Much of England doesn’t yet have a Mayor so won’t quickly benefit from areas being allowed to retain some income tax In the meantime - is there not a case for allowing city councils, or the otherwise highest tier, in places without Mayors - the same freedom? It would set new Mayors up well, too!

This is still the best policy option re council tax (or indeed any property tax) reform IMO - would like to see it lifted up towards the top of the pile in the in-tray, not least because it could be introduced relatively quickly!

Ant Breach@antbreach.bsky.social · last wk.

Council tax is a bad tax. But most proposals to replace it get the wrong end of the stick. Rather than centralising council tax and handing out more grants, the solution is the opposite. If we devolve council tax we can cut bills for 2/3 of people across England. Quick thread:

One positive from today is that you get a very clear feeling from Burnham that he believes he can sell the public on ways through some very thorny issues. It's refreshing to see a PM want to take on tough issues and make an argument, rather than believe the public will never buy it, and kick the can

Super interesting piece.

Ed Conway@edconway.bsky.social · last wk.

👕 It might just look like yet another silly season story. But the furore over Andy Burnham's casual-wear actually tells you rather a lot about the architecture of the economy around us, and the profound challenges facing anyone wanting to change it👇 edconway.substack.com/p/what-andy-...

A truly damning chart. Life satisfaction for young people in the most deprived areas is the lowest it has been since 2010, *and* the gap between them and young people the least deprived areas is wider than ever.

Institute for Public Policy Research@ippr.org · 2w ago

Young people’s life satisfaction is in free fall. The proportion of young people who are satisfied with their lives has fallen from 62% in 2010 to 44% today. Read more here: www.ippr.org/articles/i-f...

New announcement on machinery of government changes today including moving local growth and devo strategy from MHCLG and local economic growth from HMT into No 10 North Could be a great opportunity to get to grips properly with local growth funding slightly removed from all the usual incentives

“Reindustrialisation is about... making sure that when Britain grows again, working people grow with it”, write Labour MPs @patrickhurley.bsky.social and Euan Stainbank 🗣️How Andy Burnham can deliver True Labour reindustrialisation www.politics.co.uk/mp-comment/2...

How Andy Burnham can deliver True Labour reindustrialisation - Politics.co.uk

On the steps of Downing Street yesterday, we heard a clear call to turn the page on forty years of economic mismanagement. Our country’s reckless experiment in extreme deindustrialisation is at the he...

politics.co.uk

Last night I watched this old BBC doc exploring London's Docklands transition into Canary Wharf. Fascinating views from residents, of old and (then) new It holds some lessons on how to "do" industrial policy in a way that actively brings locals along with you. www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EdC...

1987: East Side Story - Contrasting Views of London Docklands | Forty Minutes | BBC Archive

YouTube video by BBC Archive

youtube.com

An interview with John Healey on regional economic policy that is very worth reading: sites.harvard.edu/uk-regional-...

Looks like this could be the funding that will be repurposed to fund Burnham's new rough sleeping drive. Seems that no one ever actually decided what to do with this money, or what 'High Streets Innovation Partnerships' were supposed to be.

Ross Mudie@rmudie96.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Govenernment have got into an absolutely god awful habit of press releasing policy announcements without publishing anything about what the policy even is. £300mn yesterday for a high streets policy, with Steve Reed on the broadcast round, and NO TELLING YOU WHAT IT IS? www.gov.uk/government/n...

Interesting that MHCLG is being tipped to become a new super ministry. Makes sense given AB's interests. It has felt at times lately the dept has had its capacity absorbed by some big ticket items (local government reocganisation being the big one), taking focus from other big priorities.

Westminster's roundtable class had long ago concluded nothing can be done for these places. Every suggestion we should try to is branded "nostalgia" or "backwards looking" It is arrogant and economically, morally, and democratically unjust. Never been a more important time to take this seriously.

Jennifer Williams@jenwilliamsft.bsky.social · 3w ago

Mcr turned it round through professional services and graduate retention. But not everywhere is likely to. And I defy any politician to go to one of those places and tell them sorry guys, we’re all out of ideas. Enjoy your unmanaged decline

There is nothing we won't ban under 16s from doing.

I’m in the minority as an Energy Drink Fan but I dislike this so much. Not trusted to drink a sugar free red bull, but can walk into Starbucks and buy a 500 calorie coffee milkshake with no questions asked If the middle classes chose Monster and not flat whites, this wouldn’t be happening!

YouGov@yougov.co.uk · 3w ago

80% of Britons support the government's decision to ban under 16s from buying high-caffeine energy drinks in England, which will take effect from next April Support: 80% Oppose: 11% yougov.com/en-gb/daily-...

Interesting in @jenwilliamsft.bsky.social piece on what I think is the #1 policy challenge for Burnham to work through, to make a success of his agenda How do you actually make it so that investment in new industrial sites translates into pounds in the pockets of locals, especially poorer ones?

Reversing deindustrialisation must be central to writing a new story for Britain labourlist.org/2026/07/reve...

