Levelling Up Commission
The Levelling Up Commission intends to consider ways to implement the Government’s Levelling Up White Paper and subsequent Bill from the perspective of local and regional government. Too often the Levelling Up agenda is something being done ‘to and for’ local and regional government, the Commission intends to make sure it is done ‘with and by’ them.
Through roundtable meetings with MPs and senior leaders of local and regional government from across the UK, quantitative data analysis and regional sprints, the Commission intends to set out a series of recommendations to consider how regional inequalities can be reduced from the perspective of public services in four key areas:
- Health and Social Care
- Housing and Homelessness
- Education, Skills and Training
- Crime, Justice and Rehabilitation
Commission Team
Paula Sherriff
Chairing this commission is Paula Sherriff. She was the MP for Dewsbury between 2015 and 2019.
She also served as a Member of the Health Select Committee, Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities and Shadow Minister for Mental Health and Social Care.
Paula is a renowned women’s health campaigner and made history as the first opposition member to amend a Government budget, by bringing about the abolition of the ‘tampon tax.’
Outside of politics, Paula has always worked in the public sector including a decade in the criminal justice system.
Hilary Spencer
Chief Executive of the Ambition Institute, Hilary Spencer has held a range of senior positions in the Civil Service, including as Director of Strategy and Performance at the Department for Education, and as Director General of the Government Equalities Office. She is an experienced senior leader in the fields of education policy, equalities, learning and leadership development.
Neil Carmichael
Former Chair of the Education Select Committee, Neil Carmichael served as the MP for Stroud from 2010-2017. As Chair of the Committee, he showed a keen interest in closing education attainment gaps and improving the mental health of students. He is an Honorary Professor of the University of Nottingham and University College London.
Lara Newman
Chief Executive of LocatED, an arms-length body of the Department for Education, Lara Newman has extensive experience across the education sector. LocatED is responsible for buying and developing sites for new schools in England, also advising multi-academy trusts and local authorities on the use of school estates.
Jeffrey Matsu
Chief Economist at CIPFA, Jeffrey Matsu is an expert in public finance and particularly interested in its relationship with regional inequalities. With extensive experience in connecting policy with practice through evidence-based research, he works with partner governments, accountancy bodies and the public sector around the world to advance public finance and support better public services
Janet Budd
Chief Executive of the NHS Transformation Unit hosted by the Midlands and Lancashire Commissioning Support Unit (MLCSU), Janet Budd delivers change for the NHS, by the NHS. Also sitting on the MLCSU Board as Director of Strategy, she has a wide range of experience in senior leadership in the NHS.
Anita Dockley
Anita is research director at the Howard League for Penal Reform. She has wide-ranging interests including suicide and self-harm in prisons, creative methodological approaches, and generating conditions for a reduced role for the penal system. A member of the ESRC Grant Assessment Panel and the Research Excellence Framework in 2021(social work and social policy) and 2014 (law), she is the managing editor of the Howard Journal of Crime and Justice. She also holds honorary roles at the University of Leicester and Liverpool John Moores University.
George Coxon
George Coxon is the Director and Owner of Classic Care Homes in Devon. With 13 years experience in the residential care sector before that, and 30 years in the NHS, across commissioning, policy and management, he has a breadth of experience across health and social care, with a keen interest in effective integration.
Lord Dennis Stevenson
A cross-bench peer in the House of Lords, Lord Dennis Stevenson is a long-time campaigner for greater understanding of mental illness, founding MQ: Transforming Mental Health, the UK’s leading mental health research charity. He has a keen interest in education, having Chaired Pearson and a commission to advise the Prime Minister on the application of ICT in education.
Commission Posts
Housing and Homelessness: Decarbonising the Built Environment
Curia’s Levelling Up Commission recently conducted an inquiry on housing and homelessness. The inquiry was split into three panels, with part one focusing exclusively on the UK’s planned transition to green energy.
