Mike Palin

Mike is the Executive Director of Markets, Partners and Places . He joined Homes England in February 2021 as Interim Director of the Cities and Major Conurbations Team. He is a successful deliverer of economic growth strategies as well as being a leading thinker on how economic growth implementation can fit with broader policy initiatives. His focus is on implementation of strategies to deliver results.

He is a former LA Chief Executive, LEP Executive Director and has previously worked in fee earning consultancy. As Chief Executive of St Helens Council he delivered a new economic approach that saw the Borough have the second highest per capita jobs growth in the entire North of England (resulting in an unemployment rate as low as 3.2% in 2019, from being at 10.3% in 2015), the attraction of over £1/2bn of private sector inward investment (with an increase in business rate income of over £10m per annum), as well as securing Government industrial strategy investment and a major Town Centre investment partner.

As a previous LEP Executive Director he led a Growth Deal process achieving the 9th highest per capita resource allocation in England and then as a Local Government CEX he has been heavily involved in the emergence and negotiation of devolution in England. His unique experience in this field can support clients both in making the case for new resources but also in putting in place systems and processes to ensure successful delivery.

Additionally, Mike delivered one of the early (and award winning) local integrated health and care systems in England while in St Helens, was a member of the sub-regional Sustainability and Transformation Partnership Board, and was also a Director of the Northern Housing Consortium. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society based on his expertise in economic growth.