At 70, the NHS Needs Wider Economy to Help Build Healthy Lives

The NHS cannot do everything on its own. A universal healthcare system is not responsible for all factors of the UK population’s healthy lives. Total health spending in England was about £125bn in 2017/18, with £110bn on the NHS, equivalent to 7% of GDP. This seems like huge numbers but if we think about it … Continue reading “At 70, the NHS Needs Wider Economy to Help Build Healthy Lives”

What Is Channel 4? Making the Case for Relocation and Knowing What You Are Getting…

The question of the Channel 4 move is an interesting one for me, as in my previous life as Head of Research for the North West Regional Development Agency I did some of the Salford Media City bid work, reviewing the economic case for investment and the bid for the BBC relocation, and now I … Continue reading “What Is Channel 4? Making the Case for Relocation and Knowing What You Are Getting…”

A Voice for UK Regions Now

In this blog, Frank van Oort, Erasmus University Rotterdam, summarises the outcomes from the four workshops City-REDI recently ran across the UK. Running among hundreds of people for the Virgin train from London’s Kings Cross to Leeds on a Sunday morning with exactly 5 minutes boarding time provided, makes you realise how uncomfortably tight the UK can plan … Continue reading “A Voice for UK Regions Now”

City-REDI mentioned in the House of Commons

Research led by Professor Raquel Ortega-Argiles, City-REDI, University of Birmingham, was referenced in a House of Commons debate on the 26th April 2018. The research suggests that the UK’s cities and regions which voted for Brexit are also the most economically dependent on EU markets for their prosperity and viability.  These cities and regions are … Continue reading “City-REDI mentioned in the House of Commons”

Battlegrounds or Labour Consolidation? – What to watch out for in this week’s local elections

This is the first England wide test of electoral opinion since last year’s snap general election.  Seats on around 150 councils and according to Britain Elects 4,425 seats will be up for grabs, 40 per cent (1,833) of which are in London. This includes most seats in the city conurbations, such as all 32 London … Continue reading “Battlegrounds or Labour Consolidation? – What to watch out for in this week’s local elections”

The Economic Impacts of Brexit on the UK, its Regions, its Cities and its Sectors: Participatory Workshops

Our ESRC funded Brexit project, as part of the UK in a Changing Europe Initiative, aims to examine in detail the likely impacts of Brexit on the UK’s sectors, regions, and cities. Our analysis draws upon the most detailed regional-national-international trade and competition datasets currently available anywhere in the world, allowing us to examine the impacts of … Continue reading “The Economic Impacts of Brexit on the UK, its Regions, its Cities and its Sectors: Participatory Workshops”

Working together to improve Services for the General Public: How can Small to Medium Sized Businesses and Local Government improve their interactions?

In this blog, Hilary Simpson, the Founder of Sleuth Cooperative, a not for profit organisation that aims to deliver simple solutions to complex social problems – using technology and information, talks about some of the issues that small and medium sized businesses come up against when trying to work with Local Government, as well as the … Continue reading “Working together to improve Services for the General Public: How can Small to Medium Sized Businesses and Local Government improve their interactions?”

Event: Engaging SME Tech Innovators with Local Government change agents – 11th May 2018, 10:30 – 16:30

“Have you created a digital solution to a really intransigent Local Government problem – something that saves money or helps vulnerable people? Have you been motivated – not by the bottom line – but by the fact that you care about public services? Do you want your innovation to get way more traction – to … Continue reading “Event: Engaging SME Tech Innovators with Local Government change agents – 11th May 2018, 10:30 – 16:30”

What Poverty really looks like in the UK

In 2012, the UK had a higher poverty rate than most EU member states. While poverty rates have declined since then, this progress is now at risk since policy changes under the 2017 Autumn Budget. UK Poverty 2017 underlines that “overall 14 million people live in poverty in the UK – over one in five … Continue reading “What Poverty really looks like in the UK”

Commonwealth 2022 – How to maximise the impact of Mega Events

The Commonwealth Games coming to Birmingham have the potential to be a catalyst for change, the challenge is to maximise that change within the demanding timescales. Looking to past mega events and evaluations can help us quickly adapt and adopt best practice and make decisions at speed. Yesterday morning I was part of a panel … Continue reading “Commonwealth 2022 – How to maximise the impact of Mega Events”