Policy Leeds April signpost
This month we reflect on successful civic and research partnerships, the launch of a new report on child poverty and showcase upcoming policy-relevant events.
Cultivating ‘communities of practice’ to tackle civic policy challenges
A recently published academic paper by Nicola Caroll (University of Sheffield) and Adam Crawford (University of Leeds) shares how civic knowledge exchange can be improved, building on a review of collaborations between Leeds City Council and University of Leeds.
The article looks at how local government and academic institutions can work together to tackle ‘civic policy challenges’, using Leeds as an exemplar. It proposes using a community of practice framework to understand how a relationship approach to research-policy engagement can be supported institutionally.
Read the open access Bristol University Press Digital academic paper.
Read more on the collaborative work between the University of Leeds and Leeds City Council in our previous Policy Leeds blog ‘Partnering with Leeds City Council to identify local knowledge needs’.
Tackling child poverty with the help of schools and nurseries
The Child First Government campaign’s new report sets out how the government could tackle child poverty with the help of schools and nurseries. This is their second in a series of 12 reports co-produced by the N8 Universities Child of the North research partnership, the Centre for Young Lives and Health Equity North.
The report sets out a series of evidence-based recommendations including:
- A new Government plan to support schools to reduce the impact of poverty as a first step of a national plan to reduce child poverty.
- A targeted programme of funding to support schools in those areas with the highest child poverty to coordinate services and support to reduce the impact of poverty on children.
- The targeted extension of universal Free School Meals in schools with high levels of child poverty.
- A Child Poverty Unit in No10 and a Government Poverty Tsar to drive improvements in education for disadvantaged children.
- A national Scientific Advisory Group for Children to ensure evidence, evaluation, and data-sharing lie at the heart of the programme.
Read the child poverty report (PDF).
An accompanying webinar was delivered to reflect on the findings and recommendations posed in the report. Watch the poverty report webinar to find out more.
Due to be published in April, the next Child First Government report will focus on addressing child health inequality and will be co-authored by the Universities of Leeds, Newcastle and Bradford. Find out more about the N8 Child of the North Child First Government Campaign.
Fair Energy Futures launch event
Fair Energy Futures launched with an exciting event on 27 March. The group is the new centre of expertise for energy research and will represent those experiencing energy inequality in the transition to net zero.
More than 60 delegates attended the launch from an array of disciplines and professional backgrounds including representatives from local government, Northern Power Grid, Northern Gas Networks, KPMG, Lloyds Banking group and more.
The day started with an insightful panel discussion, chaired by Professor Milena Buchs (School of Sustainability), where debate focused on hopes for the future, current inequalities and how a ‘just transition’ can be achieved. Two afternoon sessions saw engaging round tables on the themes of ‘fair energy transitions: learning from experience’ and ‘shared futures: supporting equitable energy transitions globally and locally’.
The event was accompanied by a live X (formerly Twitter) feed, which can be viewed on the Energy Leeds X account.
To learn more about the event and what’s next for the group, follow the Fair Energy Futures Medium blog.
Upcoming events
World Health Day showcase: my health my right
17 April, 10am-3:30pm, hybrid
Join the Nuffield Centre for International Health & Development for their World Health Day Showcase this April. The event focuses on the theme ‘My Health, My Right’ and brings together cross-sector professionals with local and international expertise in global public health.
Email nuffield@leeds.ac.uk for in-person attendance or register to attend the World Health Day Showcase online.
Dietary patterns in UK consumer purchase data
17 April, 12pm-12:40pm, online
Professor Michelle Morris (Faculty of Environment) will host the Global Food and Environment Institute’s (GFEI) April webinar. The session will investigate how population data can be used to understand dietary patterns, how they compare with national recommendations, how they vary by sociodemographic characteristics and how policy can change them. Sign up for the GFEI webinar.
When terrible things are happening and the country’s falling apart: democratic hope in an age of anxiety
1 May, 5:30pm-7pm, Clothworkers Centenary Concert Hall, School of Music
In this lecture, Professor Stephen Coleman (The School of Media and Communications) will respond to concerns that the normative foundations of democracy are at risk and discuss whether we can be hopeful about the future of democracy. Find out more about this Jay Blumler lecture.
Understanding the politics of policy making — Institute for Government Academy workshop
1 May, 9:30am-12pm, online
This Institute for Government workshop explains the role of party politics in policy development, and what that means for engaging with government. It is open to University of Leeds staff and postgraduate researchers and will be of interest for those looking to engage with MPs and Government ministers, but also of relevance to those engaging with politicians at other levels (e.g. elected Mayors or Councillors).
