Polly Mackenzie

Out today - just ahead of the dissolution of the House of Commons - a blueprint for examining Government progress in a new Parliament from the Liaison Committee. • If the King’s Speech sets out a government’s programme of legislation and the annual Budget is about spending plans - why wouldn’t ministers tell us their ambitions for government? The report proposes an annual statement to Parliament setting out their ministerial priorities and the right for MPs to question them about it. • Fairness between generations demands action from government and Parliament. Long-term strategy needs to engage public imagination and consent, especially among younger generations. Why plan for long-term challenges like housing or social care without their input? • We need to do strategy better. Teach ministers, MPs, civil servants (not just the top people) how to scan for challenges; deliver and implement strategic planning. It’s essential.

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Public affairs types - I've a question. If you were wanting to establish what the baseline level of awareness of your charity/issue in this new parliament was, so you could measure the impact of different campaigns & engagement activities over time - - what questions would you ask? - what channel/s would you use? - how often would you review? - what would you do with the information? I've some ideas about how I intend to go about these, but thought asking around was a good idea - to sharpen my own approach, and to share out loud some of what lots of us in the field are wrestling with while the rest of the world has just realised there's been a change of government! Our questions are in ideation at the moment, but cover:- - do they know who we are, and what do they know about us - what their interest in ending poverty is, and how connected are they with the necessary resources to do so (local churches & charities addressing the issue on the ground, lived experience perspectives) - to what extent they think addressing poverty should be a priority for the Government Channel - the major polling firms run MP panels which while pricey can be effective (especially if you're super smart in your question writing). Would you use other channels, though? Writing directly to offices so you have real data and not a sample? Having established question sets for each parliamentary engagement whether in westminster or in constituency, via public affairs team or other departments? Planning to review annually as a minumum and after any major campaign activity (perhaps on a restricted question set) - would you go more often? Information - primarily to inform strategic planning, resource allocation, coordination of various teams and departments' own contribution to CAP's policy & advocacy work. Not really planning to try and generate any PR type headlines - but is that aiming too low? Looking forward to reading your thoughts!

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This is the first in my short series of blogs for BTA on how the charity sector can embrace the United Nations #SustainableDevelopmentGoals as a key component of their fundraising and governance - and find out how well they are currently performing.

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What does the general election mean for a planning application? The answer is... it depends. If an application is either not terribly controversial or at the early stage of the pre-app process then the next six weeks will not have much impact. If the application has local opposition or is approaching the determination period (or both!) then be prepared for a slightly bumpier ride. As a general rule the more marginal the constituency, the greater the likelihood of politicians targeting controversial applications in their campaigns. At all three general election campaigns I managed in marginals for Labour, local planning applications featured prominently one way or another. Expect candidates from the opposite party of the local authority administration to seize on controversial schemes. Unpopular applications in places like the three marginal Barnet constituencies are likely to be enticing attack lines for Conservative candidates hoping to keep those seats blue. But be warned, even in non-marginal seats planning get can messy during an election. Local application opponents are not always aware of what constituency swing is needed to unseat an MP. I've seen safe incumbent politicians be told "No one around here will vote for your party because you lot voted to approved [insert name of modestly proportioned development here]". This needn't be true to have an impact. Candidate-itus, the panic politicians feel regardless of how likely they are to lose their seat, is a real thing. I've witnessed MPs coming out strongly against a local development regardless of the fact they will end up weighing their vote. This can and has caused headaches to applications which would not have been experienced without an election. For all those working on planning applications over the next six weeks, good communications will become ever more important. Cratus Group will drawing on its fantastic experience and expertise to support its clients to navigate the upcoming political challenges as their arise.

