User:Gazamp/sandbox17

In 1937, the government had created a royal commission, headed by Anderson Montague-Barlow, to assess the distribution of the working population, explore the future trends and the disadvantages of having areas of densely concentrated industry, and to propose solutions to the problems it found. The commission relied heavily on papers written by Donald MacDougall, with one of the papers even included as an appendix to the final report; these papers are now seen to contain several important flaws, resulting in post-war industrial policy which ignored the relationship between regions and industry in the overall national spatial economy.

The final report from the commission found that population was increasing in London and the Home Counties but stagnant or decreasing elsewhere, and recommended that industry and investment be refocused to other areas. It also recommended the creation of a national planning authority; this was implemented by the Minister of Town and Country Planning Act 1943 which established the Ministry of Town and Country Planning.

This drive for decentralisation was key for the development of the New Towns programme.