Gigabit Broadband: Apprentices Training in Cumbria
Following millions of pounds of investment from the Government, the first cohort of Cumbrian apprentices are now in training for telecoms jobs.
Addressing Rough Sleeping: The Housing and Homelessness Inquiry
Tomorrow, Curia’s Levelling Up commission is holding its third inquiry session based on housing and homelessness. Chaired by the former Shadow Minister for Social Care and Mental Health and Former Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities, Paula Sherriff, the Housing and Homelessness Inquiry will take place over a two-hour sitting. The panels will be divided across three sessions.
The Levelling Up Commission Inquiry Session: Housing and Homelessness
Next week, Curia’s Levelling Up commission is holding its third inquiry session based on housing and homelessness. Chaired by the former Shadow Minister for Social
Steep Fall in Top Grades For A-level Students
The number of A or A* grades is 27.2% down from a peak of 44.8% during the pandemic. This comes as the government has lowered the number of top grades awarded to pre-pandemic levels.
Skills Shortages Across Many Sectors
A panel discusses the employment gaps in the skills sector across the country, and what can be done about it.
Does Higher Education affect inequality?
Earlier this month, the Levelling Up Commission held an inquiry session on education and skills where experts were invited to discuss inequalities in the sector.
Levelling Up Commission Panel – SEND and Pupil Premium
The Levelling Up Commission recently held three back-to-back online panel sessions focused on educational inequalities. The sessions were all hosted by Paula Sheriff, the former Shadow Minister for Social Care and Mental Health and Women and Equalities.
Unlocking the Potential: Shaping the Future of the UK Space Sector
Independent policy institute, Curia, and strategic communications specialists, JBP Associates, organised a roundtable chaired by UK Government Space Champion, David Morris MP, with government and space industry leaders from across the UK to consider a comprehensive plan to unlock the potential of the UK space sector.
Gigabit Broadband worth over £1 billion to Devon
A new independent report, launched in Westminster by Sheryll Murray MP, analysing the social, economic and environmental benefits of digital inclusion, predicts that the roll out of a gigabit capable broadband network in Devon will generate over £1bn of new business gross value added (GVA) by 2030.
Developing Green Hydrogen Projects in Stirling -Carlton Power Parterns with Superglass
Carlton Power is a British company at the forefront of seeking to develop hydrogen hubs across the UK. These hubs, intentionally based in locations outside
Health Inequalities through the lens of Levelling Up
The Levelling Up Commission’s First Inquiry Sessions of 2023
Levelling Up 2.0: Navigating the Path to a Balanced Future
In the third feature from the launch of the Levelling Up 2.0: A Blueprint for the Future book launch, Members of Parliament and Council Leaders
The Levelling Up Commission Inquiry Session: Education Skills and Training
Curia’s Levelling Up commission is holding an Education Skills and Training inquiry session. Bringing together members of national, regional and local government with civil society,
Northern Research Group Conference 2023: Levelling Up
The Northern Research Group (NRG) is holding its second conference today, in Doncaster. The conference is aimed at providing an opportunity for people to shape
Geothermal Power Stations: Levelling Up the UK
A study commissioned by the Government and conducted by the University of Durham has revealed that many of Britain’s poorest towns are located in areas
Bob Blackman: The Importance of Numeracy
The 17 May marked the 11th annual National Numeracy Day, an important day earmarked to championing everyday maths. Its purpose is to inspire everyone, regardless
Universal Credit: Childcare Funding to Increase by 47%
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has announced plans today to expand childcare funding which will come alongside the Government’s wider initiative to provide
No-fault evictions: Almost 50,000 More Families at Risk of Homelessness
Nearly 50,000 families have been placed at risk of homelessness due to no-fault evictions since 2019, the year the Government promised to abolish them. Proposed
Labour’s Plan to End the Leasehold System
The Labour Party has announced that it will end leaseholds – a form of home ownership which gives people the right to inhabit a property