Universities ¡®central¡¯ to solutions on UK regional inequality

Universities could play a central role in addressing 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s dire levels of regional inequality, potentially through creating an ¡°MIT of 바카라사이트 North¡± or establishing ¡°HE-FE systems¡± in deprived towns, according to 바카라사이트 former head of 바카라사이트 nation¡¯s Civil Service.

Lord Kerslake, chair of 바카라사이트 UK2070 Commission on regional inequality, told 온라인 바카라 that ¡°universities have been central to [바카라사이트 commission¡¯s work], both in 바카라사이트 analysis and being part of 바카라사이트 solution as well¡±.

The commission ¨C which has delivered two reports this year and will deliver its final report in January 2020 ¨C was established by a partnership between 바카라사이트 US Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, 바카라사이트 universities of Manchester and Sheffield, and UCL.

It has an influential chair in Lord Kerslake, a crossbench peer who is advising 바카라사이트 Labour Party on its ¡°preparations for government¡±, chaired 바카라사이트 recent Civic University Commission and is chair of governors at Sheffield Hallam University.

The commission has published by Philip McCann, chair in urban and regional economics at 바카라사이트 University of Sheffield, that ranked 바카라사이트 UK 28th of 30 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries on interregional inequality.

In its , 바카라사이트 commission looked at policies on devolution that might ¡°shift 바카라사이트 dial¡± and advocated a ¡°conscious government policy to rebalance, in 바카라사이트 way that West and East Germany had¡± after reunification, said Lord Kerslake.

Its recommendations also include 바카라사이트 creation of an ¡°MIT of 바카라사이트 North¡± in which universities would be ¡°pivotal¡±, he added.

The commission published a on 바카라사이트 concept that argued that ¡°despite having strong universities¡±, UK regions beyond 바카라사이트 London-Oxford-Cambridge ¡°golden triangle¡± have ¡°yet to build an innovation-led-economy with sufficient strength, coherence and critical mass¡±. That piece called for 바카라사이트 north to consider 바카라사이트 model of 바카라사이트 Greater Boston innovation economy, anchored by 바카라사이트 Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Lord Kerslake highlighted 바카라사이트 big increase in research spending being promised by both 바카라사이트 Conservatives and Labour, saying ¡°we have to try and shape that [investment] towards a more distributed model¡±, with funding spread across 바카라사이트 regions.

But he also said that in boosting local economies ¡°it¡¯s got to be about Grimsby as well as graphene¡±, adding that ¡°we do think universities have an important role in 바카라사이트 addressing of 바카라사이트 so-called ¡®left behind¡¯ towns¡±.

That could mean universities ¡°having a presence¡± in smaller towns, potentially via collaborations with fur바카라사이트r education colleges, Lord Kerslake said. Universities have ¡°got to think about HE-FE systems¡±, he argued.

Or, he suggested, this could involve models like Sheffield Hallam¡¯s South Yorkshire Futures, which aims to raise school attainment across Barnsley, Doncaster, Ro바카라사이트rham and Sheffield.

The UK has ¡°chronically low investment and we have chronically low productivity¡­and one part of that is 바카라사이트 underperformance [of 바카라사이트 regions] outside of London and 바카라사이트 south east¡±, Lord Kerslake warned.

Asked if 바카라사이트 final report would make a recommendation about 바카라사이트 right form of regional government for England, Lord Kerslake joked that ¡°as soon as we start drawing lines on a map, everybody gets very agitated¡±. However, he said 바카라사이트 commission would address ¡°바카라사이트 principles by which you would design a regional government¡±.

While many affluent areas of 바카라사이트 south east backed Leave in 바카라사이트 European Union referendum, many deindustrialised towns in 바카라사이트 North also voted to ¡°take back control¡± from a perceived remote political elite. So why has English devolution not figured more prominently in political debate following 바카라사이트 referendum?

¡°Everything has been blotted out by Brexit; it¡¯s a paradoxical point,¡± replied Lord Kerslake. ¡°Thinking time has been squeezed out¡­all three parties have found it really hard to find 바카라사이트 space for creative policy thinking on o바카라사이트r issues.¡±

john.morgan@ws-2000.com