Manchesterism or Manchesterisn’t? See what @jpspencer.bsky.social @joepeck.co.uk and I have made of its performance under Andy Burnham… www.productivity.ac.uk/research/is-...

Is Greater Manchester growing significantly? If so, why? And what can we learn? - The Productivity Institute

Has Greater Manchester become one of the UK's strongest-performing city regions? This paper investigates the evidence behind the "Manchester Model", examining growth, productivity, investment and gove...

productivity.ac.uk

Is Manchester really outperforming the rest of the UK? New research from @andywestwood.bsky.social , @jpspencer.bsky.social & @joepeck.co.uk finds that while some productivity data is contested, Manchester's investment, skills and business growth all point to a strong economic story. bit.ly/44xYxrv

Is Greater Manchester growing significantly? If so, why? And what can we learn? - The Productivity Institute

Has Greater Manchester become one of the UK's strongest-performing city regions? This paper investigates the evidence behind the "Manchester Model", examining growth, productivity, investment and gove...

productivity.ac.uk

This is great news. The Piece Hall in Halifax is one of the architectural gems of the North. It's had a tough few years so very positive that it's now turning a profit. share.google/3gUq0Zf5onGy...

Piece Hall celebrates financial turnaround as Halifax landmark reports £357,000 surplus

Halifax’s Piece Hall is celebrating a significant turn around of its financial situation.

share.google

Democratised, Devolved and Digitised. In a new report today, I have written about how the 3 Ds can be an approach for improving our public services as the government looks for a new direction. 1/5

Democratised, Devolved and Digitised. In a new report today, I have written about how the 3 Ds can be an approach for improving our public services as the government looks for a new direction. 1/5

Democratic Public Services, a new report by @jpspencer.bsky.social , our Director of Devolution Policy argues it's time for a new approach to public services.

Democratic Public Services • ThinkLabour

ThinkLabour is a think tank working at the heart of British politics to support the Labour movement with research, strategy, and policy development.

thinklabour.co.uk

"National command and control systems have proved insufficient to tackling our more complex problems." Now you're talking my language 😁

The Guardian@theguardian.com · last mo.

England’s mayors should be given sweeping new powers, says devolution expert

Sad day for proud Haligonians. Being from Halifax, opening an account in the bank bearing the name of the town was basically a right of passage. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Halifax brand scrapped after 173 years due to Lloyds takeover

Lloyds says it remains committed to the town of Halifax and very little will change for customers.

bbc.co.uk

Revealed preferences suggest this 37% drop in small boat nunbers (first two quarters) is treated as ×10-x50 times less newsworthy than a 37% increase has been. Given high salience of the issue, should broadcasters try to check/balance that instinct?

First resignation in Kirklees Council confirmed as Reform UK councillor steps down www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/local-n...

First resignation for Kirklees Councill as Reform UK councillor steps down

Craig Wiles has stepped down from his role as a councillor

examinerlive.co.uk

Anyone aware of UK emergency funds for saving public works of art at imminent risk or of any local (to Huddersfield) companies that might be interested in helping? Ta in advance! The race to save Little Abe and potentially also a second mural is back on. huddersfieldhub.co.uk/community-gi...

Community given just 14 days to raise £40,000 to save historic tiled mural of the 'Bishop of Berry Brow' - Huddersfield Hub

The community has been given just 14 days to raise £40,000 to save a historic tiled mural that could be lost when a block of flats is demolished

huddersfieldhub.co.uk

Very much enjoying @katie0martin.ft.com throwing shade on the Gilt doomers this morning.

By my reckoning on Politico UK Poll of Polls, Labour are up 1%, Reform are down 1% and Greens are down 2% since the locals. Which would roughly make state of play on uniform swing if same electorate turned out? RFM 30% LAB 25% GRN 17% This is before any post Makerfield or turnout changes of course

John Rentoul@rentouljohn.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Votes across Greater Manchester in local elections last week: RFM 31% LAB 24% GRN 19% CON 10% LDM 10% www.reddit.com/r/LabourUK/c... 7/8

It is extremely important that Labour understands that the movement of voters between Lab and Ref was not the crucial factor, it was consolidation of the anti-Ref vote and Lab voters turning out in droves. Otherwise Burnham will make the same mistakes as Starmer in targeting only one set of voters.

Nathan@nwylabour.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Concerned about this 'swathes of ex-Reform voters returning to Labour' narrative taking hold. On the numbers it does not seem likely to be true - Reform got more votes at this by-election than they did across the constituency's wards at the locals.

So after spending almost the entire campaign talking about Rupert Lowe and whether or not he would "gift" Makerfield to Labour, most of the British press completely missed the actual story of a massive Andy Burnham win

Britain Elects@britainelects.com · 2mo ago

✅ BURNHAM IN Makerfield by-election result: LAB: 54.8% (+9.6) REF: 34.5% (+2.7) RST: 6.8% (+6.8) CON: 2.2% (-8.7) GRN: 0.7% (-3.7) LDEM: 0.4% (-6.4)

The detail of this polling is fascinating. Not one person surveyed said the country was in a good way if they thought their area was in a very bad state. When people think their area is in a bad way, do not be surprised if they think the whole country is. futurenorth.substack.com/p/does-this-...

Does this one polling result explain our politics?

