With the general election now concluded, City-REDI reflects on our research to see what ideas we can draw out for the Labour government. Competitive funding is bad for places Back in 2022, we looked at levelling up in an edition of REDI-Updates. In drawing together all the lessons we learnt from understanding and measuring levelling … Continue reading “All Change – Policy Ideas for the Labour Government”
Category: Government
General Election 2024: Whatever Happened to Levelling Up?
Hannes Read and Abigail Taylor look at how in the 2024 election campaign, ‘levelling up’, the initiative to address regional inequalities, has been largely neglected by major parties, despite its ongoing importance. The phrase ‘levelling up’ – which refers to tackling inequality between places – has been cast aside in the 2024 election campaign. There has … Continue reading “General Election 2024: Whatever Happened to Levelling Up?”
The Future of Devolution Under a New Government – A Manifesto Guide
Rebecca Riley looks at the Conservative Party and Labour Party proposals for devolution. Each party’s stance on place and devolution reflects their broader political philosophies, with Labour and the Conservatives focusing on managed devolution within a united framework, while the Liberal Democrats, Greens, SNP, and Plaid Cymru push for more substantial devolved autonomy and constitutional reform. … Continue reading “The Future of Devolution Under a New Government – A Manifesto Guide”
Apathy, Allegiance, and Anger, the Mayoral Elections Against a Backdrop of Voter Turmoil
In our latest blog, Rebecca Riley observes that despite efforts to engage voters, turnout remains low due to factors like voter apathy and a lack of understanding about mayoral roles. For the political wonks, in England, the bank holiday weekend was a nail-biting and fascinating affair, especially when it comes to devolution. Combined Authority Mayors … Continue reading “Apathy, Allegiance, and Anger, the Mayoral Elections Against a Backdrop of Voter Turmoil”
West Midlands Combined Authority Deeper Devolution Deal
Alice Pugh discusses the West Midland Combined Authority (WMCA) Deeper Devolution Deal and the main issues local institutes face. This article was written for the Birmingham Economic Review. The review is produced by City-REDI / WMREDI, the University of Birmingham and the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce. It is an in-depth exploration of the economy … Continue reading “West Midlands Combined Authority Deeper Devolution Deal”
The Spring Statement: The Impact
Alice Pugh looks at what impacts cuts to National Insurance Contributions, raising the high-income child benefit charge, and public spending will have on households in the UK. Cuts to National insurance Contributions (NICs) The NIC main rate has been cut by 2p in the pound (from 10% to 8%) for an expected 27.6m employees and … Continue reading “The Spring Statement: The Impact”
Spring Statement 2024: Key Announcements
The Spring Budget sets out government spending for the next 5 years, this budget has been anticipated as being a particularly important budget, as it is likely the last budget before the 2024 general election. Alice Pugh looks at the key announcements from this budget. Office for Budget Responsibility On the day of the … Continue reading “Spring Statement 2024: Key Announcements”
Birmingham in Crisis: Understanding the Challenge of Local Authority Budget Cuts and the Effect on Good Financial Management
Rebecca Riley and Abigail Taylor discusses the recent financial crisis to hit Birmingham City Council, and how the root of the issues facing this council and others around the UK, are a decade in the making. This week it was announced that Birmingham City Council faces a spending freeze and greater scrutiny of its budget. An … Continue reading “Birmingham in Crisis: Understanding the Challenge of Local Authority Budget Cuts and the Effect on Good Financial Management”
How England’s Devolution Catch-22 Stands in the Way of Balanced Growth
Charlotte Hoole, Jack Newman and Simon Collinson discuss their recent paper that shows a lack of decentralisation is limiting the capacity and capability of local institutions to devise and implement growth and development strategies important for locally-driven ‘levelling-up’ in England. In recent years, the UK has experienced increased economic and social inequalities. Of particular concern … Continue reading “How England’s Devolution Catch-22 Stands in the Way of Balanced Growth”
The Spring Budget 2023: What Does it Mean for the West Midlands?
On 15th March, the government released its Spring Budget. Alice Pugh and Maryna Ramcharan examine the budget’s impact on the West Midlands. The key announcements from the budget and initial analysis can be seen here. This budget is the first budget since the turmoil of the autumn ‘mini budget’ 2022 and the second autumn budget … Continue reading “The Spring Budget 2023: What Does it Mean for the West Midlands?”