Express your interest in the workshop by 11.45pm Friday 12 April.
UPEN annual conference 2024
21 May, 10:15am-16:15pm, University of York
The Universities Policy Engagement Network (UPEN) are hosting their annual conference at the University of York this May. This year’s event focuses on ‘Connecting and Collaborating across the UK Academic-Policy Landscape’.
Whilst this event is currently sold-out, you can join the waitlist and see the conference agenda on the UPEN conference 2024 webpage.
UPEN conference side-event: Academic-Policy Engagement and the Future of Devolution
New date: 9 July, 9.30am-4pm, Leeds Beckett University
The event will showcase best practices of academic policy engagement across the devolved UK, delving into the sustainability of existing models and a reciprocal workshop to reflect on how academia and policy makers do engage.
Find further details and register for the event via the UPEN conference-side event webpage.
News in brief
Leeds academic designs pamphlets to help ‘quieter’ voices engage with parliament
Professor Cristina Leston-Bandeira (School of Politics and International Studies) has co-designed leaflets with Research Retold to help service users petition both the UK Parliament and Senedd Welsh Parliament. The resource expands on Cristina’s research with Blagovesta Tacheva that investigated how to reduce barriers that prevent engagement with Parliament. They looked at how petitions could be made accessible to politically disengaged groups. Read the LSE article about Cristina and Blagovesta’s study.
Take a look at the petition leaflets or request digital copies.
The official Yorkshire & Humber Policy Engagement and Research Network (Y-PERN) website goes live
The new Y-PERN website has launched. It celebrates the network’s mission to create inclusive, evidence-based policies in Yorkshire & the Humber.
Visit the Y-PERN website to learn about their partners and central team and stay updated with the latest news, blogs and events.
Research into migrant farm workers low pay published on the Government website
Research conducted in 2022 by Dr Roxana Barbulescu (School of Sociology and Social Policy) on accommodation offset, national minimum wage and seasonal migrant agricultural workers (pdf) has been published on the Government website. The work was commissioned to inform recommendations to the Government on the National Minimum Wage. Read the low pay commission research and report.
Climate Talking Points webinar with the YHCC
In March, the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission (YHCC) hosted a webinar uncovering four key policy changes to unlock climate action in our region. Attendees heard from University of Leeds experts including Richard Beardsworth (School of Politics & International Studies), Andrew Wood (Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission), and Paul Hayes (Leeds University Business School). Their recommendations were published and are available to read in the ‘Climate Talking Points’ briefing.
Catch-up with the YHCC webinar recording.
Louise Waite, Director of LSSI, gave evidence in House of Lords
Professor Louise Waite (School of Geography and Leeds Social Sciences Institute) gave testimony on the Modern Slavery Act 2015 for the House of Lords Committee. Professor Waite’s expert evidence looked at the effectiveness of modern slavery protections and immigration policy. Learn more about Professor Waite’s oral evidence.
WOW park featured by BBC news
The WOW Park project led by Dr Anna Barker (School of Law) has been showcased in BBC News and University of Leeds articles. Her work investigating how parks in West Yorkshire can be made safer for women and girls is cited. Read the BBC article about improving women’s safety in parks.
Articles and blogs:
- The unavoidable politics of fair energy futures. Dr Alexander Beresford, School of Politics and International Relations, and Dr Ruth Bookbinder, School of Earth and Environment, explore the complexities of an energy transition in South Africa. Dr Beresford also spoke on BBC Radio 4 about the topic in relation to South Africa’s upcoming elections. Listen to The Briefing Room recording.
- What would a regenerative cultural sector look like? Ben Walmsley, Centre for Cultural Value, explores how the culture sector can and will be sustained through trying times. In the Arts Professional.
- Mandating indoor air quality for public buildings. Professor Catherine Noakes, School of Civil Engineering, co-authors a paper calling for indoor air quality standards to be introduced around the globe.
- The Local Policy Innovation Partnership: A Reflection on the Launch Event. Rebecca Riley, University of Birmingham, reflects on the themes emerging from the launch of the Local Policy Innovation Partnerships, which include the YPIP project headed by Professor Gary Dymski of the University of Leeds. University of Birmingham blog.
- The millions of people not looking for work in the UK may be prioritising education, health and freedom. David Spencer, Professor of Economics and Political Economy, reflects on the large number of economically inactive people in the UK and what that means for government policy. Conversation article.
Find more information on policy collaborations from across University of Leeds on the Policy Leeds website. If you would like to keep in touch with our work between signposts, please connect with us on LinkedIn, find us on X (formerly Twitter), or you can email us at policyleeds@leeds.ac.uk