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Biodiversity Net Gain: Striking the Right Balance in Harrow’s Local Plan Harrow’s ambition to mandate a 15% Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) in its Local Plan exceeds the statutory 10% target set under the Environment Act 2021. While this demonstrates a commendable commitment to biodiversity, it raises critical questions: Is the policy justified? Can it be delivered without jeopardising housing and infrastructure goals? Will it remain legally sound? The 10% BNG target wasn’t chosen arbitrarily. It was the product of rigorous ecological research, DEFRA-led policy development, and extensive stakeholder consultation. This figure balances meaningful biodiversity enhancement with development feasibility, ensuring sustainable growth. Harrow’s proposed uplift to 15% lacks the robust, site-specific evidence required to justify such an increase. Without this, the policy risks: Inflating development costs, reducing affordability and housing delivery. Undermining the viability of key sites, particularly small and brownfield developments. Driving population displacement and urban sprawl as costs rise. Straining legal compliance, potentially rendering the Local Plan unsound. Achieving sustainability is about balance. Overreaching risks derailing broader development goals, including the delivery of much-needed housing. Returning to the statutory 10% target aligns biodiversity conservation with Harrow’s pressing housing and infrastructure needs, ensuring a legally sound and deliverable Local Plan. My full representation is in the commentary submitted to Harrow is in the article in the comment below too long for LinkedIn.

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Over 350 signatories are calling on the Science Based Targets initiative to abandon its offsetting proposal (or rather, the *decision* seeing as SBTi's Board *refuses* to retract its 9 April Statement). https://lnkd.in/eB2wPQw3 What I really appreciate about this piece is the cogent logic it advances. "we condemn the authorisation of "Environmental Attribute Certificates" in this context for two main reasons: it is contrary to the scientific consensus and ineffective, harmful even, to the climate cause." "The SBTi Board's proposal is contrary to the scientific consensus, which invalidates the offsetting approach consisting of using carbon credits to achieve emission reduction targets (see for example IPCC, WGIII, chapter 7, which shows that the potential for sequestration is limited and does not enable the offsetting of all current emissions)." "Whether the credits are aimed at avoiding or sequestering emissions, they put different physical realities on the same level, by comparing actual induced emissions with emissions potentially avoided or potentially captured in a different timeframe and geography." The letter goes on to explain how "the SBTi Board's proposal is ineffective and even harmful to the climate cause, for at least four reasons:" "Firstly, it perpetuates the illusion that climate change is a challenge that can be met with little effort, by means of a few financial transactions, and in isolation from the other players in the economy. It obscures the fact that the effort associated with scope 3 actually requires collaboration between the stakeholders in a value chain, in order to radically transform it. This collaboration is essential to overcome the barriers to action that exist today." "Secondly, it does not encourage companies to rethink their business models to limit their dependence on greenhouse gases. Suggesting that the climate crisis can be solved by buying carbon credits hides the risks and opportunities created by the transition towards a low-carbon economy (new regulations, markets, technologies, etc.)." "Thirdly, this decision sends out the wrong signals regarding the channelling of financial flows, by allowing companies that have bought carbon credits to be judged by investors in the same light as those that have undertaken a profound transformation of their value chains." "Lastly, it encourages the purchase of less expensive, low-quality carbon credits. Companies may focus all their attention on optimising a single indicator (induced emissions minus carbon credits). This in turn runs the risk of favouring the development of many cheaper but less viable projects at the expense of more expensive but higher quality projects that need financing." Signatories include folks from the International Monetary Fund, WBCSD – World Business Council for Sustainable Development, EFRAG, Oxfam, Reclaim Finance - ONG, etc.

