards, 2014

The latest on upcoming Localism events.

By Laird Ryan

/ 17 Nov 2014

LocalismWatch Resources - 13 November 2014

More news, comment, advice and information on localism from around the country.

By Laird Ryan

/ 17 Nov 2014

New inquiry - are "community rights" actually working?

The right to very little at all: House of Commons select committee launches an inquiry into the new ‘community rights’.

By Laird Ryan

/ 31 Oct 2014

Upcoming Localism Events – November 2014

Localism events to look out for in November.

By Laird Ryan

/ 20 Oct 2014

LocalismWatch Resources - 20 October 2014

A trawl of the latest online news, comment, advice and information.

By Laird Ryan

/ 20 Oct 2014

Localism Watch Resources – October 2014

Localism Watch resources, October 2014 - including the aftermath of the indyref...

By Laird Ryan

/ 7 Oct 2014

Localism Watch resources, Sept 2014

Resources for Localism Watch, September, 2014

By Laird Ryan

/ 7 Oct 2014

How local is localism? The grassroots view

Community leaders tell me why the government’s localism agenda isn’t really helping local people take charge of their areas. But they did have plenty of ideas for how LocalismWatch can change the picture.

By Laird Ryan

/ 21 Sep 2014

Localism: as if people mattered

The editor of our LocalismWatch series introduces the series by exploring the Coalitions’ localism agenda, exposes its inherent shortcomings and contradictions, and calls for localism to be brought back to the grassroots where it truly belongs.

By Laird Ryan

/ 21 Sep 2014