Since 2004, SWO has drawn together expertise from
across its modules and academia to produce the State of the South West
report. The report describes recent trends and highlights key challenges
and issues faced by this part of the country. Over the years, the
publication has proved a valuable way to understand the make-up of the
region, and has provided a snapshot that also allows comparison over
time.
The State of the South West has to-date been
published in a three year cycle, it is updated annually online and a
What’s Changed? document is usually produced in year three. The State of
the South West 2010 was published in March 2010. In May of the same
year, the election of the Coalition Government started a process of
significant Public Sector reform. A key theme of the Coalition’s
Programme for Government was a move away from regionalism to localism.
This has led to the loss of a number of organisations and
working arrangements, and the emergence of new structures aimed at
driving local growth and priorities. In view of the widespread nature of the reform
underway, we have chosen to produce a slightly different publication
this year: The Changing State of the South West. As well as assessing and
highlighting key regional information
about their topics, we asked contributors to comment on the policy
context relevant to their sector, and (where possible) on what might
happen next in this rapidly changing policy environment.
With widespread change in all areas impacting on the work we
do or the way we do it, understanding and applying evidence has never
been more important. We hope that you find the Changing State of the
South West 2012 a useful publication in informing your opinions and
decisions and that it contributes to the shared understanding of the
South West that SWO seeks to promote.
