Local Economic Development
Greater London Council, 1982-1986
Between 1982 and 1986, Robin Murray worked as the Director of Industry and Employment at the Greater London Council and was tasked with developing the London Labour Plan and London’s Industrial Strategy. The latter set out an action plan to regenerate London’s economy in a socially sustainable way, creating a blueprint for the Labour Party’s future national economic policies.
SEEDS, 1986-1993
The South East Economic Development Strategy (SEEDS) Association was a collaboration between local authorities in the South East of England, set up in the mid 1980s with the task of developing a comprehensive economic, social and environmental strategy for the region. Robin Murray, together with Michael Ward and others, helped to set up SEEDS and between 1986 and 1993, was the Programme Adviser to the SEEDS Association.
Urban and Regional Policy, 1986-1993
Based on his experiences of producing regional industrial strategies, first at the Greater London Council and second with SEEDS in the South East of England, Robin Murray wrote a number of publications examining how the process of de-industrialisation could be reversed, employment expanded and inequalities reduced, especially for marginalised groups. These publications examined the broader context for regional policy between the 1980s and 1990s, the experiences of local and regional councils in the economic field during this period and the implications of both macro and micro developments for regional economic policy in Europe in the 1990s and beyond.
Food Box Scheme at Niagara Peninsula Homes, Ontario
Community Economic Development (CED), Canada, 1993-1995
In the early 1990s, Robin worked for the New Democratic Party Government of Ontario as Special Advisor to the Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Frances Lankin. He led the Community Economic Development Secretariat (CED) in Toronto with the main tasks of developing a strategy, supporting initiatives on the ground, setting up pilots and being the direct link between communities, front line staff and the Government. This included a range of green and social economy projects - some of which were brought back to the UK when the NDP Government fell in 1995.