🚨 Hiring news! 🚨 I’m looking to hire five really important new roles. Each will lead a major new innovation programme to tackle one of five major national challenges.

Vigil for peace in Ukraine with our Ukrainian guests this weekend. We didn't anticipate we would be still living together after 3 years and would have become family to one another. Nor did we fully anticipate the seismic movement of tectonic plates and alliances in our world.

The Ramadan Pavilion comes to Bradford, its' beautiful arches perfectly echoing the Italianate architecture of Bradford City Hall. Come see it!!

"In order to mature the model of devolution, we really need to see other moves forward in fiscal devolution" @zoebillingham.bsky.social giving evidence to the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee 🗣️ youtu.be/Ep8ADhYTpJU

Had the best day out with granddaughter and daughter in law - noodles and gyoza heaven 🍜

Scotland is on course to have the lowest child poverty rate in the UK within five years - and it’s set to keep falling, according to a report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Encouraging news but there’s more to do, which is why we’re building a Scotland where every child can thrive.

Tell us about when Local Govt really wins open-innovations.org/form/id/the-...

Data & AI Jobs in Leeds!

Great to work with you Paul! We had a cracking set of debates with our former colleagues on strategy and policy making and one of the key issues of the moment - the devo white paper.

Leaving the snow covered north for my first trip of '25 to that there London to chair @theyoungfdn.bsky.social. Hoping for a thaw by my return as our van brakes still frozen. 🥶

Bursting with pride last night at the launch of the #UKCityofCulture2025. Thousands of good people worked over many years to secure this recognition of the talent + creativity in Bradford District. I salute you! Today I walked on the beautiful snowy moor tops of the District. Bradford has it all!

Phase 3 of the Heritage Innovation Fund is here! With £2.9m in funding from @heritagefunduk.bsky.social and delivered in partnership with The Young Foundation, 13 organisations across the UK are driving innovation for a more sustainable and inclusive heritage sector. More👇 bit.ly/3Vp52bL

We were at @reformthinktank.bsky.social's ‘Reimagining the Local State’ conference yesterday, hearing from @mayorofwy.bsky.social and others. Our Chair @kerstenengland.bsky.social talked about how community collaboration and new approaches to devolution are shaping the future of local governance 1/3

Our Chair, @kerstenengland.bsky.social, joins @reformthinktank.bsky.social’s ‘Reimagining the Local State’ conference on Monday. On a panel discussing modern municipalism she’ll explore how cities can innovate, work with communities and harness devolution to transform local government.

Wonderful Diwali event in Bradford at the weekend. Especially as Vinay, who I first met when he came to work shadow me at the age of 15 (and yes he was nearly 6ft then) was MC for the night. Our last big gig was hosting William and Kate just before lockdown in 2020!