Comprehensive Spending Review: What does it mean for devolution?

7^th December 2015

The devolution proposals within the Comprehensive Spending Review have been labelled by some as a recipe for increased regional inequality. The limited and growth-focussed nature of the powers devolved in the CSR make these a legitimate concern, so long as city and county devolution does not make available the powers needed to achieve true place-based public service reform.

Why ResPublica supports the Direct Planning Bill

20^th November 2015

  With the Direct Planning (Pilot) Bill set for its Second Reading in the House of Lords tomorrow, ResPublica are keen to nail our organisational colours to the mast. We strongly support this Bill: its provisions, its aims, and its underlying philosophy.

The Direct Planning (Pilot) Bill – Changing the Question

20^th November 2015

The Direct Planning (Pilot) Bill has its second reading in the House of Lords today (20th November). It has been introduced by Lord Lexden though is strictly non-partisan in nature. Create Streets has been heavily involved in its drafting and it builds on the logic of our community work and research as well as on the 2011 Localism Act, Neighbourhood Planning and ResPublica’s publication, A Community Right to Beauty.

Beauty and influence in the new local paradigm

19^th August 2015

It is brave to speak of beauty. It is doubly brave to do so in a public policy context, where there is suspicion of abstract notions, and where austerity can push aside almost all impulses other than immediate utility.

Beauty

Reflections on the Magna Carta: A constitutional angle on seeking the common good

24^th July 2015

The recent anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta provides a helpful space in which to pause and take stock of the popular legitimacy of our political structures and institutions. As many have pointed out, the retrospective writing of history is evident in the Magna Carta’s mythic status.

common good + magna carta + society

Does private tuition exacerbate educational inequality?

2^nd June 2015

The drivers of educational attainment are complex. On the one hand, a child’s lot in life can be dramatically improved when they are exposed to excellent school teaching.  For example, pupils from poorer backgrounds in Britain have been shown to gain 1.5 years’ worth of learning in a single year when taught by very effective teachers, compared to only 0.5 years with badly performing teachers.

Democratic education + Education + Inequality

How to build better places

25^th April 2015

Urban places are popular. Think of where the world likes to go on holiday, and it is the great cities that attract millions of visitors. It isn’t only the larger international ones people want to spend time in either.

Building Homes + Design + Housing + Urban Development

Brilliance and Imperfection: How medical technology has the potential to help people with asthma

23^rd April 2015

Over the last few decades safe and effective new medical technologies have been widely welcomed by patients and health care professionals alike, and helped to transform life expectancy. Asthma inhalers are one of these major medical technology success stories – launching in the 1970’s they enabled the delivery of new active compounds to the lungs to fight asthma attacks in a highly portable unit.

Health + Life Sciences + LifeSci + NHS

Accessing the Future of Healthcare: Why the commissioning of new medicines must be a priority for the next government

22^nd April 2015

The Coalition Government should be commended for its efforts to drive the life sciences agenda. After setting down an early statement of intent with the Strategy for UK life sciences, last year’s re-launch of the Office for Life Sciences, operating across the departments of business and health, signalled a clear intention to harness the potential of modern technology to create a health service fit for the 21st century.

Health + Life Sciences + LifeSci + NHS

Health North: A step in the right direction for addressing health equity in the North of England?

21^st April 2015

Our health and social care systems are at a crossroads and of the wide-ranging health challenges currently facing the UK, one of the most unsettling issues is the persistent health inequalities experienced by populations across the North of England.

Health + Life Sciences + LifeSci + NHS + North