Hammersmith & Fulham has launched a five-part blueprint arguing that local government can help shape economic growth by connecting research institutions, businesses, investors and communities around the strengths of a particular place. The framework was unveiled at the Upstream London Network Economic Forum at ARC West London on Tuesday, 13 October.
Developed with innovation partners in Europe, Australia and South America, the blueprint presents itself as a model other places can adapt, not a template for copying one borough’s economy. Its central premise is that a growth strategy should build on local assets and be planned alongside the public powers and services that influence daily life.
Five elements for place-led growth
The framework groups its approach into five connected elements. The first is entrepreneurial local government: councils taking an active role in convening people and organisations, rather than treating economic development as separate from other municipal responsibilities.
It also calls for partnerships between public authorities and anchor institutions, including universities, health trusts, research and development centres and major companies. The blueprint’s third strand is support for start-ups and expanding firms, including workspace, laboratories, advice and opportunities for collaboration.
Investment is another pillar, with finance and venture capital identified as ways to help promising businesses grow. The final element is a set of inclusion measures intended to ensure that economic expansion creates practical opportunities for nearby residents. The proposed measures include investment in facilities and services, alongside shared responsibility among local partners.
The blueprint does not set out a universal recipe or guarantee that adopting these measures will produce a particular level of growth. Instead, it argues that institutions need to work together around the specific capabilities and needs of each place. That emphasis is significant for local authorities weighing how investment, skills, infrastructure and planning can reinforce one another.
West London’s experience
The borough’s Upstream London strategy provides the local backdrop. Developed with Imperial College London, it has centred on the White City Innovation District and the area’s research, technology, life-sciences and creative businesses. Hammersmith & Fulham puts investment attracted since 2017 at about £6.5 billion and says 17,200 STEM-related jobs have been created. Those figures describe the borough’s account of its strategy to date; they are not a forecast of what the new blueprint will deliver elsewhere.
White City illustrates the partnership model at the heart of the new framework. The district combines a council role with a university and commercial activity, on a site that includes former brownfield land as well as buildings repurposed for research, media and technology tenants. The blueprint treats such collaboration as a way to connect research and enterprise, while insisting that benefits should extend beyond the organisations directly involved.
International contributors bring experience from cities and innovation districts including Barcelona, Milan, Oslo, Buenos Aires, Melbourne, Lillestrøm and Rzeszów. The launch forum brought together political leaders, researchers, businesses and policy specialists to discuss economic competition and how local places might respond. The blueprint also points to UK partners including Wigan, Barnsley and Swindon, underscoring its stated intention to work across places with different strengths.
Delivery is the test
The launch marks the publication of the blueprint’s first chapter, not proof that its recommendations have already been implemented across participating cities. Its practical value will depend on whether local partnerships can turn broad principles into sustained support for firms, investment and residents. That means balancing growth ambitions with a clear account of who benefits and how local needs shape decisions.
For Hammersmith & Fulham, the next challenge is to demonstrate that international cooperation can inform decisions on the ground without displacing the character of individual communities. The blueprint’s argument is that innovation-led growth works best when local institutions cooperate and inclusion is built into the approach from the outset.
