He is a visiting fellow at Goldsmiths, University of London, and is an associate at the Institute for Government. He was awarded a CBE in 2001 for services to London local government. He is also an author and regular speaker on localism, public policy and public management. According to his 2011 book, Re-imagining Government, there are three key purposes of government: the necessity of solving community problems, securing welfare and having the legitimacy to determine common good. He argues that this legitimacy comes from discussion between leaders and communities, based on a set of core ethical principles.