Growth and Reform Network

Banner for GRN event with FGF and Equinix logo. Event is titled 'Powering Places: How the industrial strategy can deliver nationwide renewal' on Monday 29 September, 08.30-09.30 in Arena Room -Tweed, ACC Liverpool. Speakers: Helen Godwin, Mayor of the West of England (confirmed) Alex Bevan, former Chief of Staff to the Welsh First Minister, Research Fellow, The Future Governance Forum (confirmed) James Tyler, UK Managing Director, Equinix (confirmed) Chair: Annabel Smith, Director, Growth and Reform Network (confirmed)

Powering Places: How the industrial strategy can deliver nationwide renewal

Join this event on 29 Sept with @futuregovforum.bsky.social & Equinix at Labour Party Conference to hear from @mayorhelengodwin.bsky.social @annabel-smith.bsky.social Alex Bevan & James Tyler on growth delivery in the UK 👇

Last chance to apply! @growthandreform.bsky.social's two new openings close for applications on Monday - if you are looking for your first or next step into a think tank then look no further and apply:

Senior Researcher: bit.ly/4m0YLxJ

Operations Manager: bit.ly/4nbKTS8

Our team Find out more about our team

🚨A few days left to apply!

We are currently recruiting for an Operations Manager and a Senior Researcher to join our small and dynamic team.

🔗Learn more about the roles and apply: growthandreform.org/about-us/our...

A job ad image for the Growth and Reform Network. Text: Senior Researcher We are recruiting for a Senior Researcher to manage our research programme in support of inclusive growth, impactful devolution and public service reform policy. Location: Flexible, with a London base Contract: Full time, Permanent Salary: £40,000-£45,000 FTE Deadline: 23:59 on Sunday 7th September 2025

🚨Job opportunity: Senior Researcher

We are recruiting for a senior researcher to manage our research programme in support of inclusive growth, impactful devolution and public service reform policy

📄Learn more about the job and apply: growthandreform.org/about-us/job...

Roundtable briefing: A preventative approach to public services Place leaders came together in Manchester to explore the prevention demonstrator approach

In July, the GRN convened leaders from local and central government, the NHS, and VCSE sector for a roundtable hosted by GMCA

The discussion focused on the scale of opportunity and challenges of marrying preventative strategies with delivery in places. Read more👇
growthandreform.org/ign-insights...

From duty to delivery Collaboration is no longer optional – it is part of the statutory fabric.

July was a historic month for devolution and the mission to reshape the state, moving power closer to local communities.

@annabel-smith.bsky.social, Director of the Growth and Reform Network, sets out how to effectively embed place-led collaboration

🔗Read more: growthandreform.org/ign-insights...

A job ad image for the Growth and Reform Network. Text: Operations Manager We are recruiting for an Operations Manager to oversee daily operations for our small and dynamic team, ensuring efficiency and productivity. Location: Flexible, with a London base Contract: Full time, Permanent Salary: £33,000-£35,000 FTE Deadline: 23:59 on Sunday 7th September 2025

🚨We are #hiring!

We are recruiting for an Operations Manager to oversee daily operations for our small and dynamic team, ensuring efficiency and productivity.

📍Flexible location (London base)
🗓️Deadline: 7th September

Find out more and apply 🔗
growthandreform.org/about-us/job...

A job ad image for the Growth and Reform Network. Text: Senior Researcher We are recruiting for a Senior Researcher to manage our research programme in support of inclusive growth, impactful devolution and public service reform policy. Location: Flexible, with a London base Contract: Full time, Permanent Salary: £40,000-£45,000 FTE Deadline: 23:59 on Sunday 7th September 2025

We are #hiring!

We are recruiting for a Senior Researcher to manage our research programme in support of inclusive growth, impactful devolution and public service reform policy.

📍Flexible location (London base)
🗓️Deadline: 7th September

Find out more and apply 🔗
growthandreform.org/about-us/job...

Image of an area of England showing different regions. Overlaid is the text: England's hidden quarter trillion. Local authorities across England are sitting on at least £276 billion of untapped economic opportunity that could be released by tackling place-specific barriers to growth.

Councils across England could unlock £276 billion of untapped economic potential with support from the government to break down place-specific barriers to growth.

That’s more than a 10th of national output.

Read more about new analysis revealed today: www.local.gov.uk/about/news/h...

What was great about today's CSR?

🏠investment in social infrastructure - £39bn for affordable homes
🕰️longer term settlements - 10 yr capital investment fund for some city regions
🧒prevention focus - early intervention in childrens social care
📗reflective government - green book review

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📢 We're #hiring!
Join the Growth and Reform Network as our new Communications & Engagement Officer. Help shape inclusive economic growth and public service reform across the UK.

📍 Flexible location (London base)
💼 £29–34k, FT, Perm
📅 Apply by 3rd June
🔗 www.progressive-policy.net/about-us/car...

Message for UK mayors building new institutions and relationships with councils and citizens (from Prof Jorrit de Jong speaking at @instituteforgovernment.org.uk ):

1. See the opportunity in new institutions- structure to follow strategy
2. Build trust by telling stories of self us and now

Capital gains • Resolution Foundation This report assesses the UK’s public investment challenges ahead of the 2025 Spending Review, highlighting legacy weaknesses in social infrastructure spending and setting out how targeted investment c...