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As #publicservices face increasing complexity and resource scarcity, reform prescriptions emphasize #localism and relationships such that people and communities are centered in service design and delivery. #PublicAdministration is awash in concepts that acknowledge the influence of relationships on service effectiveness (e.g. #cocreation, #networkgovernance, #citizenparticipation) suggesting relationality is an 'implied characteristic' of the discipline. Still, its conceptual dimensions and effects remain blurry. The hope with this special issue is to move the conversation forward theoretically and empirically as well as advancing discussions about how, as academics and practitioners, we might practically develop the field. If this sounds like a conversation you'd like to be a part of, I hope you'll consider sending us your work! The call for papers can be found below! PMM: Public Money & Management UK Association for Public Administration (UKAPA) Government Outcomes Lab, University of Oxford Rob Wilson Hannah Hesselgreaves Britt Regal, PhD Sam van Elk Adina Iulia Dudau Dr Ian C Elliott Felix-Anselm van Lier

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So national service is back in the news again. Love or loathe the brand, the UK needs a national service offer. Indeed, it already has a small offering in the form of UK Year of Service. This, and programmes in the UK and overseas (France, USA, Germany and many more), have proven to have a significant positive impact on their respective economies, social cohesion and social mobility. Frankly, national service is a no-brainer. Though having led the political campaign for a voluntary, civilian national service programme on these shores for four years during my time City Year UK, I’ve sadly seen more false dawns than I’d care to remember. Today’s proclamation from the Conservative Party feels like just that. And not just because it’s been announced by what appears to the final days of a faltering 14-year administration; it’s because they simply just don’t get it. Whether intention or otherwise, when announcing a national service option with a side order of khaki and command, it’s always the military service that will lead the news. Cue rhetoric about how young people have lost their way, need toughening up and to learn the value of discipline. These are tired old tropes played out by every generation. The truth is that the majority of young people want to serve their country. But they want a new way to do so, one where they can support their schools, hospitals, care homes, museums, community groups and environment. Yes, what Team Rishi has announced today would allow them to do that, but in a piecemeal way of one or two days at a time – which has already been buried by the military option. If I was advising Labour right now, I’d tell them to nick the idea… but to do it right. Indeed, it was the true disciple of the ‘Third Way’, President Bill Clinton, that established the offer I’m proposing (AmeriCorps) in the States. Labour has been talking about ‘service’ for 6 months. So, I challenge them to put their money where their mouth is. Give people of all ages the opportunity to serve in civilian life, but for an unbroken 6-12 months, in a properly funded and branded programme, and in an area (subject and geography) of their choosing. Reward the pioneers who take up the call with tuition debt relief, a pot of money to put towards skills development, and/or guaranteed job. At a time when all the main parties are struggling to create a vision that inspires hope and opportunity, this could be their answer.

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Another excellent article from @Chris Edmond. He is quite right to say that Jersey's political processes do not allow for whole system deep thinking. It is not helpful that by law a new Council of Ministers has to published its "common strategic policy". This is a very odd expression. There are policies and strategies to achieve policies but I am not sure what a strategic policy is, let alone what the word "common" adds. And I am certain that having different "common strategic policies" in 2021, 2022 and 2024 negates whatever the purpose is. Similarly, requiring an annual plan is not a sensible way to run a government. Inevitably the Government and States Assembly spend their time on narrow issues, generally in isolation, rather than on the big picture. @Leadership Jersey and @Policy Centre Jersey are making progress in bringing diverse groups together and in helping to promote better-informed policy discussion. But there is much more to do. #jersey #policy #joinedupgovernment

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Does the data back Paul Nowak’s assessment? It’s certainly true for Labour’s electoral soft underbelly of voters who are inclined to move from Labour to Reform UK 👇 Public attitudes to rights at work have changed with the times – but legislation and regulation has failed to keep pace. Far from a pitch to Labour’s base, the Employment Rights Bill is a pitch to socially conservative, Reform-inclined voters in Labour’s new electoral coalition. Stonehaven’s electoral modelling shows that 42% of Labour’s ‘Hero Voters’ are open to voting for Reform UK in the future. But ‘Reform-Inclined’ Labour voters, while more socially conservative than Labour’s base, are supportive of the policy agenda behind the new Employment Rights Bill. 📱80% believe that employees should have the right to switch off outside of work 🤝 76% believe that employees should be given more rights in their relationship with employers 👩‍🏭81% believe that trade unions are important for protecting workers’ rights, with only a third (34%) agreeing with the statement that ‘trade unions have too much power over how the country is run’. 📈 They believe that big business contributes to society, with 70% saying big businesses like Tesco and Vodafone make this country better. 🫵 But, 83% report that big business needs to do more to contribute to society. Reform-inclined Professionals (42% of Labour’s Hero Voters) are the biggest group within the new voter coalition (which excludes the ‘core vote’ that stayed loyal to Labour prior to 2024). They are, as the name suggest, the voters most susceptible to Reform UK. They have stronger financial stability and relative affluence, compared to other segments of the voter coalition, and tend to be located in the North and Midlands. They are concerned with immigration and sceptical of big business.

