One of the reasons I don’t get out much (apart from the heavy rain outside) is that so many reports are being produced by so many institutions that keeping up with who is recommending what is a task-and-a-half.
“Where does the Government publish its reports and consultations?”
Here -> https://www.gov.uk/search/policy-papers-and-consultations
Also, the only ‘bot’ I subscribe to on social media is this unofficial one tracking publications from The House of Commons Library which publishes briefing papers for MPs and peers – and anyone else interested in reading the. Often they will publish a briefing paper in advance of a major debate on a complex and/or contentious issue, and also in response to major policy announcements or the publication of new legislation.
Then there are the public policy institutes, think tanks, and lobby groups – the line between one and the other is often blurred. An institution can be (or present themselves as) both a think tank and representative of a lobby group or partisan interest. At the same time a university-based public policy institute can also be regarded as a think tank – a place where people are employed to come up with new policies for a specific policy area. The attachment to universities means that researchers can be working towards academic qualifications, and that their staff can have teaching duties at the same time as carrying out/overseeing research.
“Why so many reports in 2024?”
General election year and a change of government – everyone wants to influence ministers to get them to pick their policies.
The big one this week is The Prime Minister’s Plan for Change Policy Paper which you can read here. Such is our short attention span that for those who follow Westminster public policy-making closely, there isn’t that much that’s new. But for lobby reporters and political correspondents, expect to see a few of them jumping up and down like their counterparts in the celebrity entertainment sector who’ve just heard the latest gossip from whichever fly-on-the-wall TV series is happening at the moment. Doesn’t matter whether the content is high-brow or low-brow, the methodology is the same!
That’s not to say everyone should be following micro-policy-making to the last referenced paper in the bibliography. No one has got time for all of that. And also much of it is inevitably very dry and boring. But then as I think David Allen Green said, things like Constitutional Law *must* be boring by their very nature – because they have to be stable, strong, and predictable enough to withstand the worst of crises. It’s when boring things get ‘exciting’ or ‘unpredictable’ (like the climate?) that’s when you’ve got to worry!
The reports, speeches, and responses to report:
In no particular order:
The NHS and Community Power – a trio of think tanks respond to the consultation on the NHS’s 10 year plan
Children’s needs in the town planning system – the Town and Country Planning Association’s response to the Commons Committee for Housing, Communities and Local Government
Devolving higher education in England – Former Universities’ Secretary (later at DCLG) John Denham writes for the HEPI Think Tank
Publications by the Reform Think Tank (not the party!) covering overhauling the inner workings of the public sector, with their latest report on the civil service graduate fast stream.
Integrated Transport Strategy – the new Transport Secretary is continuing with this – and fingers crossed it will keep trams and light rail in it too!
More locally…
The Fens Reservoir – see the scoping opinion from the Planning Inspectorate, and the summary from BBC Cambridgeshire here.
The future of the Cambridge Biomedical Campus – see the slides here from their meeting covering the next 5 year transport plan (*Note the impact of huge housing growth without the capital spending on expanding A&E)
North Cambridge Milton Road/Cowley Road redevelopment – Crown Estates consulting
The future of local government in Cambridge – the update here from Cambridge City Council
The future of Coleridge, Cambridge – event on 11 December at Coleridge Community College
And we’re still waiting for…
The Devolution White Paper that I hoped would be out by the end of November but it’s looking more like the end of next week if not last thing before Parliament breaks up for the Winter recess
And back on all things local…
Stir Cafe Cambridge has opened a new branch at the old Swiss Laundry, almost next to the Cambridge Wine Merchants shop. We’re still waiting to see which people and firms establish themselves in the new workspaces that have been created on the rebranded Old Swiss site. As it’s going to be open on Sundays, it might be suitable for informal gatherings and discussions too.
If you are interested in the longer term future of Cambridge, and on what happens at the local democracy meetings where decisions are made, feel free to:
- Follow me on BSky <- A critical mass of public policy people seem to have moved here (and we could do with more local Cambridge/Cambs people on there!)
- Like my Facebook page
- Consider a small donation to help fund my continued research and reporting on local democracy in and around Cambridge.
With the cancellation of the Mill Road Winter Fair on Sat 07 Dec, some of you may be interested in the Rail Future EA annual Cambridge meeting which is at the Clayton Hotel by the Railway Station. Keep an eye on their website https://www.railfuture.org.uk/East-Anglia and check on the day if it is happening, and check weather/travel reports if going
The Cambridge Town Owl 