David Payne BSc Town and Regional Planning, Intermediate RICS, Director, Local Economy Solutions
David has widespread experience in both private and public sectors involving planning, economic development, community enterprise, regeneration and policy development.
David’s academic background is unusual in that it is both planning and property based. He obtained an Upper second class honours degree in Town and Regional Planning at Dundee University in 1980 and went on to obtain a RICS pass from Central London Polytechnic whilst working with a firm of commercial and industrial developers/agents (Vail Williams) in the Thames Valley. Much of David’s early working career with Vail Williams and The English Industrial Estates Development Corporation in the North East was concerned with property led economic development activity. David moved on to mainstream local authority economic development work and spent six years in Ipswich Borough Council’s Economic Development Unit, including three years as the Council’s Economic Development Officer.
David decided to move into consultancy and research work nearly nine years ago. David is a Director of Local Economy Solutions and has been involved in a range of regeneration, labour market and evaluation projects.
Mick completed his first degree in Development Studies at the University of East Anglia and obtained a second degree in Economics (MSc) at Birkbeck College, University of London. He has undertaken extensive research on issues relating to economic regeneration, skills, training, human resource issues, business performance, labour market and social exclusion issues over the last 23 years. This has included work in academic research posts (University of East Anglia), as a senior local authority officer in London and Birmingham, and more recently as a consultant.
Mick founded Labour Market Solutions (LMS) in 1993 and more recently co-founded Local Economy Solutions Ltd. He has successfully project managed more than twenty major consultancy research projects over the last couple of years.
Experience has included assignments on behalf of local authorities, Local Strategic Partnerships, SRB Programmes, New Deal for Communities, Regeneration Zones, Regional Development Agencies, Regional Observatories, Sector Skills Councils, Government Departments, Third Sector organisations and the private sector.
