Institute for Public Policy Research
ippr north

£440,000 (2003/2011) for development and core costs,
£6,700 (2005) for conference on environmental justice

After a six months development phase funded by MHF in 2003, MHF and the Northern Rock Foundation approved grants to meet the core costs of ippr north between 2003 and 2006. In May 2006 both foundations agreed to continue support for ippr north for a further three years (2006/2009). MHF’s Trustees have subsequently agreed to provide further support for ippr north, on a tapering basis, from 2010 to 2012. The core objectives of ippr north are to scrutinise public policy decisions affecting the North, to promote innovative and imaginative contributions to public policy and to help deepen democratic engagement. ippr north has developed a programme of research, seminars and publications to highlight key regional issues and enable input from the North East to national policy. A conference on environmental justice, organised by ippr north and Friends of the Earth, was held in Sunderland in September 2005.

The following is a selection of recent developments as at the beginning of 2012.

• ‘Richer Yet Poorer’ - Research funded by the Webb Memorial Trust, published in February 2011, explored how patterns of household income and individual pay inequality differ across the Northern regions. The conclusions support the findings of the 2010 report Rebalancing Local Economies.
• ‘The good, the bad and the ugly: Housing Demand 2025’ – This report provided projections of housing demand in England and its regions and looked at how demand might be distributed across different tenures under different economic scenarios.
• ‘Universities and the Future of Regional Economic Development’ – ippr north was commissioned by Universities UK to explore the role of universities in relation to regional economic development within the emerging policy framework of localism, LEPs, and the aspiration to ‘rebalance the economy’. The project has explored patterns of employment, skills and labour migration; sectoral developments and their implications; the emerging ‘ecosystem’ for innovation and enterprise; and the role of universities in relation to co-funding economic development.
• Northern Economic Futures Commission – The Commission, for which funding has been provided by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, was launched at a conference in May 2011. It provides a platform for the North of England to articulate a clear vision of its own purposes and principles underpinning economic development, and a clear evidence base for strategic planning and local decision-making. A Call for Evidence generated around 50 responses. In September 2011 ippr north held 3 regional roundtables in Newcastle, Leeds and Manchester, which involved 150 participants. The project advisory group comprises representatives from all related government departments and a number of Local Enterprise Partnerships, including the North East and Tees Valley. An interim report was planned for March 2012 and a final report for autumn 2012.
• Localism Lab – is an umbrella programme exploring the apparent cross-party consensus in favor of greater decentralization of decision-making and service delivery. A paper ‘The Five Foundations of Real Localism’, setting out the principles against which localist policy measures should be assessed, established ippr north as a key player and led to an invitation to present evidence to the Select Committee inquiry on Localism.
• ‘Labour Localism 2015’ - ippr north was commissioned by the Labour Group of the Local Government Association to produce a think-piece exploring how concepts of localism interact with Labour Party values. The report will feed into a review by a Local Government Association group and into a wider Labour Party review of communities and local government affairs.
• Total Neighbourhoods - The Total Neighbourhoods Learning Network explores the opportunities and challenges of different approaches to neighbourhood working, with a goal of public service improvement and efficiency. Newcastle and Northumberland are participants along with York and areas of the North West.
• ‘Can the Big Society be a Fair Society?’ - This report, published in April 2011, was funded through Voluntary Organisations Network NE’s Policy & Representation Partnership. ippr north ran workshops with over 150 voluntary and community sector workers to inform the development of a proactive response to the government’s Big Society agenda. A seminar was addressed by the Deputy Director for Big Society at the Cabinet Office.
• ‘Sustainable Livelihoods’ seminar – with Oxfam UK’s Poverty Programme, Church Action on Poverty and the Urban Forum, ippr north held a workshop on the use of the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach. The workshop examined case study material from Thornaby on Tees among other areas. The seminar led to a series of think-pieces which ippr north brought together and published in a report in October 2011.
• Newcastle’s Fairness Commission - The Director of ippr north was invited to be a member of Newcastle’s Fairness Commission, which is being run by the City Council in partnership with Newcastle University. ippr north hopes to carry out some bespoke work on economic issues as they affect the city and to support community engagement in the Commission’s work.

Up to date information about ippr north’s activities and publications can be found on its website.

© The Millfield House Foundation 2010. Registered Charity No. 271180.