Zoë Billingham
@zoebillingham.bsky.social
Director of IPPR North in Manchester. Economist focused on people’s lived experience. Regional policy. Commissioner UK2070. Former HM Treasury. Views my own.
Reposted by Zoë Billingham
🏘️"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...
@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
www.theguardian.com
February 10, 2026 at 9:48 AM
🏘️"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...
@zoebillingham.bsky.social spoke to The Guardian👇👇
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
Reposted by Zoë Billingham
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...
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
www.theguardian.com
February 9, 2026 at 12:29 PM
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...
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
Reposted by Zoë Billingham
🥇 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...
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...
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 ...
thegreatnorth.org.uk
February 9, 2026 at 11:16 AM
🥇 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...
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...
Reposted by Zoë Billingham
📗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...
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...
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...
www.yorkshirepost.co.uk
February 6, 2026 at 9:19 AM
📗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...
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
February 5, 2026 at 12:00 PM
“Make the North even greater”cc @thenorthernagenda.bsky.social
Great to see @martinsandbu.ft.com rejecting fatalism on regional inequality & focusing on what can be done…
www.ft.com/content/91de...
www.ft.com/content/91de...
The left-behind economy and what to do about it
New insights into regional inequality
www.ft.com
January 30, 2026 at 10:35 AM
Great to see @martinsandbu.ft.com rejecting fatalism on regional inequality & focusing on what can be done…
www.ft.com/content/91de...
www.ft.com/content/91de...
Reposted by Zoë Billingham
📊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👇👇
@indiafhg.bsky.social, Newcastle-based researcher at IPPR North explains why👇👇
January 20, 2026 at 4:02 PM
📊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👇👇
@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 hear @amcanning.bsky.social experience of the Bradford Opportunity Area. Bringing health & education together meant glasses for kids so they can learn to read.
January 20, 2026 at 12:00 PM
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 hear @amcanning.bsky.social experience of the Bradford Opportunity Area. Bringing health & education together meant glasses for kids so they can learn to read.
Reposted by Zoë Billingham
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
The difference in spending truly is stark.
Read the full report here: lnkd.in/etg4w27f
January 15, 2026 at 1:35 PM
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
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.
“Even if the productivity growth [of the North] was brought up to the average of the UK, an extra £40billion would be brought into the UK each year… this will more than pay for itself”
🎙️ @zoebillingham.bsky.social on @lbc.co.uk this morning, talking all things Northern Powerhouse Rail
🎙️ @zoebillingham.bsky.social on @lbc.co.uk this morning, talking all things Northern Powerhouse Rail
January 14, 2026 at 5:17 PM
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.
🎙️Great to speak to the BBC & LBC on today's announcements this morning.
🚄A big day for Northern Powerhouse Rail and for the North as the government sets out its commitment to delivering a major infrastructure boost to the region.
Director of IPPR North @zoebillingham.bsky.social reacts👇👇
Director of IPPR North @zoebillingham.bsky.social reacts👇👇
January 14, 2026 at 9:46 AM
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.
🎙️Great to speak to the BBC & LBC on today's announcements this morning.
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...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
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.
www.bbc.co.uk
January 14, 2026 at 6:52 AM
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...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Zoë Billingham
"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...
@zoebillingham.bsky.social on Reform councils raising taxes against pledges, for @bigissue.com👇
www.bigissue.com/news/politic...
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”.
www.bigissue.com
January 13, 2026 at 11:41 AM
"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...
@zoebillingham.bsky.social on Reform councils raising taxes against pledges, for @bigissue.com👇
www.bigissue.com/news/politic...
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...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
‘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
www.theguardian.com
January 6, 2026 at 7:05 AM
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...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Last four days to apply to this cracking @ipprnorth.bsky.social job. Join us in 2026!
📢 JOB ALERT! 📢
If you're a creative, analytical leader and thinker we want YOU.
IPPR North are looking for an Associate Director (fixed term) with BIG IDEAS for the future of our regions.
Office based in Manchester
Closing date: 7th Jan
www.ippr.org/jobs/associa...
If you're a creative, analytical leader and thinker we want YOU.
IPPR North are looking for an Associate Director (fixed term) with BIG IDEAS for the future of our regions.
Office based in Manchester
Closing date: 7th Jan
www.ippr.org/jobs/associa...
Associate Director, IPPR North | IPPR
The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) is an independent charity working towards a fairer, greener, and more prosperous society.
www.ippr.org
January 3, 2026 at 7:31 PM
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.
December 31, 2025 at 6:48 PM
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.
👀👇
📢 JOB ALERT! 📢
If you're a creative, analytical leader and thinker we want YOU.
IPPR North are looking for an Associate Director (fixed term) with BIG IDEAS for the future of our regions.
Office based in Manchester
Closing date: 7th Jan
www.ippr.org/jobs/associa...
If you're a creative, analytical leader and thinker we want YOU.
IPPR North are looking for an Associate Director (fixed term) with BIG IDEAS for the future of our regions.
Office based in Manchester
Closing date: 7th Jan
www.ippr.org/jobs/associa...
Associate Director, IPPR North | IPPR
The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) is an independent charity working towards a fairer, greener, and more prosperous society.
www.ippr.org
December 19, 2025 at 5:15 PM
👀👇
Reposted by Zoë Billingham
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...
👇👇
www.reuters.com/world/uk/tra...
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...
👇👇
www.reuters.com/world/uk/tra...
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...
www.reuters.com
December 19, 2025 at 12:17 PM
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...
👇👇
www.reuters.com/world/uk/tra...
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...
👇👇
www.reuters.com/world/uk/tra...
Reposted by Zoë Billingham
📰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.
👇👇
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
The government must address these disadvantages so the next generations can break out of the doom-loop of regional inequality.
👇👇
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
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
www.theguardian.com
December 18, 2025 at 2:27 PM
📰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.
👇👇
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
The government must address these disadvantages so the next generations can break out of the doom-loop of regional inequality.
👇👇
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
New year, new start? Great new job @ipprnorth.bsky.social will be posted this week👀
December 17, 2025 at 5:52 PM
New year, new start? Great new job @ipprnorth.bsky.social will be posted this week👀
Reposted by Zoë Billingham
📈 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...
⚽And the brand new Everton stadium was a brilliant location for the board meeting!
Pictured below...
December 4, 2025 at 1:45 PM
📈 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...
⚽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!
November 30, 2025 at 11:02 AM
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.
70% of the additional spending from removing the two-child limit will go to families who are in work. This is targeting support for low-income working households who are being priced out of a decent standard of living despite doing everything asked of them.
November 29, 2025 at 10:49 AM
This, this & this👇 Removing the two-child limit supports working families.
Reposted by Zoë Billingham
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...
Source: www.gov.uk/government/p...
November 26, 2025 at 2:12 PM
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...
Source: www.gov.uk/government/p...
Some good calls today, with room to improve on the cost of living & regional investment..
📣The government has finally signalled who it stands for, protecting working people from the cost of living.
At IPPR North we're reacting to today's Budget announcement.
@zoebillingham.bsky.social 👇👇
At IPPR North we're reacting to today's Budget announcement.
@zoebillingham.bsky.social 👇👇
November 26, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Some good calls today, with room to improve on the cost of living & regional investment..