Transport for London-style franchising will improve local services. But councils need to open decision-making to the public, writes Matthew Topham.

🔓 Free to read ⤵️ newstatesman.com/spotlight/econ…

Thanks to everyone who attended our #FullTimeFierce graduation today and to our young people for their amazing work, powerful words and gender justice campaigns🥹 Look out for announcements about our next cohort!

🚨 IT'S HERE! 🚨 After 37 years, Andy Burnham has ENDED Thatcher's zombie experiment with bus deregulation!

🥳 From today, the first local services are coming back into public control.

🔁 SHARE if you want YOUR buses to work for people and planet, not just for profit, too!

Up in Selby and Ainsty canvassing for The Labour Party Parliamentary candidate Keir Mather MP - lots of people fed up of the Tory cost of living crisis. Lots of support for Labour. Thanks all for welcoming me!

Speaking at the Treasury Select Committee this morning alongside Andrew Carter, Jessica Bowles, and @shjfrench - I shared evidence that we remain the most unequal large advanced economy across many impacts, harming quality of life up & holding our productivity.

In Liverpool City Region, all 7 members of the combined authority board are now male, says Rosie Lockwood @ipprnorth. With women 'still locked out of power', she sets out three ideas for ensuring devolution does democracy better than before.

bit.ly/3JozQn2

#localgov

Buses. They’re especially important but badly neglected

Great to see Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire take the first steps on a journey Andy Burnham will soon complete

But central government needs to clean up its own mess

Me in The Yorkshire Post

yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/opinion/c…

Equally excited and daunted to be awarded one of these. If you’re in comms and from a socio-economically disadvantaged background and would be up for a research interview or general chat do get in touch.

'Framing is crucial. But often we struggle to apply the recommendations that framing research yields.'

It's hard to change our tune, even when evidence shows that audiences don't like it and don't want to hear it.

New piece by me for IPPR

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.11…

Today the Selby Coalfield Mining Memorial was unveiled.

It's a place to pause & remember all who worked there & the difference they made. You can find it in Selby Community Woodland, Bondgate.

Congratulations to all who made this happen - it's vital to keep our heritage alive.

Selby Miners Memorial

This morning’s stats from The Trussell Trust should shake politicians to their core.

🍽3m food parcels given out last year, the most ever.

👶1m of them to children.

📈The number of parcels given out has more than doubled in 5 years.

news.sky.com/story/amp/food…

A brilliant thread from our UK delegate, Rosie on #CSW67 👇

'It's not that women get written out of history - they never get written in'

An interesting BBC News (UK) article on the women who played crucial roles in the Northern Ireland peace process ⤵️

bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northe…