The Northern Agenda

There's nothing that excites politics-watchers at Westminster like the arrival of a new group or faction, particularly in the ruling party. The latest emerged this week in the form of the New Conservatives, mostly made up of recently-elected Tory MPs including quite a few in the North, and they're calling for what they describe as "a new era in which Westminster respects the views, values and inte...

Rob Parsons is in Sheffield this week, attending the Northern Powerhouse Education, Employment and Skills Summit - a conference focused on levelling up skills in the North. The Northern Agenda editor grabbed a quick chat with education secretary Gillian Keegan, hearing her reaction to Andy Burnham's proposal for a “Greater Manchester Baccalaureate” - or MBacc. The Tory minister, who is originally...

We've all heard of Levelling Up - but this week there was a launch of a book called Levelling Up 2.0: A Blueprint for the Future, by the policy institute Curia, where Michael Gove, the Cabinet Minister in charge of the project, gave a keynote speech. Could it be a sign that the concept which was on everyone's lips when Boris Johnson was Prime Minister needs some fresh impetus to get it back on the...

So what's the big battleground likely to be at the next election, above stopping the boats and even the NHS? It's the economy stupid, in the immortal words of Bill Clinton. Sky-high inflation rates mean our money's not going as far as it used to as wage increases are outstripped by rising prices and we're all having to cut back, with many families in the North now really struggling. But is there a...

Should Labour party bosses in Westminster or local party members be in charge of who the party puts forward for the biggest political jobs? Labour leader Keir Starmer is facing severe criticism this week for excluding the left-wing North of Tyne mayor Jamie Driscoll from the Labour shortlist to be the first ever metro mayor of the North East. And there's been a huge backlash to the Government's pl...

Did you know that across the North, hard-up councils are spending a staggering £5m a week sending children to school in taxis? The Northern Agenda has been crunching the numbers and it turns out that across the region nearly 33,000 pupils have taxis to school paid for by their local authorities, who have a legal duty to help children who cannot walk or use public transport to get there. Why is the...

It's a question everyone in the North should care about: Why are so many young people in our region planning to move elsewhere for a better life? On the week of a new report being published about the 'Northern brain drain', Rob Parsons speaks to young people and political leaders about what we need to offer to stop them leaving. And it's been a busy week for our two best-known metro mayors, Tees V...

As Tony Blair's official spokesman and director of communications Alastair Campbell was in the room where it happened for some of the biggest decisions of the last Labour government.  Now a journalist, author, strategist, broadcaster and activist, he's behind one of the country's leading politics podcasts and has just released a new book about how normal people can get involved in politics.  But t...

It's local elections day which means plenty of town hall drama to digest - including a new mayor in Middlesbrough and closely-fought contests across the North. But what does it all mean for the balance of power in our region - and were people even able to vote at all due to the new ID rules brought in by the Government. Northern Agenda Editor Rob Parsons digests what we know so far with Zoe Billin...

The bunting is out, the candles on the cake are lit, and the party poppers are at the ready: the Northern Agenda is celebrating its second birthday! And of course the best person to celebrate the occasion with is the person who was there from the beginning - and still keeps the newsletter and podcast strong - two years later: Northern Agenda editor Rob Parsons. Rob speaks to producer Dan McLaughli...

In two weeks the country will just have elected some 8,000 new local councillors and we'll know who's going to be in control of town halls from Liverpool to Leicester and from Middlesbrough to Milton Keynes. May's local elections are generally described from a national media standpoint as a litmus test of the popularity of our main party leaders - which is understandable given that we could be jus...

Northern Agenda Editor Rob Parsons is back on podcasting duties after a break for Easter and ready and raring to go with more expert analysis about two topics which could make a huge difference to the lives of people in our region in the coming years. First, there's carbon capture and storage - where the harmful emissions from our polluting industries in the North aren't simply released into the a...