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Do you have content ready and waiting to be shared? Do you have a clear idea of who your audience is? Is your audience wide reaching? If so, you may be eligible for this year's Storytelling fund. See below for more details!

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DEADLINE EXTENDED: To the 14th June 2024 Synergi Projects focuses on the intersection between racial justice and mental health, distress or trauma, and connects activists and organisers into a network to shift power and resources to grassroots groups. This is the purpose of the Small Grants Fund - to Democratise Policy - supporting groups led by and for those racialised as BPoC, that have been harmed by/work on: The mental health system Disability justice Racial justice Prisons & Policing (including Forensic mental health settings) The Immigration System and Detention centres Funding is for up to £5,000 and eligible groups must be engaged in activities related to: Tackling the root causes of mental ill-health, trauma, and distress for communities of colour, through campaigning, community organising, change-making; And/or by building radical community-based alternatives to healing, mental health and wellbeing. And/or ‘non-reformist’ reforms of current statutory state services as a stepping stone towards an abolitionary approach. For example, scrapping programmes that target specific communities e.g. Prevent. The aim is for the funding to reach communities experiencing the most extreme forms of discrimination and injustice, so we are specifically encouraging applications from groups led by and for: Disabled Communities Muslim Communities Trans and Non-Binary Communities Refugees and/or people seeking asylum Black Communities (we will ringfence 50% of the funding for these groups) Eligible groups must have a yearly income of under £50k, and our fund is also open to Unregistered Groups (i.e. groups not formally registered with Companies House or the Charity Commission).   Applications close at 5pm on 14th June 2024. https://lnkd.in/eaT3YknP Debbie Solomon (She/Her)

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Really interesting report by Patriotic Millionaires UK kicking off a very worthwhile initiative examining the potential of an 'extreme wealth line' - a point at which an individual's wealth level might be considered excessive. 'Poverty lines' have proved a really useful tool communicating the scale of poverty in the UK and around the world. There are challenges with objectively identifying a precise threshold where wealth becomes excessive, but it's a reasonable concept that I think a lot of people would support. The amount of wealth, as an absolute amount and as a proportion of global total, held beyond this point would be a powerful finding to identify and very useful for informing the potential of certain policy reforms. https://lnkd.in/dNdjJwuu

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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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An excellent content lineup for the latest edition of CIH Unlocked, in what has been a roller coaster two weeks for the housing industry. 💥Liam Turner interviews housing activist Kwajo Tweneboa on his learnings about the sector over the last three years and what should become the top priorities of the new government. 💥Sarah Shaw CIHCM talks about improving tenant satisfaction and building a strong tenant-landlord relationships. 💥Darren Huitema talks about what Believe Housing Australia and partners have been doing to lower energy costs for tenants and supporting their sustainability efforts. 💥And I explore housing association rebranding, with two recent case studies who have successfully undergone a rebrand. 👉Salvation Army Homes new chief executive Lynne Shea talks about how their recent rebranding has supported their commitment as a more responsive, inclusive, and community focused service provider. 👉And Ark People Housing Care chief executive Bobby Duffy explains to Unlocked why using their tenants’ feedback was a driving force for their rebrand and five year plan. Log in to read the full issue here: https://lnkd.in/ewycgKAZ #housingnews #activism #rebranding #sustainability

