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Gabriel Milland @gabrielmilland.bsky.social · 25d

These words from a Tory activist in Kruger's seat deserve some attention.

Mark Sandford @marksandford.bsky.social · Sep 4

4) Data, data, data. But also analysis, and narrative. This is important as the foundation for relationships with central govt and localities, but also for building some level of trust with the electorate. If they don't know what mayors do, tell them, then tell them again.

Mark Sandford @marksandford.bsky.social · Sep 4

3) Convening isn't a substitute for hard power. Mayors need to bring something to the table: powers, funding, managing upward (of govt depts).

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Mark Sandford @marksandford.bsky.social · Sep 4

2) Shared understandings of priorities are important. Government guidance, conditions for mayors' funding, central regulatory priorities need to be telling the same story. The current Bill, and adjacent work, clearly appreciates this but we have yet to see coherent partnership develop.

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Mark Sandford @marksandford.bsky.social · Sep 4

1) Leadership, vision, strategic planning, convening, whatever you want to call it: it's real and it makes a difference to local actors in the public, private and third sectors. It's not everything but it is something.

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Mark Sandford @marksandford.bsky.social · Sep 4

What do English mayors do, and how do they get things done? Looked into this with colleagues from University of Bristol and the result is here: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Tl:dr;

How democratically elected mayors can achieve mission-oriented policies in turbulent times

This article explores how democratically elected mayors can achieve mission-oriented policies in turbulent times. Drawing on 132 interviews with decision-makers in England, it uses the case of heal...

www.tandfonline.com

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Mark Sandford @marksandford.bsky.social · Sep 4

I'm not big on returning multiple times to specific Substacks and blogs and so on but I have always found 'Stumbling and Mumbling' very thought-provoking and erudite - and most importantly, not predictable in its outlook. So will definitely be checking this one out chrisdillow.substack.com

Chris Dillow | Substack

My personal Substack. Click to read Chris Dillow, a Substack publication. Launched 6 days ago.

chrisdillow.substack.com

Steve 🏳️‍🌈🇬🇧 @wohyeahwohyeah.bsky.social · Sep 3

This is vile. Local guy speaks to Sky News about the impact of asylum seekers protests. Watch what happens and share widely

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Mark Sandford @marksandford.bsky.social · Aug 20

English devolution will be moving onwards via the English Devolution Bill, in the House of Commons on 2 September. Find out more in the House of Commons Library briefing at commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-bri...

English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill 2024-25

A briefing on the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill 2024-25

commonslibrary.parliament.uk

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Mark Sandford @marksandford.bsky.social · Aug 16

Not sure this is a deal breaker. In Sweden, every region bar Stockholm is a net recipient. Local taxes and redistribution still co-exist (relatively) peacefully, as they do in Germany, Italy, Denmark etcetera

Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · Aug 15

My one quibble with @jpspencer.bsky.social is him saying that this doesn't necessarily mean taxes won't have to go up. I basically don't see how fiscal devolution can even work in a country where every part of England bar London is a net recipient if you are not having some v hefty increases:

Building the future

To build the future, we must learn from history

futurenorth.substack.com

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Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · Aug 15

My one quibble with @jpspencer.bsky.social is him saying that this doesn't necessarily mean taxes won't have to go up. I basically don't see how fiscal devolution can even work in a country where every part of England bar London is a net recipient if you are not having some v hefty increases:

Building the future

To build the future, we must learn from history

futurenorth.substack.com

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Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · Aug 9

There is v little evidence of appetite for any national wave of protests, despite efforts online + in media to promote it

Rather there are larger local protests (Epping, Newcastle, Nuneaton) related to specific local incidents, with patchy, mostly floundering efforts to generate a wave of protest

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Miel @herbssnoof.bsky.social · Aug 8

The map of England it generated isn’t much better.

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Mark Sandford @marksandford.bsky.social · Jul 31

I have been simultaneously al reading Radical Help by Hilary Cottam and The Body Keeps The Score by Bessel Van der Kolk. Is that swotting or just odd?

Ed Hammond @se13ed.bsky.social · Jul 31

me: "I rather find that Huxley's earlier work - though thankfully devoid of the wearisome spiritualism of his later years - does somewhat insist upon itself, wouldn't you agree?"
my boss: "well, I'm reading a book about cavapoos"

Ed Hammond @se13ed.bsky.social · Jul 31

me: "I rather find that Huxley's earlier work - though thankfully devoid of the wearisome spiritualism of his later years - does somewhat insist upon itself, wouldn't you agree?"
my boss: "well, I'm reading a book about cavapoos"

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Mark Sandford @marksandford.bsky.social · Jul 25

Agreed - the findings of identifiable change in economic performance in this piece are probably the most striking I have ever seen

Simon Parker @simonparker.bsky.social · Jul 25

Really important piece on Greater Manchester. Basically, it worked. The city's productivity is rising. Pinning down exactly why is hard, but given the whole thrust of GM's economic policy for nearly decades has been about devolution... manchestermill.co.uk/andrew-mcphi...

