Andrew Pakes

Some great practical advice here from Gill Pipkin about bid writing. Well worth a read!

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Really helpful practical tips on how to do co-design in the public sector by Leon Cruickshank. You can now re-watch his talk at the #PublicPolicyDesign events library here.... https://lnkd.in/eQ9Qmf7T

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For those who found this post interesting I’ve written about my reflections on this event in a bit more detail for the LGcomms blog. You can read it here 👇 https://lnkd.in/eUVrdcd8

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This morning we have published new statistics on public service productivity. This was estimated to be 2.6% lower in Quarter 2 (Apr to June) 2024 compared with the same quarter in 2023; this was caused by inputs growing faster than output. This means Public service productivity is estimated to be 8.5% below its pre-coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic peak in Quarter 4 (Oct to Dec) 2019. Annualised quarterly estimates of public service productivity growth were revised from 2.6% to 1.0% in 2022, indicating that the recovery of public service productivity from the pandemic is taking longer than previously estimated. https://lnkd.in/ejA4jugw

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Charities and Government Excellent Research from Pro Bono Economics who have published a very useful free resource for charities https://lnkd.in/e_a8ybFN . This says "The 2024 General Election brought 335 new MPs into the House of Commons. For the many charities that seek to influence parliamentarians, this creates a significant challenge. That’s 335 new MPs to research and sift through to try and understand if they might be inclined to support a charity’s cause. "Many small charities cannot afford parliamentary monitoring systems or expensive agencies to do that sifting for them. If hundreds of organisations all undertake the same research into those MPs’ backgrounds, it means massive amounts of duplication and wasted time for already time-starved organisations. Also see https://lnkd.in/ebSvCG_Y which explains that "Experience in the charity sector has accelerated the most dramatically of all with this new Cabinet. #Starmer has appointed eight #Cabinet members who have previously worked within the charity sector. That is a quadrupling of charity experience at the top of government." CFG : Charity Finance Group Charity News Association of Charitable Foundations Association of Chairs The Resource Alliance Charity Excellence - a FREE one-stop-shop for everything a non-profit needs.

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One of the Chancellor's announcements in her Mansion House speech was a consultation on a UK Green Taxonomy. Quite sensibly the consultation will include an assessment of other taxonomies and measures reporting on sustainability. The aim of this will be to decide if a UK Taxonomy provides something additional and complementary to existing policies in meeting the objectives of mitigating greenwashing and channelling capital to support the Government's sustainability objectives. This is a sensible starting point ensuring that a UK Green Taxonomy is only introduced if there are clear benefits in doing so

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Together with Welsh Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies and Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero Gillian Martin here’s our take on the UK NDC announcement from PM Starmer today at Baku. Scotland and Wales are critical partners to the efforts in the UK as has been seen through their phenomenal leadership in the #Under2Coalition. https://lnkd.in/eBFewwHQ My quick take: We welcome the UK’s ambitious commitment to an 81% emissions reduction by 2035 as part of its updated NDC. It's an important step in the right direction, now others need to follow suit. The UK's strong emphasis on national security as a driver of climate action underscores a crucial reality: there is no national security without addressing the climate crisis head-on. We'd like to have seen more clarity on how the 2030 NDC will be achieved, and new funding for climate justice. It's critical that the UK government delivers clear, actionable pathways and additional resources for climate action, particularly for the most vulnerable communities. This will require not only national leadership but also partnerships with devolved nations and governments across all levels to ensure that the UK meets its climate targets while ensuring a just and equitable transition for all