There's a big exclusive this week from The Northern Agenda as we've been digging into the process that saw hundreds of local councils bidding for cash to improve their communities as part of the Levelling Up Fund.  There were lots of winners who got £20m here or £10m there for regeneration schemes but also many more losers who put time and money into their bids and got nowhere. But it turns out th...

The issue of who claims asylum in this country, in what numbers and how they're getting here has been hugely controversial in recent weeks. Rishi Sunak has made his plan to 'stop the boats' one of his priorities as Prime Minister, and has unveiled legislation which aims to stop people claiming asylum in the UK if they arrive through unauthorised means.  But as new government figures show that town...

Calculators at the ready - it's that time of year again when the North's political and business leaders but also members of the public pay a little extra attention to what's being said in Westminster. In a special live edition of The Northern Agenda podcast - Rob Parsons delves into Jeremy Hunt's first Budget as Chancellor and looks at what it means for the North. There were some big national news...

It's no secret that Newcastle is home to some of the most vibrant culture, nightlife, art, and business in the North of England and indeed the whole country. It has more independent restaurants per capita than anywhere else outside London, local bosses say, and is bucking the national trend on footfall thanks to its thriving night time economy. But with our relationship with our town and city cent...

Electric buses are the future as we try and transition to a net zero transport system and get passengers back on public transport.  And this week Rob Parsons spoke to Roads Minister Richard Holden about the new zero emission buses coming to Yorkshire as well as Greater Manchester's plan to take services under public control and even his view of the controversial 15-minute cities idea. Rob also tak...

The sunshine was shimmering on the River Mersey this week as the region's leaders came together in Liverpool's Maritime Museum for the Northern Transport Summit. The conference provides a high-profile opportunity for political and business leaders to unite on what the North needs to go further and faster - though maybe we could start by getting the trains to turn up on time. Transport Secretary Ma...

It's an idea few could take issue with - having all the services you need like work, food, health, education and culture within 15 minutes of your house by bike or on foot. The urban planning concept of 15-minute cities is gaining traction around the world and in the UK, with leaders in Sheffield and Newcastle among those embracing the idea of self-sufficient neighbourhoods with less need for cars...

Getting more people into high-quality skills training is apparently one of Rishi Sunak's big priorities. And progress can't come soon enough as the gap in productivity - meaning the amount of value generated by the average worker per hour - is widening between the North and the South East. But what would Labour do about it if they got into government? We might get the answer at the Labour Party No...

On this week's episode, Rob Parsons takes a closer look at hydrogen. Don't worry, it's not a chemistry lesson - but a beginner's guide to how the most abundant chemical element in the universe could hold the key to creating thousands of jobs all across the North. The Northern Agenda editor speaks to two experts from Teesside University so that hopefully when you hear politicians talking about hydr...

It was a big day for our region this week as hundreds of business, civic and political leaders gathered at the Manchester Central complex for the annual Convention of the North. Transport, skills, clean energy and manufacturing were all on the agenda as the North aimed to offer a united and ambitious voice setting out its hopes for the future.  And there were some big name speakers - including Lev...

The way our town halls are funded is "broken", say local leaders, with those in the North suffering as a result of an unfair system. There's a particularly stark example of the situation facing our local leaders in the town of Middlesbrough. One of the most deprived places in the country, its ability to turn things around is being hampered by the spiralling costs to the taxpayer of looking after v...

Jonathan Ashworth, Labour's Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, joins Rob Parsons on The Northern Agenda podcast this week to discuss his plans to help people get back into work. The Leicester South MP, who grew up in Greater Manchester, used a major speech to accuse the Conservatives of “disincentivising work” as he sets out Labour’s plans to reform out-of-work support and give those with ill-hea...

Hello and welcome to The Northern Agenda podcast - back for 2023 fully refreshed after a Christmas break and ready to take in invigorating new year dive into some of the big politics stories affecting the North. Whilst we want to wish you a Happy New Year, it is not looking terribly happy for Northern town hall leaders. Northern Agenda editor Rob Parsons speaks to Barnsley council's Sir Stephen Ho...