Mark Byrne
@markobroin.bsky.social
Dir of External Affairs at Centre for Cities. Irish in London. Politics, policy, books, cats. Yimby. Trustee at Stonewall Housing 🏳️🌈
We're looking for an intern @centreforcities.bsky.social Looking for someone to come help us be good at TikTok and video! Four months - salary 28k Please share! www.centreforcities.org/about/career...
Content Creator (part of External Affairs) Internship - Centre for Cities
This 4-month long internship is a fantastic opportunity for someone seeking a first step in the world of content creation, communications, influencing
centreforcities.org
How to end the cycle of mistrust between the Treasury and everybody else - giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... Must read from @dianecoyle1859.bsky.social The need to micromanage is really hard to uproot. Something for Healey's advisers to think about too
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
giftarticle.ft.com
just seen a post talking about the risk of gentrifying Brick Lane and concerned that the person who posted it maybe got hit on the head very very hard around 15 to 20 years ago and decided to get to Instagram upon waking today
Perfectly legitimate line of argument. This site would have been unbearable during the pandemic.
Lewis Goodall@lewisgoodall.com · 4d agoNo need for anyone to agree with me - but some of the responses to this on here reminds me just how stifling and absolutist a period in our national discourse Covid was.
The Rewiring the State Cabinet Statement has been much commented upon today so let me just flag one bit touched on less: the recognition of the importance of local and regional data. And in that context let me remind you it’s now nearly 15 MONTHS since we had a permanent National Statistician!
How will income tax sharing with mayors actually work? @oscarselby.bsky.social has a thread 👇
Oscar Selby@oscarselby.bsky.social · 5d agoThe Prime Minister plans to 'rewire the state' and give more power to councils and mayors, who are better placed to deliver locally catered economic policy. Income tax sharing to mayors will be key to this. The UK is the most fiscally centralised country in the G7, holding back wages and growth.
Allowing mayors to keep a share of local income tax is unashamedly pro-growth and will remove anchors that have held back the UK’s cities for decades. It will be the most significant and welcome transfer of fiscal powers since the foundation of the modern welfare state.
Important chart below from @centreforcities.bsky.social More fiscal devolution means more growth, and many reasons to think the effect could be even bigger in the UK.
The tax retention news is so big it has overshadowed some of chunky stuff in the press release that complements it and fills out the devolution strategy pursued by the new PM. Some initial reactions by me and some @centreforcities.bsky.social thinking below to get you started 👇
Stephen Bush@stephenkb.bsky.social · 6d agoThis is a great move:
Hello! Not to be all LinkedIn but I’m in between jobs at the moment and looking for freelance stuff so if you know anyone after a web developer or anything digital / design give me a shout 💫
There is literally no medical condition that contentedly uninformed journalists wont blame on chicken dippers.
Scott Bryan@scottygb.bsky.social · last wk.“While traits of ADHD undeniably exist – the question is why they exist. Is ADHD actually a neurodevelopmental disorder? Do people with ADHD have differently wired brains? Or does our world – with…processed food, and regimented education – serve as the catalyst for certain…patterns of behaviour?”
Important piece by @antbreach.bsky.social this -stamp duty is bad, we should replace it. Council tax could work better - but for god's sake don't centralise it:
Centralising council tax would make Burnham’s job more difficult - Centre for Cities
Proposals for replacing council tax are common and it should be reformed, but it shouldn’t be centralised.
centreforcities.org
And here's a helpful explainer on the powers the new mayor will have at their disposal (published today!) www.centreforcities.org/publication/...
Understanding England’s mayors: The powers they have and the role they can play in delivering devolution - Centre for Cities
This briefing explains what powers mayors in England have and how they vary across the country.
centreforcities.org
We've got the biggest by-election in UK history happening tomorrow. We at @centreforcities.bsky.social have got you covered on the details 👇 Here's what the incoming Greater Manchester Mayor should focus on:
Everyone hates stamp duty because it's a terrible tax. Replacing it would be good for the economy. But centralising council tax, says @antbreach.bsky.social - is a really bad idea. Not least because it hurts other parts of the devo agenda. www.centreforcities.org/blog/central...
It's not improbable that Reform fall below 20% in VI by the end of the year. It's reasonably likely that some Lab to LD/Grn voters will give Burnham the benefit of the doubt. What's definite is that both happening will lead to a flurry of terrible "whisper it, the two-party system's back" articles.
