The Re:View is out! 🎉 This week, Director of Policy and Research, @stkaye.bsky.social unpacks the Government’s latest move in the devolution agenda, as the MHCLG seeks to “fill in the map” of England with a new wave of Strategic Authorities. 👉Read it here: bit.ly/4auVwuB

"Perhaps the next 'grand theory' of public service reform will not come from the centre, but from the periphery." @alwalker.bsky.social writing for @re-state.bsky.social Yes, seems far more likely to me, as long as the centre allows enough flexibility. open.substack.com/pub/restate/...

My first Re:View is out - I look at Kent county council's struggle to find big spending cuts, what it says about the difficult work of public service reform, and whether the next ‘grand theory’ of public management could come from the periphery rather than the centre.

The only way Labour can win the next election is by governing well. That might not be enough, but it’s the bare minimum. The questions to be asking about any potential new PM are “what is their agenda and can they achieve it?” Not “do they currently poll well?” Or “can they handle a media round?”

The government announced today that the pride in place programme is being expanded to a further 40 neighbourhoods. I wrote something last year for @bennettschool.cam.ac.uk on the political appeal of the programme and what it's intended to achieve: www.bennettschool.cam.ac.uk/blog/unpacki...

NEW REPORT - Capital at risk London is a global capital. But it doesn't have the governance to match. The Mayor is much less powerful than his international counterparts, with too many boroughs which hold too much influence. The city needs reboot. 🔗👇

Re:State is on Substack! Must read first post from @stkaye.bsky.social featuring F. Scott Fitzgerald and the new white paper on police reform. Can the government square "From the local to national: a new model for policing" with the commitments it made in the devolution white paper?

Listen to me talking about my book (out now!) with an excellent panel:

Latest Re:State 'meetings with mayors' is happening today! Sign up to hear Simon Kaye in convo with mayor of the v interesting North East Combined Authority, Kim McGuinness. us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Some job news - excited to share that I've started a new position as a Senior Researcher at @re-state.bsky.social! I'll be working on the fantastic 'Re:Imagining the Local State' programme, and thinking about the future of local government and devolution.

Two good related pieces out today on civic renewal - one from James Plunkett on how to do it (what he calls 'communitarian statecraft'), and the other from Jack Shaw on improving the visible state of the public realm: jackshaw.substack.com/p/a-politics... samf.substack.com/p/power-to-t...

This is why there's a whole chapter in my book about the damage the grid has done to policy making.

wikipedia turns 25 today! the last unenshittified major website! backbone of online info! triumph of humanity! powered by urge of unpaid randos to correct each other! somehow mostly reliable! "good thing wikipedia works in practice, because it sure doesn't work in theory" - old wiki adage

There'll be lots of attention on the campaigns in Scotland and Wales over the next few months, but it's worth also looking ahead to a potential situation in which the UK and devolved governments are all led by different parties, and what this might mean for intergovernmental relations and policy:

As ever, worth reading Joël ‘reality over rhetoric’ Reland.

If you want a more strategic central state you have to devolve a lot more operational power. The more you try to control everything centrally the harder it gets.

In a new blog, @alwalker.bsky.social looks at Labour’s record on intergovernmental relations so far—where there have been improvements, where cracks are showing, and why devolved elections next year could mean a more challenging political environment for devolution. Read: bit.ly/4jbAR2r

For #devolution anoraks/those with a passing interest in how this blessed realm is governed, this is an interesting piece by @bennettschool.cam.ac.uk @alwalker.bsky.social of the current UK Govt’s ‘reset’ of intergovernmental relations & how IGR might be shaped by next year’s devolved elections

Wrapping up for Christmas with a piece looking back at how the UK government has approached devolved relations since Labour took office, and looking ahead to 2026 and the upcoming elections in Scotland and Wales. www.bennettschool.cam.ac.uk/blog/uk-inte...

Interesting piece on the history of post-war place-based policy (which spells out some clear lessons for the government's pride in place programme)

We're looking for a Professor of Public Policy to join our senior leadership team. They'll play a leading role in teaching on the School's postgraduate courses, & make a significant contribution to its research & research leadership. Apply by 9 February 2026: www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/profess...

Great new piece from @akashpaun.bsky.social on the decision to delay next year’s mayoral elections. “even on the government's own terms… then the case for shifting these polls to 2027 is far stronger than delaying them until 2028” www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/mayo...

Can confirm this is an excellent role! You'll be joining a fantastic team at an exciting time and working on some really interesting stuff. Plenty of time to apply over the Christmas break!