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The Skills England report published last month illustrates the difficulty that officials and their advisors have with reconciling early 20th Century Fabian/Haldane planning mindsets with the 21st Century pace of change and the need to harness the full diversity of human talent, not just traditional filtering for memory and logic - "which any properly programmed computer can handle". The challenges of educating for an AI-driven world were identified over 40 years ago. See "Learning for Change", put on-line for me by the Oxford Internet Institute in 2010. Albeit we used the terms "Intelligent systems" and "Machine Learning" and the "systems" often needed air-conditioned mainframes to drive them. BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT Better Hiring Institute (BHI) TechSkills.org Skills England Labour Digital WCIT Financial Services Technology Panel Real Time Club Digital Policy Alliance Digital Leaders https://lnkd.in/efSqwmEZ

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NEW RESEARCH: How are local authorities responding to unprecedented financial pressures? Beyond the headlines of a few councils going bankrupt, research with International Public Policy Observatory and New Local is exploring how the sector is grappling with the challenges it is facing. Our latest output over the summer set out early findings- read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eJJX7Fhv The nature of the challenge facing #localgov has many dimensions: - Insufficient & short term funding cycles - Rising demand, with certain areas of spending facing extreme pressure & volatility including children’s and adult social care, housing and SEND - Broken provider markets driving up costs and driving down quality - Lack of shared understanding over prevention across services in a place. Collective pressures mean prevention is often reduced to demand management rather than upstream or more holistic early intervention. There are some core trends emerging that reflect how councils are responding: - Using existing financial levers to create social & community value - such as community wealth building approaches which nurture local supply chains & by working with anchor institutions to keep public spend local. - Recognising diseconomies of scale - shifting away from large scale outsourcing to pragmatic insourcing such as direct provision of domicilary care or children’s homes when the market is weak or costly. - Shifting towards more distributed models of working with communities at hyperlocal level - many are structuring provision & resources around neighbourhoods, and enabling pluralistic approaches that adapt to different circumstances in each. - Taking a whole-system approach - using granular data analysis & projections of population change, to develop collaboration with other public services and the VCS. These range from borough-wide strategies to identifying specific populations in need of a different approach, such as families in temporary accommodation and developing new ways of working around their needs. The next stage of our research will include case studies demonstrating how councils are responding in practice, and make both practical and policy recommendations for how we can develop sustainable routes out of deep financial stress. Please do share any responses on our early findings that you would like to contribute- we would love to hear your views and experiences.

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Exclusive: Dozens of councils will be abolished in the biggest overhaul of local government in more than 50 years under plans being drawn up by ministers. Essex, Kent, Surrey and Hertfordshire will be among the counties set for radical changes to the way they are run, with the promise of more powers and money from Whitehall. Norfolk and Suffolk will also be restructured, with their district councils being abolished and merged into new unitary authorities. Ministers are thought to believe that two-tier local government structures are inefficient and have blamed district councils for building up cash reserves rather than spending the money on improving public services. District councils are also seen as blockers to growth by regularly rejecting housing developments. Read more in The Times https://lnkd.in/ePJ9nSKE

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You need to do these five things, in this order, as soon as possible. 1 - follow this link and write to all the party leaders to demand they put poverty on the agenda this general election. https://lnkd.in/eWF4m3dx 2 - follow this link to register to vote - deadline is June 18th if you want to vote in the general election on 4th July - https://lnkd.in/erkDhcXj 3 - follow this link to get free photo voter ID if you don’t already have any - https://lnkd.in/eyNqfkw4 4 - follow this link to sort out a postal vote (especially if you’re in Scotland - July 4th general election will be during most factory fortnights) - https://lnkd.in/eZx8aX6m 5 - share this post with everyone you know and care about

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