Michael Ward became involved in economic development and regeneration as a Labour Councillor in Wandsworth, London in the 1970s.
Local factories were closing, especially on prime sites by the river Thames. Manufacturing and other traditional jobs were leaving the area. Sites were being bought by developers for offices and up market housing.
On behalf of the Labour Party, , working with community groups such as Battersea Redevelopment Action Group (BRAG), he presented evidence at two major planning enquiries.
As a councillor, he chaired a committee of enquiry into economic change locally, which produced the report, Prosperity or Slump? The future of Wandsworth’s Economy,in 1976.
Michael Ward lost his seat on Wandsworth Council when Labour was defeated in 1978. For the next three years he worked to build on his Wandsworth policy work to develop a London-wide approach to London’s fast-changing economy, in preparation for the 1981 elections to the Greater London Council (GLC).
His draft proposals were agreed enthusiastically by the Greater London Labour Party, and became a central part of Labour’s election manifesto – alongside the commitment to cut public transport fares.
In spring 1981 he wrote a pamphlet for the Institute for Workers Control describing the background to the new policy approach – Job Creation by the Council: Local Government and the struggle for Full Employment.
Elected a GLC member, Michael chaired the Industry and Employment Committee from 1981 until GLC abolition in 1986. He led the preparation of the London Industrial Strategy (published 1985), and the establishment of the Greater London Enterprise Board (GLEB).
In last year before abolition, Michael worked with other councils to establish the Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES), the national organisation for local economies. Based in Manchester, CLES provides research, policy development, and information services for local authorities, trades unions, and other partners in local economic development. Original partner organisations included Manchester City Council, West Midlands County Council, and Sheffield City Council.
Michael was Director of CLES from 1987 to 2000. As well as undertaking studies of many local economies, CLES prepared a handbook on the European single market for Councils, and worked on a number of cross–European projects with the European Commission.
Michael returned to London in 2000, to run the London Development Agency (LDA) – one of the nine English Regional Development Agencies established by the 1997 Labour government. He led the team responsible for preparing the London Economic Strategy.
After leaving the LDA in 2004, Michael worked in the Thames Gateway regeneration area east of London. He negotiated a major agreement between local councils, government departments, and the Highways Agency (now Highways England), to ensure that necessary transport infrastructure – including improved public transport – was provided to enable large scale housing development to go ahead.