If you’re involved in research impact, public engagement (in any form) then you really need to read this from @dianecoyle1859.bsky.social and @michaelkenny.bsky.social at @bennettschool.cam.ac.uk www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Important piece on the challenges facing evidence-informed policy and how researchers and universities should respond (including acknowledging uncertainties and trade-offs, a wider understanding of what counts as evidence, and stronger connections between unis and local communities)

Excellent to see this from The Economist. We are slow walking into a constitutional crisis driven by the electoral system, and very few people are taking it seriously enough yet.

Exciting new MPhil at the Bennett School - applications open!

Really pleased to see a new commitment to place-based budgets today. Further progress towards the implementation of 'Total Place' principles as urged with @jesstud.bsky.social a couple of years ago. www.newlocal.org.uk/publications....

From now on, when discussing the budget, please use “is this measure bigger than the cost to the exchequer of gen Z drinking less” as your metric for assessing whether something actually raises or costs a significant sum

The Public Services Performance Tracker is regularly described as ‘sobering’ but this is definitely the first time we’ve had ‘almost lyrical’ www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Devolution is essential for empowering our communities, councillors & mayors - but also our MPs. Read why in my opinion piece for @labourlist.bsky.social✍️ Do you agree? labourlist.org/2025/11/no-m...

Gov just published a new list cabinet committees. In short, looks like (1) big vote of confidence in Darren Jones from the PM, (2) existing missions + immigration are top of the government's agenda, (3) PM wants things to happen faster, and (4) Rayner's priorities perhaps no longer front of mind?🧵

For Welsh politicos, or those with a newfound interest in Senedd elections, this is an interesting read on the dynamics, and pressures building, within Welsh Labour after the Caerphilly by-election and ahead of next Spring's Senedd election #devolution #senedd

Excellent thread on Barbara Castle and the introduction of the breathalyser! It's an episode with an important moral: that having the courage to do the right thing, even if it's unpopular at the time, can save lives and bring public opinion with it over time.

Nothing like a communiqué being issued promptly! Surely worth the wait…

Good to see the government moving toward giving mayors this (relatively modest) fiscal power. As @jillongovt.bsky.social & @tompope.bsky.social argue here, more local revenues will support strategic authorities to become a mature tier of government: www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/rach...

This is the point. Policy *should not* be adjusted or fine-tuned in response to minor forecasting judgements. Decisions about whether or not to break a prominent manifesto promise *should not* depend on minor forecasting judgements. This stuff matters. We've got to do better than this.

In my view it doesn't make sense to have Police & Crime Commissioners in the context of mayoral devolution being rolled out across the country - among other things, mayors have a higher public profile and this should help better integrate services But an important "if" from @jimmcmahon.co.uk below

Nice example of how our @bennettschool.cam.ac.uk framework for measuring social and cultural infrastructure can cast a different light on important initiatives that may sit at the edge of policymakers' thinking.

Which is a long way round of saying: a lot of the pieces I’m reading on the crucial role of the BBC massively overweight news and underplay the wider role of 50 odd radio stations, a dozen TV stations and the vast majority of its output.

Fantastic Inside Politics by Jen Williams today:

Our new divergence is tracker out: auditing the extent to which UK/EU rules and regs have aligned/diverged since June. It highlights the increasingly awkward position which the UK occupies: of wanting to act like the EU on most regulatory issues, but without being part of the club.

I’ve written for @financialtimes.com about the need for belief in the future to get things built on.ft.com/47cO3Qs Why optimists build better infrastructure

Worth noting that in Nov 24 the govt wrote to South Cambridgeshire to say that voters were best placed to decide on council effectiveness and that Labour would bring an “end to micromanaging” I’d like to see the full text of this latest letter to see what has changed

Really enjoyed recording this discussion with David Runciman, covering threats to democracy, early 20thc theories of oligarchy, how algorithmic social media is changing politics, the problem with 19thc approaches to suffrage - and much, much more!

Tory policy is to revoke permanent residence (ILR) for everybody who does not earn £38k - deporting most nurses who have ILR This is put in the video as "who is unlikely to contribute more than they cost" NB: video does not say EU settled status is exempt No govt since Idi Amin has done this

EXC: English councils will still be poorer in 2029 than they were in 2010, according to the IfG. Report finds councils are increasingly providing social care and little else. Libraries, youth services, parks, all falling by the wayside. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

📣 Waves - the largest trial of digital democracy in Britain - is now live on the streets of #Camden. If you're a Camden resident and want to help shape @camdencouncil.bsky.social's future plan on adult social care, have your say now: who-cares.commonplace.is

Much to agree with in this piece on the Pride in Place programme @alwalker.bsky.social, on why it matters and where the questions still are.