The Pieman Cometh, Manchester Road, Accrington, painting by John L. Chapman (b. 1946).
Andy Westwood
@andywestwood.bsky.social
Professor of Public Policy at University of Manchester. Soon to be Birmingham.
Been in Blackburn this week with Skills England and went to see Launchpad (partnership between Blackburn College, Newground Together & B&D Council) aimed at supporting NEETs back into education and jobs). Really impressive and could/should be replicated elsewhere. blackburn.ac.uk/launchpad
Launchpad
blackburn.ac.uk
I’d probably have a little bit more sympathy for the good folk of Piddington if there weren’t two sizeable prisons (one of which is ‘open’) as well as the extensive military site(s) nearby. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Piddington in Oxfordshire votes to leave UK over asylum plans
Piddington residents vote over proposals to house up to 1,256 male asylum seekers nearby.
bbc.co.uk
2) England is a rare exception. During the 2010s many other countries (including the other 3 UK nations) changed tack, experimenting with ideas like transferrable skills instead of focusing on tried-and-tested disciplines and methods. It looks like those experiments have failed.
Really looking forward to our launch event on this tomorrow. Great panel including @andywestwood.bsky.social & other not on Bluesky (I think) panellists. Thread on this to come…
Learning and Work Institute@learnworkuk.bsky.social · 2w agoNEW: UK must make training the ‘go-to’ response to skills needs, or risk holding back growth. 📣 Our new report for @nuffieldfoundation.org shows the Government’s plans to grow the economy risk falling short unless it reverses sharp falls in employee training. Read @financialtimes.com coverage. ⬇️
He may have been thrown under the bus by Farage, but this from @helenwarrell.bsky.social is still essential reading. giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... James Orr and the gospel of the new British right
James Orr and the gospel of the new British right
Reform’s policy head is a Cambridge theologian with an enviable contact book and a belief in ‘faith, family and flag’
giftarticle.ft.com
Definitely going to check this out (I’ve seen the other one).
Reading Museum@readingmuseum.bsky.social · 3w agoHaven’t got tickets for the Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum? Don’t worry you can visit Reading's full-size copy, faithfully embroidered by 35 women in 1885-86 (plus extra pants!) Or latest blog compares the two tapestries www.readingmuseum.org.uk/blog/comparing-bayeux-and-reading-tapestries
From someone who really knows how to kill a high street. www.ft.com/content/1123...
Andy Burnham’s high street plan is ‘delusional’, says Mike Ashley
Billionaire behind Frasers Group slams prime minister’s business rates reform and crackdown on discounting
ft.com
If, like William Hague, you’re worried about accountability and scrutiny of mayors as English devolution ramps up, here’s a primer from @michaelkenny.bsky.social @jacknewman.bsky.social @samwarner.bsky.social & me from 2024 for @productivity.bsky.social: www.bennettschool.cam.ac.uk/publications...
Rebuilding local democracy: the accountability challenge in English devolution - Bennett School of Public Policy
How can political accountability be improved in English devolution? Jack Newman, Sam Warner, Michael Kenny and Andy Westwood offer four recommendations in their new working paper.
bennettschool.cam.ac.uk
🚨 NEW: London continues to pull ahead of other regions in top grades. Our analysis of today’s Level 3 results shows that 32.7% of pupils in the capital received grades at A or above, up from 31.9% last year. This is the largest increase of any region, with the London gap continuing to widen 🧵
Lots here that comes from Andy Burnham’s ‘Good Employment Charter’ launched in GM in 2019 ie a bit more from the ‘Manchesterism’ locker…
Top Oxfam find of the summer. Though as the woman at the counter politely asked ‘will anyone want to play it with you?’
But will it offer EBacc or a HogsBacc? www.watfordobserver.co.uk/leisure/2643...
Warner Bros wins permission to further expand real-life school for Harry Potter stars
The real-life Hogwarts teaching child stars of HBO’s Harry Potter TV show in Leavesden is set to expand after planning approval.
watfordobserver.co.uk
How to end the cycle of mistrust between the Treasury and everybody else ft.trib.al/KvmNepY | opinion
How to end the cycle of mistrust between the Treasury and everybody else
The lesson from Manchester is that it takes time for public investment policies to show up in GDP
ft.trib.al
Saw Wham in China this week - a terrific film. Basically another version of The Odyssey (but with good tunes and bigger hair).
The Guardian@theguardian.com · 2mo agoCareless whispers: what really happened between George Michael and Lindsay Anderson? The Wham! movie producer reveals all
Significant new report from @dianecoyle1859.bsky.social & colleagues makes the case that the UK has a mismatch between highly centralised institutions of spending control and increasingly fragmented systems of public service delivery (more so if devolution) www.nuffieldfoundation.org/news/opinion...
The myth of Treasury control: What’s wrong with the UK’s public spending system and how to fix it - Nuffield Foundation
The long-standing model of centralised Treasury control over public spending has inadequately adapted to the realities of public service delivery.
nuffieldfoundation.org
I don't think people are ready for this kind of joke yet.
After all the ongoing controversy following last week’s 14-16 reforms I thought I’d go back to 23/24 when Andy Burnham launched his MBacc. The announcements /documents are here: www.greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk/news/andy-bu...
Home
Andy Burnham unveils Greater Manchester Baccalaureate plan to boost growth
greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk
Congratulations to @bevcraig.bsky.social becoming GM Mayor - now a rather bigger job (after Friday’s announcements) than the one @andyburnham.bsky.social did! www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Labour's Bev Craig elected new mayor of Greater Manchester
Labour's Bev Craig secures nearly double the number of votes won by Reform UK's Sian Astley.
bbc.co.uk
Budget on 28th October, says John Healey on his socials
Ceuta. At various points in last couple of centuries Spain has suggested swapping it for Gibraltar (just to give UK media a new angle…) en.mercopress.com/2010/02/01/w...
When Gibraltar was to be swapped for Spanish Ceuta
Just under 100 years ago and as the world was still embroiled in the horrors of WWI, Great Britain was considering a deal with Spain and France that would allow it to swap Gibraltar for Ceuta (Spanish...
en.mercopress.com
‘We will support mayors to foster local innovation ecosystems, devolving a substantially increased share of later-stage innovation funding to local leaders so they can back opportunities with the greatest potential for local growth.’ assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a6c7a...
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
NEW on Wonkhe: In some residential areas, universities’ civic agendas can ring hollow. Kate Seymour presents a collaborative project which aimed to co-create hope in Fallowfield buff.ly/s50qHPp
Fiscal devolution, transport, housing, planning, 16-19 skills, employment support… and an autumn white paper. These are very big changes to English government/governance. www.gov.uk/government/n...
PM hands mayors share of income tax to make lives better in every postcode
The Prime Minister will today launch the biggest transfer of power from Westminster in a generation, giving communities greater control over the decisions that shape jobs, transport, housing and publi...
gov.uk
Given Burnham’s education reforms today - worth revisiting this on future of his MBacc (from earlier this year). Now need to build a vocational system at Levels 3, 4 & 5 that takes more young people and adults into growing sectors/jobs across England. www.productivity.ac.uk/news/now-is-...
Now is the right time for a Greater Manchester Baccalaureate - The Productivity Institute
What does the ending of the English Baccalaureate mean for the so-called Manchester Baccalaureate?
productivity.ac.uk
