Delivering Through Change report
Delivering Through Change is SCAPE's new national research report, developed with the Local Government Information Unit. It explores the pressures facing local authorities in England, and the practical solutions needed to safeguard delivery.
Our Delivering Through Change report captures data from 70 senior local authority directors and heads of service from 63 councils in England.
The research found:
- Major regeneration, housing and transport projects face greatest disruption
- A sizeable number of councils fear local government reorganisation will negatively impact their ability to deliver capital or infrastructure projects in the short term
- National turmoil holds back local ambition: volatile markets and stop-start policy are barriers to delivery
- Projects stumble at the starting line: business cases, scoping, planning and procurement are where disruption occurs
- Capacity gaps turn uncertainty into delay: shortages in commercial expertise and recruitment pressures exacerbate volatility
The data, presented in SCAPE’s latest report Delivering Through Change, demonstrates that shifting national policy is fuelling a stop–start cycle in local delivery, identifying policy uncertainty as a key trigger for stalled pipelines. The report explores the barriers councils face, how their ambitions are affected and points to tangible ways councils can be supported against a backdrop of constant change.
SCAPE’s survey pinpoints what councils need to ensure vital building and infrastructure delivery is not compromised: visibility, stability and expert support, particularly at the early stages of projects, where schemes are most at risk due to skills shortages and gaps in commercial expertise.
Caroline Compton-James, Deputy Chief Executive of SCAPE