The next safety net? - Anchor Institutions and the end of the ‘Peak State’

With the shrinking of the English state through austerity, there is a recognised need for transformation and rebalancing of the respective roles, responsibilities and expectations of public, private, social, and community actors and institutions in the functioning of a place. This receding ‘peak state’ suggests a more fundamental social and economic role for Anchor Institutions, as major public, private and third sector/community institutions and assets anchored in local areas, to mitigate the impact on individuals and communities. This paper examines the potential of Anchor Institutions to facilitate social inclusion and tackle poverty and inequality as the ‘peak state’ in England recedes, using the Leeds City Region as a case study and drawing on experience from the United States. It concludes by questioning whether, given the pace, scale and potential impact of spending reductions, a greater reliance on Anchor Institutions can significantly impact on the challenges facing local communities without similar transformations in culture, power, policy and actors for the re-shaping of complex regional systems