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🚀 In case you missed it: Last week, The National Lottery Community Fund launched our new ‘missions framework.’ These are the community-led missions where we will be focusing our funding, learning, and efforts. The foundation of this approach is rooted in what we’ve heard from communities: a desire for us to be more ambitious, more long-term, and more focused on tackling bigger challenges while supporting continuous learning across communities. My colleague Thomas Walters has shared a blog and video about this (see below), so if this is your first introduction, start there. I’m adding some wider reflections to complement his. 💡 Why a mission framework? For us, a mission approach is about translating the 'why' into outcomes ('what') and identifying the target group ('for whom'). It provides a sharper focus on specific community goals without restricting flexibility on 'how' these goals are achieved. In fact, by being firmer on missions, outcomes, and target groups, we create more space for different, new, local solutions in delivery. It’s central to our commitment to agility, partnership, and, ultimately, solutions rooted in ‘it starts with community’. 🔍 Balancing priorities There’s often concern about whether missions can reflect the entirety of what an organisation can or should do. We recognise that while they can’t cover everything, setting clear priorities supports transparency and intentionality. At The National Lottery Community Fund, we expect more than 90% of grants will align with one of our four community-led missions. This still leaves room for responsive funding, ensuring we remain adaptable to emerging needs. 🌍 Complex vs. Complicated Some argue that the world is too complex for mission-based approaches. But I believe missions help us break down the often-complicated systems at play and develop a deeper understanding of the assumptions, learning, and evidence required to make meaningful progress. By defining clear goals, we seek to enable community led solutions to approach challenges more confidently, fostering curiosity, learning, and improvement. In short, the framework is about being bold, strategic, and community-focused. And when done right, it creates opportunities for greater collaboration, innovation, and long-term impact. This is a brief reflection on a big topic: there’s lots that Nesta, the Institute for Government and others have written about missions-led approaches. But if you want to hear more about our experience The National Lottery Community Fund, I’m looking forward to joining NPC (New Philanthropy Capital) Ignites Conference on 15 October! And as Tom says in his blog, we welcome reflections and feedback. Dan Corry

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Interested in BNG? Have a read of our lessons learned with Local Planning Authorities and the Planning Advisory Service (PAS) in the first few months of BNG being mandatory: https://lnkd.in/eeEjN74K It's worth reiterating that while sustainable development and nature recovery can sit side by side, it takes effort across sectors and geographies to pull together for national change. #BiodiversityNetGain #BNG

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This is going to be a brilliant event. Never mind the creeping impostor syndrome for sharing the stage with such giants :) Looking forward to discussing and learning more about the future of data.

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What does the new government mean for the environment? New Green Alliance podcast (featuring me!) below 👇 🎧 This discussion, recorded one week after the election, delves into how the new government will likely approach environmental policy and politics, what the results mean for the future of UK energy, resources and nature policy, and what the key moment will be in the coming months.

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There has been very little commentary on the 25th anniversary of devolution in wales, it’s passed relatively unheralded so good to see this piece from Wales Centre for Public Policy | Canolfan Polisi Cyhoeddus Cymru prof Steve Martin. Pretty fair summary of the first 25 years. Lists tye achievemts. (charging for carrier bags, thanks Steve!!) and the big issues still to be addressed, and there’s are some big fundamentals to improve. Key will be what is next and whether another 36 politicians will make a bigger difference ? #wales #politics #devolution

Join the launch webinar for our Green Finance Guide! We've been busy developing a comprehensive guide to help boroughs navigate the landscape of green finance, focusing on repayable sources of finance. The webinar will explore this introductory resource, highlighting the key concepts, supporting initiatives, and practical case studies from authorities, followed by a Q&A and discussion around accessing green finance across local government. Follow the link below to attend! 🌱 💷

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Are you a voluntary organisation managing a heritage assets and trying to reduce your energy costs? Government funding for  voluntary, community, and social enterprise organisations to improve energy efficiency is open for applications until August 14th https://lnkd.in/eyK3hxbY. Reducing energy use in historic buildings is achievable ... but be sure to get the right advice. Why not start with information from Historic England https://lnkd.in/e_qci7fR? or prepare your own building health and energy check with the Oxford Heritage and Energy Efficiency Toolkit from Oxford City Council https://lnkd.in/eAurpCRw #HeritageEnergyEfficiency

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Terminally ill people can face high energy costs when they are least able to mange them. It is often difficult to target affordability support to those that really need it. But this report, written by Grace Remmington, Jane Williams and David Eiser, has identified a mechanism to do that in this circumstance. Consumer Scotland recommends the Scottish Government targets extra support through the Special Rules for Terminal Illness, which allow for quicker access to benefits. This report also makes recommendations that energy affordability support should be provided to disabled people, particularly those limited a lot by their disability, to reflect their higher energy needs and, that the UK and Scottish Governments should review support schemes to achieve that.

