For many in the UK, economic life has become increasingly precarious. With rising rates of insecure work, and an escalating cost of living crisis, a context of greater insecurity and uncertainty has left a growing number of households across the country teetering on a financial cliff edge. But what does this context mean for local communities, and how can local government respond?

Economic volatility in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, Brexit, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has contributed to a deepening cost of living crisis in the UK, with consumers facing a rapid rise in the prices they pay for many necessities.