The graph that shows Manchester's economy is taking off for real

Our economics analyst James Gilmour has some good news

manchestermill.co.uk

Simon Parker @simonparker.bsky.social · Jul 25

Really important piece on Greater Manchester. Basically, it worked. The city's productivity is rising. Pinning down exactly why is hard, but given the whole thrust of GM's economic policy for nearly decades has been about devolution... manchestermill.co.uk/andrew-mcphi...

The graph that shows Manchester's economy is taking off for real

Our economics analyst James Gilmour has some good news

manchestermill.co.uk

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Mark Sandford @marksandford.bsky.social · Jul 15

Introducing new approaches to local government finance needs to be done judiciously. There is now time to develop ideas that are acceptable to all sides with a view to implementing them in the medium term.

Mark Sandford @marksandford.bsky.social · Jul 15

Other countries have broader-based and more stable ways of funding local government than the UK. We have collected extensive evidencehttps://lgiu.org/publication/learning-from-local-government-finance-across-the-world/.

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Mark Sandford @marksandford.bsky.social · Jul 15

The Review doesn't provide any new money: it just redistributes the money that is already there. The pressures of costs, rising demand, and particularly SEND education provision haven't gone away. Further solutions still awaited.

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Mark Sandford @marksandford.bsky.social · Jul 15

There will be winners and losers. Cannot tell for certain who they are yet - because the Review promises unspecified mechanisms to ensure nobody loses too much. But some early analysis has suggested that inner London might lose - and county councils might win

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Mark Sandford @marksandford.bsky.social · Jul 15

This review marks a return to having a funding system - measuring needs, capacity to raise resources, and costs of providing services. Those matters have been veiled by incentive-based funding since 2013. This review will reverse that as of 2026.

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Mark Sandford @marksandford.bsky.social · Jul 15

@lgiu-local-gov.bsky.social have been kind enough to publish a piece on the government's Fair Funding Review for local government in England, from me and @muldoonsmith.bsky.social. Key thoughts (tl:dr;)

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Mark Sandford @marksandford.bsky.social · Jul 15

Some more fleshed out thoughts on how Local Public Accounts Committees could be implemented in www.ippr.org/articles/acc....

This issue is a work in progress and my sense is that Government is listening to ideas.

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Mark Sandford @marksandford.bsky.social · Jul 11

More detail in the main briefing paper: commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-bri...

Explaining the Fair Funding Review 2.0

A briefing paper on the June 2025 government consultation on reforming local government funding, "The Fair Funding Review 2.0"

commonslibrary.parliament.uk

Mark Sandford @marksandford.bsky.social · Jul 11

Considerable Government progress in simplifying grant funding, with the promise of more to come. And a few interesting looks forward around funding for mayoral authorities.

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Mark Sandford @marksandford.bsky.social · Jul 11

No firm conclusions possible about how much money each council will get. There are too many decisions yet to be finalised.
We know that need will be re-measured, and we know that needs have changed since the last reset of the system in 2013/14

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Mark Sandford @marksandford.bsky.social · Jul 11

What is going to happen to council funding next April? A few headlines here: commonslibrary.parliament.uk/the-fair-fun... Main takeaways:

The Fair Funding Review 2.0: How will council funding change?

The government proposes to change the way total funding for local authorities is distributed, aiming to make it fairer and simpler.

commonslibrary.parliament.uk

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Mark Sandford @marksandford.bsky.social · Jul 3

Okay then, folks. If you are into drawing boundaries, where does Surrey 'go with'? www.themj.co.uk/strategic-au... Mayor of Surrey and Sussex? Include Kent (and Hampshire?) under a Mayor of the South-East Counties? #regions #England

Strategic authority 'needs to be bigger than Surrey'

Surrey should be part of a strategic authority on a geography wider than the county, according to some sector figures. The county council has been lobbying for...

www.themj.co.uk

Mark Sandford @marksandford.bsky.social · Jul 2

This from Geoff Mulgan is well worth reading geoffmulgan.substack.com/p/in-praise-... I can definitely relate to the accusation of words over actions. But I have also long been struck by political science and public policy’s lack of interest in understanding the details of how govt works.

In praise of plumbing

Why British politics' lack of interest in how things work explains why many things don't

geoffmulgan.substack.com