ICYMI: @resfoundation.bsky.social promoting investment in social infra at SR25 esp. housing and health

Exciting to see @centrepropolicy.bsky.social arguments cutting through - growth must be based on realising the potential of more people and places
www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications...

Public service reform: Changing the rules of the game Written by Charlotte Augst, a voluntary and community sector leader.

How should the government get to where it needs to on health?

A new blog by @charlotteaugst.bsky.social/ considers how health policy can be better delivered as a meeting of national & local health leaders in Leeds today, discusses the health neighbourhood agenda ⬇️
open.substack.com/pub/futurego...

📣Six weeks’ paternity leave at 90% of average earnings could deliver a net economic gain of £2.68bn per year

@tanyasingh99.bsky.socials fabulous economic analysis with @jrf-uk.bsky.social featured in @financialtimes.com yesterday and in a new blog on the CPP site today 👏

www.ft.com/content/5c4a...

Paternity leave, rewritten CPP teams up with The Joseph Rowntree Foundation to explore what a better paternity leave offer could deliver for Britain.

Britain’s paternity leave offer is meagre: two weeks, poorly paid, and inaccessible to many.

We teamed up with @jrf-uk.bsky.social to ask what a better paternity leave system could deliver for Britain.

The result? A boost to growth while supporting families.

Read more at: bit.ly/44LEiaW

It’s smart policy: low fiscal cost, high social return. A rare win-win.

🔗 Find the full report here: www.jrf.org.uk/work/improvi...

🔗 Find today's coverage in the FT here: www.ft.com/content/5c4a...

The biggest gains? Among low and middle-income households where current leave is least accessible.

Our modelling draws on 28 studies across 16 countries and finds that the key driver is a rise in women’s working hours.

🧑‍🍼 More dads at home → 💼 more mums in paid work → 💷 real GDP gains.

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🚨 Britain’s paternity leave system is failing families - and the economy.

New analysis from The Centre for Progressive Policy and @jrf-uk.bsky.social shows that offering 6 weeks of paternity leave at 90% pay could deliver a £2.68bn net economic boost each year👇
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MPs urge Rachel Reeves to extend paternity leave Calls come as research suggests UK economy would benefit from more generous offering to new fathers

NEW analysis from @jrf-uk.bsky.social & @centrepropolicy.bsky.social shows how improving paternity leave can boost UK growth

Data from countries with more generous leave shows it tackles gender norms & helps women into work, with an economy-wide benefit of £2.8bn

www.ft.com/content/5c4a...

This or That-ism? Growth myths that are holding back the economy Tanya Singh busts 3 dichotomous growth myths that are holding back growth.

With the economic background becoming increasingly challenging, it is time to rethink outdated assumptions.

@tanyasingh99.bsky.social identifies three growth myths that have previously constrained economic policy making - and will continue to do so if they are not left behind👇
bit.ly/3FP4cAt

There is clearly an imperative to grip the ballooning welfare bill and rising economic inactivity due to ill health. The challenge is that the interventions that will tackle the root causes - preventative public health, employment support, joined up training and pathways - are stretched further.

Bringing Britain out of its productivity crisis UK productivity has stagnated and nowhere is this more evident than in the sectors that keep our towns and cities running – retail, social care, hospitality and...

With the government's Industrial Strategy being published in June and Local Growth Plans being finalised, Annabel Smith and Tanya Singh look to the productivity crisis occurring on your high streets in a new article for the MJ 👇
www.themj.co.uk/bringing-bri...

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💷Underperformance in the foundational economy costs the UK £105 billion, yet it often remains an afterthought in economic strategy.

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Nowhere are the UK's productivity challenges more evident than in the sectors that keep our towns and cities running and employ millions locally – retail, social care, hospitality and transport🚆🛒

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📢CPP's Director of Research and Analysis, @rosiefogden.bsky.social, responds to today's Spring Statement👇

This week is my last at the Centre for Progressive Policy after 6 and a… | Ben Franklin This week is my last at the Centre for Progressive Policy after 6 and a half brilliant years. It’s been a delight to hold a variety of leadership positions…

Personal news update:

This week is my last at the @centrepropolicy.bsky.social after 6 and a half brilliant years. There have been too many highlights for my highly limited Bluesky abilities so have put out an extended post on my time and next steps here:
www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

📣OUT NOW – Impactful Devolution 02: Local govt for the digital era

Last week the PM set out plans for digital change across Whitehall.

Our new report with @publicdigital.bsky.social sets out how digital can drive reform in local govt. Read it here ⬇️
www.futuregovernanceforum.co.uk/resource/imp...

❗In case you missed it:

@tanyasingh99.bsky.social looks to the foundational economy to revive UK productivity.

We need to re-frame the debate and realise the potential of our local players to address place-based challenges.

🖇️ Read the blog at: bit.ly/41AYoS9

Prompted by the government's recent Plan for Neighbourhoods and @iconeighbours.bsky.social interim report, I wrote a short piece reflecting on the challenges people face in my neighbourhood and how policy can respond.