This YouGov polling lives ‘rent free’ in my head

futurenorth.substack.com

YouGov@yougov.co.uk · 11mo ago

🧵/ 82% of Britons say the UK is in a bad state, with perceptions worse than last year UK in bad state: 82% (+2 from May 2024) Expect UK to get worse in 12 months: 60% (+21) Think UK worse than 10yrs ago: 75% (new) Think UK worse than other Western countries: 48% (+5) yougov.co.uk/politics/art...

The detail of this polling is fascinating. Not one person surveyed said the country was in a good way if they thought their area was in a very bad state. When people think their area is in a bad way, do not be surprised if they think the whole country is. futurenorth.substack.com/p/does-this-...

Does this one polling result explain our politics?

This YouGov polling lives ‘rent free’ in my head

futurenorth.substack.com

YouGov@yougov.co.uk · 11mo ago

🧵/ 82% of Britons say the UK is in a bad state, with perceptions worse than last year UK in bad state: 82% (+2 from May 2024) Expect UK to get worse in 12 months: 60% (+21) Think UK worse than 10yrs ago: 75% (new) Think UK worse than other Western countries: 48% (+5) yougov.co.uk/politics/art...

Cuz this is my united states of whatever

Blurry TV Headlines@blurrytvheadlines.numbergoup.com · 2mo ago

TRUMP ON FED: ALRIGHT THAT THEY HELD RATES, WHATEVER

If asked ‘which part of the UK voted most heavily for Brexit’ would you get the answer right? 👇

JP Spencer@jpspencer.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Did the North vote most heavily for Brexit? Ten years on from the referendum, the idea of the ‘Northern Brexit voter’ has become almost a political fact. But this stereotype is based on a myth. The North did not vote the most for Brexit. Find out more: futurenorth.substack.com/p/the-north-...

If asked ‘which part of the UK voted most heavily for Brexit’ would you get the answer right? 👇

JP Spencer@jpspencer.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Did the North vote most heavily for Brexit? Ten years on from the referendum, the idea of the ‘Northern Brexit voter’ has become almost a political fact. But this stereotype is based on a myth. The North did not vote the most for Brexit. Find out more: futurenorth.substack.com/p/the-north-...

Did the North vote most heavily for Brexit? Ten years on from the referendum, the idea of the ‘Northern Brexit voter’ has become almost a political fact. But this stereotype is based on a myth. The North did not vote the most for Brexit. Find out more: futurenorth.substack.com/p/the-north-...

‘The North voted most for Brexit’

Correcting a persistent myth

futurenorth.substack.com

Did the North vote most heavily for Brexit? Ten years on from the referendum, the idea of the ‘Northern Brexit voter’ has become almost a political fact. But this stereotype is based on a myth. The North did not vote the most for Brexit. Find out more: futurenorth.substack.com/p/the-north-...

‘The North voted most for Brexit’

Correcting a persistent myth

futurenorth.substack.com

Where is Darlington? Now, I know where Darlington is. I used to work there. But if I asked you ‘where is Darlington’ in the sense of which local authority, administrative geography or region then you might struggle. And this map shows why. 🧵 1/10

I like this framing, and obviously, as someone whose historical work is concerned with 'place', some of these labels and boundaries are important to understanding that, others perhaps less so. At least 'Darlington' has a core you can find on a map: 'West of England', less so.

JP Spencer@jpspencer.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Where is Darlington? Now, I know where Darlington is. I used to work there. But if I asked you ‘where is Darlington’ in the sense of which local authority, administrative geography or region then you might struggle. And this map shows why. 🧵 1/10

Municipal-regional-emotional-legal fragmentation, in English "local"/"regional" govt.

JP Spencer@jpspencer.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Where is Darlington? Now, I know where Darlington is. I used to work there. But if I asked you ‘where is Darlington’ in the sense of which local authority, administrative geography or region then you might struggle. And this map shows why. 🧵 1/10

Great thread on an incredibly basic bit of admin that the UK refuses to get right. The boundaries of gas networks and electricity networks are different because different firms owned different bits at nationalisation and we have never sought to amend this.

JP Spencer@jpspencer.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Where is Darlington? Now, I know where Darlington is. I used to work there. But if I asked you ‘where is Darlington’ in the sense of which local authority, administrative geography or region then you might struggle. And this map shows why. 🧵 1/10

Excellent report and thread this:

JP Spencer@jpspencer.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Where is Darlington? Now, I know where Darlington is. I used to work there. But if I asked you ‘where is Darlington’ in the sense of which local authority, administrative geography or region then you might struggle. And this map shows why. 🧵 1/10

"This may sound boring but getting this right will improve how our government functions so that it can deliver properly for everywhere and everyone... Boundary misalignment and consequent complexity is a hidden part of our state failure."

JP Spencer@jpspencer.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Where is Darlington? Now, I know where Darlington is. I used to work there. But if I asked you ‘where is Darlington’ in the sense of which local authority, administrative geography or region then you might struggle. And this map shows why. 🧵 1/10

reminds me of this (probably outdated) chart

JP Spencer@jpspencer.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Where is Darlington? Now, I know where Darlington is. I used to work there. But if I asked you ‘where is Darlington’ in the sense of which local authority, administrative geography or region then you might struggle. And this map shows why. 🧵 1/10

Where is Darlington? Now, I know where Darlington is. I used to work there. But if I asked you ‘where is Darlington’ in the sense of which local authority, administrative geography or region then you might struggle. And this map shows why. 🧵 1/10