Jessica Studdert

She writes and speaks about numerous subjects related to localism, devolution, public service reform and local finance. She co-authored the Community Paradigm with Adam Lent, which was published in 2019 and continues to inform much of New Local’s research and practice. Previously, Jessica was political adviser to the Labour Group at the Local Government Association (LGA). She led policy there, working closely on public service reform and devolution. This included a secondment to the Policy Unit of the Leader of the Opposition’s Office during 2013-14 to lead on the Local Government Innovation Taskforce, a commission that reported into Labour’s Policy Review ahead of the 2015 General Election. Prior to that, she worked in policy roles in the voluntary sector for a homelessness and children’s charity, and she began her career at the Fabian Society.