Susan J. Smith
@sjs1869.bsky.social
President,The British Academy. Writes about housing and economic inequality. Life Fellow at Girton College, Emerita Honorary Professor in the Dept of Geography, Cambridge University, UK. (Views my own).
Incorrect decision, imho, if what you want is a fair property tax, and a workable way of funding local government…
Stephen Bush@stephenkb.bsky.social · last wk.Correct decision, obviously. Genuinely there are quite a few Labour MPs I just want to ask “without googling, how many parliamentary seats do you think there are in the south?”
Chuffed to give an opening keynote at the RGS-IBG conference this year. That said, all the Chair’s events look unmissable. Great vision, as ever, from @peterhopkins.bsky.social www.rgs.org/research/ann...
Chair's events | Annual International Conference
Discover our line up of Chair's events and speakers for this year's Annual International Conference.
rgs.org
This is a fantastic resource; establishing it was an inspired move, keeping it on the road should be a priority.
Understanding Society@usociety.bsky.social · 2w agoOur latest annual report is out today—all the highlights of 2025, including Wave 15 of our main survey, W17 of the Innovation Panel, increased research use, growing influence on government policy, and a very productive scientific conference…
Just to be clear: replacing council tax with a fair property tax would not ruin landlords. It would, though, stop millions paying an order of magnitude more (as a proportion of the value of their homes) than others just because of where they live. www.thetimes.com/article/3393...
Why Andy Burnham’s property tax would ruin landlords
Fears that ‘preposterous’ plans to replace council tax will lead to higher rents and a shortage of homes
thetimes.com
Subjects that make a world of difference, lost to a generation… why take that risk?
Hetan Shah@hetanshah.bsky.social · 2w ago‘Prof Susan J Smith, president of the British Academy, recently described the situation as “an emergency, threatening all subjects”, and singled out the problem of “cold spots” where some disciplines are at risk of disappearing.’ www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Well placed to bring some sanity to the tangled, inefficient, unfair system of property tax. Wonder if she’ll bite the bullet. Here’s the challenge: www.economicsobservatory.com/what-future-...
What future for residential property taxation in Britain? - Economics Observatory
Council tax is unpopular, unfair and overdue for reform. An alternative would be to fund statutory services through central government, introduce a modest local service charge, and absorb stamp duty a...
economicsobservatory.com
Chartered Institute of Housing @cihhousing.bsky.social · 2w agoCongratulations to Angela Rayner on her reappointment as Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government. During her previous tenure she led significant reforms, boosted housing supply, strengthened renters' rights & increased investment in affordable & social homes buff.ly/yqudjPJ
Well that’s one to watch. I’ve appreciated Patrick Vallance’s tenure - those are big shoes to fill in any department…
Margot Finn@eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 2w ago'The news came as reports emerged that the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is likely to be abolished as part of a governmental reorganisation. The stand-alone department, created in 2023, looks set to be subsumed into the Department for Business and Trade (DBT).' 3/3
Two brass anorak posts in a day, but it doesn’t get much better than this… www.bbc.co.uk/events/ev6mzc
Black Dyke Band
Yorkshire’s esteemed Black Dyke Band shows off its virtuosity and versatility in a programme of contemporary pieces, arrangements of popular classics and excerpts from soundtracks by John Williams and...
bbc.co.uk
‘At a time when society is grappling with radical uncertainty, in the face of technological, economic and environmental change, the humanities and social sciences have never been more important’. … www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/news/92-new-...
92 New Fellows welcomed to the British Academy in 2026
92 distinguished scholars have been elected to the British Academy’s Fellowship this year in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the humanities and social sciences.
thebritishacademy.ac.uk
Check this out. Without a major reset, the skills and capabilities we need to thrive may simply disappear… www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/news/loss-of...
Loss of academic staff and "cold spots" for humanities and social science degrees threaten strategically important skills for UK, says British Academy
A new data map released today shows a sharp and widespread decline in opportunities for university staff in the humanities, social sciences and arts subjects in 2024-25. The data shows a precarious la...
thebritishacademy.ac.uk
‘The past we inherit, the future we build’ (or a grand day out if you are a brass band anorak!). www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/2627252...
Banners, brass and pride fill the streets as thousands flood Durham for Big Meeting
Thousands of people flooded the streets of Durham with banners and flags as the Durham Miners’ Gala returned for its 140th instalment.
thenorthernecho.co.uk
‘Government must urgently rethink this decision and restore funding to arts courses to meet its own growth strategy and allow students from all backgrounds to pursue their creative career ambitions.’ www.ism.org/news/univers...
Decision to cut HE arts funding is ‘devastating’ - Independent Society of Musicians
The Independent Society of Musicians calls on government to rethink decision to cut funding for music and arts university courses
ism.org
Ta Dah! ‘a single national contributions levy to replace six separate taxes’ (including stamp duty and council tax). www.thetimes.com/article/1c9b...
Time to replace stamp duty and council tax, Andy Burnham told
Leading British economists at UCL say the tax system needs a structural overhaul and simplifying to combat high debt and low economic growth
thetimes.com
Hanging on to human ingenuity in an age of AI…
Lyndsey Stonebridge@lyndseystonebri.bsky.social · last mo.I have been writing literary criticism again after a long pause, and never before have I felt so keenly the generative qualities of creative language - how much we need it to survive, how imperilled the whole project of human imagination currently is, & how much we have to fight for.
