A really welcome announcement from the government earlier this week on fairer funding for local government. I was pleased to comment on it. gov.uk/government/new…

🚨 Today we publish State of the North 2025 🚨 The North gets just half as much arts and culture funding per person as London. We reveal the impact this & other regional divides have on young people, and what must change 👇 ippr.org/articles/the-k…

Great to see our Arts and Humanities Research Council #CreativeCommunities research profiled by the 2025 State of the North report 👀 Cultural Chasm between SE & the rest of 🇬🇧 can only be closed by cultural #devolution & mandating ALBs to reorientate and work regionally with & within Mayoral areas

TODAY IPPR North has published our annual State of the North report. This year - at a pivotal moment for young people - we've been looking at young northerners' starting baseline, opportunity for a good life, and chance to be heard. ippr.org/articles/the-k…

Great to see our IPPR North State of the North findings on regional inequalities in culture funding being picked up by the The Yorkshire Post who highlight the important role that culture can play socially and economically across the region. yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/opinion/c…

“Too much power is held in London, and by unelected quangos, where decision makers hold the future of Northern arts in their hands" We have united with North East Mayor and Chair of The Great North Kim McGuinness to call out our regional culture chasm ⤵️

Cultural funding must become fairer across the country 🎭 Ryan Swift spoke to Capital FM Yorkshire about today’s State of the North research ⤵️

Lowering the voting age to 16 will equalise youth political rights across the UK but comes with some significant policy challenges. Read my thoughts on The Conversation theconversation.com/uk-to-lower-vo… Electoral Reform Society Electoral Commission Shout Out UK Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Gov Department for Culture, Media and Sport Department for Education UK Youth

Great to have Kim McGuinness backing our State of the North report and its call for fairer culture funding for the North and more devolved powers for culture.

The announcement on votes at 16 was welcome but as we set out in our IPPR North State of the North report there’s a need to go further to empower young people in our democracy at the local, regional + national levels I’ve written about this here yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/opinion/c…

“Funding and policy making for culture needs to devolve" We are grateful to esteemed culture expert Professor Katy Shaw for welcoming our State of the North 2025 report ⤵️

"Young people in the North are being hit twice as hard due to regional inequalities." Read Ryan Swift column in The Yorkshire Post about how deep geographical disparities are harming children in the North of England. yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/opinion/c…