Making the most of it: Unitarisation, hyperlocal democratic renewal and community empowerment | IPPR This report looks at the democratic implications of the government’s agenda for local government unitarisation under the English devolution and community e

👥NEW REPORT: Local government reorganisation is once-in-a-generation opportunity - if done well. Government and local authorities should take action to use the process to revive democracy in local communities and shift power downwards👇

Read the full report here:

www.ippr.org/articles/mak...

'Unitarisation risks weakening local democracy unless communities are put in the driving seat' - LabourList Nearly 30% of England faces local government overhaul. Without safeguards, unitarisation could cut councillors, weaken accountability and distance communities from power.

Great to write in @labourlist.bsky.social today about our latest @ipprnorth.bsky.social report and how local government reorganisation must result in local democracy renewal.

labourlist.org/2026/02/unit...

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Update on May 2026 local authority elections We have today issued the below statement for immediate use on the local authority elections taking place in May 2026. An MHCLG spokesperson said: “Following legal advice, the Government has withdrawn ...

I think it's right that the May local elections will be going ahead, even in areas undergoing local government reorganisation. Democracy cannot be a matter of convenience or cost.

mhclgmedia.blog.gov.uk/2026/02/16/u...

England’s poorest areas have 70% more vape shops and bookmakers than wealthier ones Data shows deprived communities have more off-licences and takeaways and fewer childcare facilities and gyms

🏘️"Neighbourhood precincts are often people’s go to spaces... it’s right they are taken as seriously as high streets. We need physical spaces to come together, to regain a lost sense of community."

@zoebillingham.bsky.social spoke to The Guardian👇👇

www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

England’s poorest areas have 70% more vape shops and bookmakers than wealthier ones Data shows deprived communities have more off-licences and takeaways and fewer childcare facilities and gyms

Thanks also to @joshhalliday.bsky.social for covering the work, and lovely to see comments in here from @zoebillingham.bsky.social and @drjennings.bsky.social too!

www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

The Great North mayors and leaders call on Government to base future UK Olympic bid in the North The North of England could play host to the Olympic and Paralympic Games for the first time in history, as Northern Mayors and Leaders today set out a clear ...

🥇 NORTH OF ENGLAND 2040 🥇

Hosting the Olympics in the North would be a GAME CHANGER for the region. Bringing a boost to investment, job opportunities, and the visitor economy; people would feel its impact in the years to come and the decades following.

thegreatnorth.org.uk/news/the-gre...

Rachel Reeves changes to Treasury rules to boost infrastructure projects in the North Rachel Reeves has announced major changes to Treasury rules around infrastructure project spending, which the Government says will address “historic underinvestment” in the North and other parts of th...

📗We welcome the Chancellor's efforts in shifting Treasury orthodoxy so that projects in the North can get fair shots.

Yet, this is the 3rd change to the Green Book in as many years, the fact it's taking so long shows the depth of this culture in Westminster.

www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/politic...

“Make the North even greater”cc @thenorthernagenda.bsky.social

The left-behind economy and what to do about it New insights into regional inequality

Great to see @martinsandbu.ft.com rejecting fatalism on regional inequality & focusing on what can be done…

www.ft.com/content/91de...

📊ONS employment figures for the North East released today paint a stark image of the region - but they don't tell the whole story.

@indiafhg.bsky.social, Newcastle-based researcher at IPPR North explains why👇👇

Clear thinking from @xiaoweixu.bsky.social as usual on the UK youth mobility story - more in IFS publication below.

Great to hear @amcanning.bsky.social experience of the Bradford Opportunity Area. Bringing health & education together meant glasses for kids so they can learn to read.

Great to see IPPR North research on disparities in transport spending on the North, London, and the rest of the country showcased on @itvpeston.bsky.social last night.

The difference in spending truly is stark.

Read the full report here: lnkd.in/etg4w27f

I can confirm I was not sitting smoking at my desk whilst speaking to Nick Ferrari, even if the evidence here suggests otherwise.

Northern Powerhouse Rail - a story of hope & frustration but a much needed investment. I'm glad the government has made the political commitment to delivering it, even if those timescales could be more ambitious...

🎙️Great to speak to the BBC & LBC on today's announcements this morning.

Government sets out plans for north of England rail investment The scheme will be delivered in phases, starting with upgrades to lines between Leeds, York, Bradford and Sheffield.

It’s a big day for the long awaited Northern Powerhouse Rail. Strong political commitment from PM & CX of £45bn to its delivery, with £1.1bn to be invested by the end of this Parliament. Key will be the security of commitment & delivery timescales.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Reform UK 'collides with reality' over council tax rises Reform UK will increase council tax in several councils it controls – despite previously pledging to “cut waste and reduce your taxes”.

"Unless [Reform] wanted to strip services away from some of the most vulnerable people in the country – and low and modest earners too – this was always the reality."

@zoebillingham.bsky.social on Reform councils raising taxes against pledges, for @bigissue.com👇

www.bigissue.com/news/politic...

‘We have a new role’: mayors across the world increasingly taking on society’s biggest challenges From Budapest to Barcelona, New York to Paris, mayors are increasingly being thrust on to the political frontlines as they face down the rise of the far right

Interesting piece. Highlights “the contrast between the practical solutions being offered by the mayors.. with the far right’s scapegoating” but cautions against polarisation of progressive cities & rural areas. More rural mayors in UK will test mayoral politics.

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Last four days to apply to this cracking @ipprnorth.bsky.social job. Join us in 2026!

In 2025, a group of us from @ippr.org went to Washington DC to learn from what had gone wrong for US progressives. Handily summarised by this notice at a DC sandwich shop. Slightly longer version here: www.ippr.org/articles/its.... May 2026 bring focus & progressive progress. Happy NYE.

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Tram network for England's Leeds delayed until late 2030s Plans for a long-promised tram network in the northern English city of Leeds have been pushed back to the late 2030s, a government review published on Thursday showed, underscoring Britain's chronic d...

Did you know that Leeds is the largest city in western Europe without a mass transit system?

The Leeds tram is a great example of intra-regional transport that's critical for connecting communities in the North.

But our communities cannot wait any longer...

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www.reuters.com/world/uk/tra...

UK’s industrial regions face ‘entrenched disadvantages’ going back decades Social mobility report highlights ‘extreme regional differences’ in terms of childhood, jobs, innovation and growth

📰The Social Mobility Commission’s state of the nation report is out. At IPPR North we're not surprised at its findings.

The government must address these disadvantages so the next generations can break out of the doom-loop of regional inequality.

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www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

New year, new start? Great new job @ipprnorth.bsky.social will be posted this week👀

📈 This morning, our Director @zoebillingham.bsky.social presented to The Great North Board on securing pan northern investment.

⚽And the brand new Everton stadium was a brilliant location for the board meeting!

Pictured below...

Great to be on BBC North West couch this morning, live from Media City with Paul Waugh MP & Conservative Cheshire & Warrington mayoral candidate Ben Fletcher. Broad consensus on the need for mayors to be able to have financial freedoms & more devolved power, some disagreement on Budget 2025!

This, this & this👇 Removing the two-child limit supports working families.

Distributional analysis published alongside the Budget shows that the poorest will benefit most from the measures - particularly due to welfare and public service improvements.

Source: www.gov.uk/government/p...

Some good calls today, with room to improve on the cost of living & regional investment..

🔔It’s Budget Day!🔔

This Budget will show who the government is working for.

We’ll be looking out to see if it passes our three tests:
⚖️ Is it fair, asking more of those with the broadest shoulders?
💷 Does it reduce the cost of living?
📈 Is it pro-growth?