Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, has said his three priorities in office will be "localism, localism and localism". What does localism mean for local democracy and, with swingeing funding cuts in the offing, what can one do to ensure the relevance of adult learning to the localism agenda is recognised? In this article, the author examines localism through the lens of adult learning and skills. She believes that there is a need to promote adult learning as a form of corporate social responsibility, with local businesses providing opportunities for those trying to gain access to the labour market, whether that is through placements, apprenticeships or ensuring contractors include trainees as part of their workforce. She stresses that it is important to make these connections and help allies and potential allies to use adult learning to make sense of the new agendas. She concludes that everyone needs to promote the right messages in localities to ensure that adult learning is seen as an intrinsic part of this process of democratic renewal.