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Happy local democracy day, all! 🗳 The mandatory reminder to get out and vote today if you can (and to bring your photo ID). Local government and metro mayors are responsible for the services and investment that often have the biggest impact on our daily lives, so don't miss the chance to make your voice heard. As someone who has had a ringside seat for over 14 years of northern devolution, I'm especially excited about the results of the mayoral elections - the first time that every metro mayor in the country is up for election at once. As a Wakefield resident, of course I'll be taking a keen interest in the West Yorkshire mayoral election, but the other ones I'll be paying extra attention to are: ☑ York and North Yorkshire - today is the first time that residents of York and North Yorkshire will get to elect a metro mayor, responsible for £540m of investment in areas including transport, brownfield regeneration and net zero. York politics have always been a rollercoaster (I worked with Labour, Conservative, Conservative-Lib Dem and Lib Dem-Green administrations over a 10-year period) but the formerly solid Conservative North Yorkshire has also become much more interesting in recent years. I'm not a betting gal anyway, but I can't call this one... ☑ Tees Valley - I grew up in Middlesbrough and Teesside will always be the place I'll call home, so I'll be keeping a close eye on this mayoral race, which will be incumbent, Ben Houchen's, third run at re-election. He got a stonking majority the last time around, but concerns around the huge Teesworks regeneration scheme and Freeport, mass shellfish die-offs along the Teesside coast and the national political context mean third time might not be the charm for Lord Houchen of High Leven. ☑ Another first is the North East mayoral election. The North and South areas of the Tyne were unable to reach an agreement on a combined devolution deal for years, until the government put a deal on the table that all parties could unite around. The previous North of Tyne Combined Authority will become part of a wider North East Combined Authority stretching from Durham up to the tip of Northumberland. This is widely seen as a two-horse race between the incumbent North of Tyne Mayor, Independent, Jamie Driscoll, and Labour's Kim McGuinness, who currently serves as Northumbria's Police and Crime Commissioner. I suspect McGuinness will edge it, but Driscoll has amassed significant support after he didn't make Labour's candidate shortlist for the new North East role. Of course, today's hot takes are tomorrow's digital chip paper, and whoever ends up victorious tomorrow must turn immediately to the job of delivering for communities, bringing forward investment and fighting for their places on the national stage. I'll end with a shout-out to the many public servants who are grafting behind the scenes to make today's elections happen. You are the unsung heroes of our democracy! Social

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"The headline data has been well covered, but I want to focus on two sentences from the ACNC commissioner’s summary: “It is important to recognise that the rise in expenses and liabilities outpaced the rise in revenue and assets in percentage terms.” and “Employee expenses alone increased by almost 10% – the highest annual rise ever recorded.” These are compelling figures. And yet in many ways they represent the tip of an iceberg. Just below the surface are a range of emerging problems that are eating into the sector’s capacity to survive and continue serving their communities. The reality is that despite all the reports, all the supportive rhetoric, all the calls for action, almost nothing is being done to address the squeeze on charities and community organisations. The charity and not-for-profit sector is largely left to try to do business as usual with less income, increased costs and, in many areas, increased demand and complexity."

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The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has announced that it will publish an English Devolution White Paper today (16 December) including plans to give regional mayors new strategic planning powers.

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Today, I have been at the annual TRACTIVITY Stakeholder Summit, speaking about 'Stakeholder engagement at a time of political change.' So many large organisations, utilities, regulators, local authorities and other public bodies have to cope with increasing instability and requiring new ways to approach relations with 'political' stakeholders. If this is a hot topic for you, feel free to browse my stuff on www.consultationguru.co.uk or make contact directly. #stakeholdermanagement #consultation #consultationguru #tractivity #stakeholderengagement

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