‘We need to show the power of science advising and why it’s so important in a functioning democracy’…
Roger Highfield@rogerhighfield.bsky.social · last mo.Incoming US science academy chief vows to ‘double down’ on research www.nature.com/articles/d41... I also talked to @neilshubin.bsky.social for my @royalsociety.org talk share.google/2qsihitcnrMi...
The present direction of travel risks irreversible damage to UK higher education, research and innovation, to scholarship, and to our capacity to shape the future…
The British Academy@britishacademy.bsky.social · last mo.As the crisis in UK higher education and research deepens, the British Academy’s President, Susan J Smith (@sjs1869.bsky.social) has urged an immediate and comprehensive review to secure the sector's long-term sustainability. See the full statement: https://bit.ly/4v8jdks
Stating the obvious (about the taxation of #housing assets), Australian style: pearlsandirritations.com/post/2026/07...
New supply won't fix housing while investors keep winning
To fix the housing crisis, further reform is needed that shifts taxation away from earnings onto passive assets.
pearlsandirritations.com
More on the alarming direction of travel in Australian #housing www.housing-critical.com/home-page-1/...
Rentier Capitalism, Australian Style - Critical Housing Analysis
housing-critical.com
It’s the Ruths who are the litmus for the insane world of property tax. That dwindling minority who are running two homes get all the flack attracted by the Richards and none of the tax breaks available to the Henrys. Tackle property tax to level the playing field. www.thetimes.com/article/e51d...
In defence of the ‘Richards’ — the rich who refuse to downsize
Older people are made to feel guilty about simply having space. Here’s why that’s nonsense
thetimes.com
Aha, so: ‘The share of all mid- and entry-level job ads asking for human judgement has risen sharply over the past two years’. Time to tackle those those ‘cold spots’ in critical humanities and socials science subjects?
Times Higher Education (THE)@timeshighered.bsky.social · 2mo agoAI demands that human judgement become a defined degree outcome: to protect graduate employment, universities must explicitly teach and assess the skills that AI still can’t replicate, says Boxi Yang https://ow.ly/W1YX50Z8H19
Which might be ok if there were less ‘cold spots’ in the availability of key subjects… www.thetimes.com/article/353c...
Meet the students saving thousands of pounds by shunning digs
About a third of 18-year-olds are planning to live at home while at university, a decision that could save them up to £28,800 each in maintenance loans
thetimes.com
So, there IS an alternative! Bold policies can raise living standards, reduce inequality and improve sustainability. Another lesson in what’s to like from @wid.world globaljusticeproject.wid.world
Global Justice Project
globaljusticeproject.wid.world
So excited that this offer includes work with performing arts institutions as well as the GLAM sector. Nice long lead-in time too: open until 15 September 2026, earliest start 1 April 2027…
The British Academy@britishacademy.bsky.social · 2mo agoOur SHAPE Involve and Engage 2027-28 programme is now open for applications, offering an exciting opportunity for humanities and social sciences researchers to engage with the public. Apply now: https://bit.ly/43JR4oA
Worrying about the best way to tax #housing wealth? A few ideas prompted by the Australian budget: www.austaxpolicy.com/budget-forum...
Budget Forum 2026: Feebates: Tax Reform to Raise Funds for a Fairer and More Efficient Housing Future - Austaxpolicy: The Tax and Transfer Policy Blog
The Australian Government has delivered a Budget that, finally, has addressed the taxation of housing investment returns.
austaxpolicy.com
Which is all very impressive but it doesn’t tackle the majority of under-occupation and is a fraction of what could be gained by applying a fair, progressive residential property tax across the board… www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Cumbria Council raises £11m in a year from second homes tax rise
Local authorities with many second homes are boosting their income by charging double council tax.
bbc.co.uk
Probably worth saying more about the wide range of empirical research linking mortality and morbidity with measures of economic inequality… www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
UK sees steepest fall in healthy life expectancy of rich nations
Poor housing, obesity and the effects of deprivation have been suggested as underlying cause.
bbc.co.uk
This is a new role packed with potential. An exciting direction of travel to get caught up in…
Hetan Shah@hetanshah.bsky.social · 3mo agoAwesome job alert. We are looking for a Head of Fellowship and Alumni to work with our scholarly community. £66.5k. Perhaps the most beautiful office in London next to St James’ Park. Take a look / spread the word! www.peridotpartners.co.uk/jobs/head-of...
Check out the British Academy’s signature small grants funding scheme: up to £10k over two years…
The British Academy@britishacademy.bsky.social · 4mo agoThe British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grants is now open for applications, supported by DSIT, @leverhulme.ac.uk and @wellcometrust.bsky.social. Apply now: https://bit.ly/4t0MDRl
More in this reply on some ideas for residential property tax reform that I am working on with Gavin Wood… love it or not, nearly anything is an improvement on the status quo… www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Reply to Comments on the Edges of Owner Occupation versus Rentier Capitalism
This piece replies to some fine scholarship from the six commentators who have taken up the pen in response to our focus article. We hope our reply does them justice and invites others to join the ...
tandfonline.com
