Our annual State of the Nation report contains the most comprehensive summary of social mobility data in the UK.

It allows policy makers to understand what is diving and what is blocking social mobility at a national and a local level.

Explore more: https://bit.ly/47V1cOb

The opinion I have held since I first heard anything about Bob Dylan, which is that Bob Dylan is a wanker, remains unchallenged

Navigating the labyrinth: socio-economic background and career progression in the Civil Service A report highlighting how socio-economic background shapes career progression within the Civil Service, and an action plan outlining recommendations to improve.

I’ve shared this report with plenty of people over the years, but sharing it again as I had a reason to point someone at it today.

Learn how posh people level up: www.gov.uk/government/p...

we found that internal party divisiveness seems to be a feature of many of the most successful policies. Lots of case studies from @instituteforgovernment.org.uk - smoking ban, climate change act and devo and the minimum wage in this from 2012 www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...

£100m of Tees Valley transport spending to be given to Teesworks regeneration A report will be given to TVCA’s cabinet at their next meeting in June and it is expected the plans will be approved.

NEW: Ben Houchen's Tees Valley Combined Authority intends to redirect £100m of transport funding it received from the government to the highly-indebted development corporation which leads regeneration of the Teesworks site.

Australia has similar rules but cannot/does not refuse entry to citizens - I was let in with my British passport and a photo of my Aussie one (It was an emergency)

Thanks for this. I’d not come across her before but I’m now doing a lot of reading!

When your cat has watched Die Hard too many times.

Who's the billionaire behind London’s biggest mass eviction? He's the London philanthropist who says he's committed to solving homelessness. So why is Asif Aziz's Criterion Capital rushing to make hundreds of Londoners homeless in the coming weeks?

London’s “worst mass eviction in recent history” is underway; hundreds of households across London told to get out of their homes this week by the same landlord, ahead of the renters rights act. The landlord? Billionaire Asif Aziz’s Criterion Capital. www.londoncentric.media/p/asif-aziz-...

Very good thread. Depressing quote: "... my team has to spend a reasonable part of their week trying to make sure none of us get murdered".

Future of the Data and AI Public Engagement Community Connected by Data has been running the Data and AI Public Engagement Community of Practice since July 2024, to allow people to share their work and learn from others on engaging the public around data and AI, work through common challenges, and bring together practitioners from different sectors. The 15 events to date – monthly online meetings for around one hour, 2pm on a Wednesday – have largely consisted of two presentations, but we have also run an online workshop and a panel discussion. There are further events scheduled for February and March 2026. The Community of Practice is part of a wider project, Giving communities a powerful say in public sector data and AI projects. The funding for that project ends in March 2026, while Connected by Data – always intended to be a five-year campaign – is due to come to an end in March 2027. That means we are considering what happens next to the community of practice – in terms of maintaining the archive of presentations to date, and how and

The funding for this work ends in March so we're considering what happens next to the community of practice.

We ask you to take a little time to complete a survey on your thoughts.

MS form: forms.office.com/r/gPvfrr2eAW
Google form: forms.gle/tcwEY28KG5q...

(2/2)

Ditto Pisa

What could #AI do for public services if we built it around real challenges, led by those closest to the problem?

💰 We're offering up to £25k for new projects between researchers & local authorities.

➡️ www.ai.cam.ac.uk/calls/local-...

Watch our challenge fair 👇
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSZ0...

Started following the Radio 3 now playing bot for the pictures.

Love Vivaldi being proud as punch.

just nursing my decades old dislike of Chomsky

Never invite a linguist to do a political theorist’s job

Valletta, Malta. Went a couple of weekends ago. Very small, but still a city. Will be warm-ish with good cosy bars and restaurants

Now might be a good time to follow @written-statements.bsky.social, if you don’t already

Hundreds of children in illegal care homes is ‘what failu... New data obtained by Rachel de Souza, the children’s commissioner for England, reveals many youngsters are being housed in unregistered and unsuitable premises

So often with these stories, people see the big numbers - hundreds of kids in illegal settings - and not connect with the personal story.

That's why I spoke to Lucy*, who has been in 18 placements since she was 11, five of which were illegal

observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

Solid Eurovision bop, douze points

My cat is also called Sisu and would kill Nazis but is too chonky after Christmas

Sisu (2022) ⭐ 6.9 | Action, Thriller, War 1h 31m | R

If this is the weekend to watch Nazis being killed in the arctic circle, I recommend the excellent Sisu m.imdb.com/title/tt1484...

In May alone, [China] added enough renewable energy to power Poland

(We might be ok?)

Shush

A set of drawers in a museum gallery. They are labelled "Donkey Hire", "Crime and Punishment", "Oracles", "Oaths", "Gods and Goddesses", "Inheritance", "Sketches", "Personal Piety"

I wish to be friends with whoever organised these drawers in the Ashmolean Museum

Donate to Duvet Know It's Christmas, 2025, organized by Rhodri Marsden Unbelievably, it's the 15th year of this thing. What is it? Improbably, the nig… Rhodri Marsden needs your support for Duvet Know It's Christmas, 2025

Unbelievably, #DuvetKnowItsChristmas generates such good will on social media that over the years we've raised somewhere approaching a quarter of a million quid for homeless charities. If you can spare a bob or two, sling some to Centrepoint, and here's the link: www.gofundme.com/f/duvet-know...

This is the 15th year of #DuvetKnowItsChristmas, which is preposterous. Rules: if you find yourself dealing with unusual / claustrophobic / gaudy sleeping arrangements this Christmas Eve, share a picture with the world. Use the hashtag (with capitalisation) and cc me if you can be bothered.

Happy #NewgrangeSolstice livestream day! I love watching it with @heliolithic.bsky.social and @sgthowie.bsky.social every year ❤️

BBC One - Play for Today, Series 6, Nuts in May A couple's exhausting battle to enjoy an idyllic camping holiday in Dorset.

Nuts in May is being repeated on BBC4 on Sat 10th Jan at 21:50.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b...