The moral economy of localism in England: neighbourhood planning as neoliberal ‘apprentice piece’

Abstract

The design, operation and modifications to neighbourhood planning are viewed here as a quintessential neoliberal project. This paper argues that the political policy construction and modification of neighbourhood planning in England is a quintessentially neoliberal project. It discusses the moral economy of the localism agenda where it is argued that the criticisms levelled at neighbourhood planning during its first few years have proven to be accurate and, over a decade since the policy was introduced in 2010, evidence of its failings has mounted. Yet, despite this, the UK government continues not only to pursue the policy and extol its virtues to local communities, but also actively require its success as an ‘apprentice piece’ of neoliberal policymaking.