For the first time, we're hiring an intern to join our external affairs team! If you or somebody you know would like to start their career in public affairs for a first rate think-tank working on topics at the top of the British political agenda, click below!
Mark Byrne@markobroin.bsky.social · last wk.Do you know someone looking for a break into comms and policy? We're recruiting an external affairs intern at @centreforcities.bsky.social. I'm biased obviously but this is a great role. £28,860 pro rata per annum. Please share 👌 www.centreforcities.org/about/career...
Arguably is hiring! We're looking for an Assistant Editor with a hunger for ideas and policy to work across the title on editing/commissioning/writing/research. Get in touch if you or someone you know fits the bill: George@Arguably.uk www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
Arguably is hiring: Assistant Editor Arguably is looking for an Assistant Editor to join the team and support its growth. You will help find, commission and develop new writers, as well as research,…...
Arguably is hiring: Assistant Editor Arguably is looking for an Assistant Editor to join the team and support its growth. You will help find, commission and develop new writers, as well as research, ...
linkedin.com
And this on the iron will required when being interrogated about whether one number is bigger than another
Do you know someone looking for a break into comms and policy? We're recruiting an external affairs intern at @centreforcities.bsky.social. I'm biased obviously but this is a great role. £28,860 pro rata per annum. Please share 👌 www.centreforcities.org/about/career...
External Affairs Internship - Centre for Cities
This 4-month long internship is a fantastic opportunity for someone seeking a first step in the world of communications, policy and research. The
centreforcities.org
Interested in a board level opportunity at one of Britain's leading think tanks? We're looking to appoint up to two trustees with fundraising/philanthropy experience at the @smfthinktank.bsky.social Do share in your networks/happy to answer any Qs 🙂 www.smf.co.uk/new-opportun...
New opportunity: Trustee – Fundraising and Philanthropy - Social Market Foundation.
SMF is seeking two trustees, with a focus on fundraising from high net-worth individuals, philanthropic foundations, and major donors.
smf.co.uk
Andy Street calling for mayors to be given fiscal powers www.politicshome.com/opinion/arti.... We talked about this at our recent @centreforcities.bsky.social event www.centreforcities.org/event/devolu...
Burnham should give mayors more tax powers – and the Tories should work with him
Fifteen years ago, David Cameron and George Osborne took a hard look at how the United Kingdom governs itself.
politicshome.com
Excellent on both the detail and purpose of the devolution push. Including a helpful reminder (re: references to Scotland and Wales) that English regions are not countries. And as @samfr.bsky.social says, fiscal devo is about getting growth incentives right. (If you're not subscribed, do it!)
Sam Freedman@samfr.bsky.social · 2w agoNew post out "Burnham's defining project" Number 10 North isn't a gimmick, it's the start of first serious attempt to decentralise the state in England. I look at the five biggest challenges to getting it right and how best to manage them. (£/free trial) open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/b...
New post out "Burnham's defining project" Number 10 North isn't a gimmick, it's the start of first serious attempt to decentralise the state in England. I look at the five biggest challenges to getting it right and how best to manage them. (£/free trial) open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/b...
Burnham's defining project
The five biggest challenges to making devolution work
open.substack.com
We produced research last month on how to make income tax sharing work for the mayors + how to solve challenges with equalisation (i.e. how to deal with problem for fiscal devolution that some places can raise more cash than others). Check it out here: bsky.app/profile/cent...
Centre for Cities@centreforcities.bsky.social · last mo.NEW | Fiscal devolution for England 🪙 Our latest briefing provides evidence to support the decision to advance fiscal devolution and explains how it can use these reforms to achieve both higher growth and greater fairness across the country👇 www.centreforcities.org/publication/...
This would be the most important local finance reform since Elizabeth I. Finally introducing local revenue sources that aren't property taxes will ensure places really benefit from local growth - more jobs and/or higher wages in a place will translate into more investment and services:
Brian Groom@groomb.bsky.social · 2w agoBurnham plans to give England's 14 regional and metro mayors a share of income tax revenue to spend on their cities. Unclear whether this will need legislation, or whether 'equalisation measures' will be needed to prevent poorer regions from losing out.
Big move on fiscal powers to mayors. Very welcome. My colleagues have more detail on how it should work, here www.centreforcities.org/publication/...