'Reversing deindustrialisation must be central to writing a new story for Britain' - LabourList

With ambition focus and a willingness to break from orthodoxies we can create change that doesn’t just turn up on a spreadsheet but is seen everywhere.

labourlist.org

👀 “The Reindustrialisation Research Group is calling for a bold target of one million new jobs in production. This is the scale we need to deliver change in every neighbourhood” news.sky.com/story/labour...

Labour MPs form new squad to ensure Burnham keeps key pledge

Andy Burnham has positioned reindustrialisation as a core pillar of his economic vision - but Labour MPs say this must be backed with an ambitious jobs pledge to deliver tangible change.

news.sky.com

A great piece of analysis confirming a hunch i've got, having visited a tonne of community spaces over the last 18 months 'Community' in wealthier areas = based around leisure, fun, and having a laugh 'Community' in poorer areas = based around hardship, need, effectively an extension of the state

Lauren Leek@laurenleek.eu · last mo.

I downloaded every charity in England & Wales expecting to find Britain's clubs dying. Instead I found that the problem is turning up and fastest in the poorest places, where it'd help most. New piece on the geography of belonging 🧵 open.substack.com/pub/laurenle...

I downloaded every charity in England & Wales expecting to find Britain's clubs dying. Instead I found that the problem is turning up and fastest in the poorest places, where it'd help most. New piece on the geography of belonging 🧵 open.substack.com/pub/laurenle...

This point is almost more important than scratching around for more 'powers' to devolve. Mayors have a decent range of legal powers already: what they need is the resources to exercise the powers, and for other public bodies to step back or be merged into them and the money to follow accordingly

Mark Sandford@marksandford.bsky.social · last mo.

This is absolutely key right now - particularly if mayors are to have large-scale investment decision-making powers and/or any real fiscal devolution. Forecasting, data, strategy and relationship-building capacity, what scholars call 'slack resources'

Our cities arent big enough and we need to make them much, much bigger. But we have to accept that doing that, and that alone, wont be enough to serve *all* their surroundings. Those areas need their own role in the economy too. Key challenge for Burnham is to define that role, and build it.

David Henig@davidheniguk.bsky.social · last mo.

So what of the towns once I think dubbed Peacocks because that was their main store? (see David McKie Great British Bus Journeys). Unlikely that whatever their former dominant sector will ever return. Is it good enough to be a dormitory community?

Burnham mention of streamlining the state to "power up" all parts of the country Who remembers Labour's pre-election plan for 'Powering Up'...? labour.org.uk/updates/stor...

Labour’s plan to power up Britain – The Labour Party

On Thursday 2 May, voters across the country will have their say in this year’s local elections. On the ballot is the record of a Tory Government that has been in power for 14 years. With soaring mort...

labour.org.uk

One of the challenges in delivering 'growth in every postcode' is that for many poorer areas, they are just not in real reach of i) jobs which are in high-growth, high-wage sectors ii) jobs, generally

Lots of talk about fiscal devolution lately. A few summers back I helped run a Citizens Jury exploring attitudes to fiscal trade-offs with the public, including on devolving fiscal powers. The principles they decided are still relevant + IMO should guide a new government's thinking on the *how*

Interesting idea from Burnham re a "Makerfield Test" for government, so places like Makerfield are better considered in govt policymaking. ICON developed a similar "Neighbourhood Test" idea, for governments to do same re deprived neighbourhoods, but in the end we dropped it. Here's why:

I think this is a good argument from William Hague against a Labour leadership contest. Burnham, as leader of the Labour Party, should also look to restore the selection of leaders of the party to the PLP in my view.

Grim. The BBC's contribution to our shared national culture has been shrinking for years, further cuts won't help Take a chance on a new comedy or drama show that may become loved by millions and be symbolic of our time, or more episodes of Pointless or The One Show? The latter will win, every time

Gordon Guthrie@foundationsofthedigitalstate.com · 2mo ago

This is grim - chase ratings - the BBC is a global softpower and its been chucked away deadline.com/2026/06/bbc-...

Some interesting announcements from MHCLG today: - £61m for a new Pride in Place Community Right to Buy Fund - £10 for a Test, Learn, Grow Capability Fund - A new Place Unit, which will convene work on place-related issues across Whitehall questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-stat...

Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament

Information from UK Parliament on written questions & answers, written statements and daily reports.

questions-statements.parliament.uk

This is an interesting long read from Steve Reed, which has just been published. It is refreshing to see i) a political leader engage with history as a way of explaining why they are pursuing the things they are, and ii) address, directly, opposing viewpoints. www.newlocal.org.uk/articles/com...

Communities First - New Local

Over the last decade, community power has become increasingly important to discussions about the future of public services, local government and democratic renewal. Ahead of his keynote speech at Stro...

newlocal.org.uk

The JobsPlus Pilot Evaluation shows a scheme that is quite significantly more effective at getting people living in poorer areas who are out of work back into it. I sincerely hope that the DWP/MHCLG/HMT scale it nationally, rather than leaving it as a pilot. www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

Pilot ‘hyperlocal’ job support scheme in England shows promising signs of effectiveness

Government-funded JobsPlus trial in 10 neighbourhoods could be scalable nationwide, evaluation shows

theguardian.com