The NHS Confederation recently hosted a webinar focused on the local growth agenda, the role of acute trusts, and how they can influence local leaders. Yorkshire Universities (YU) Executive Director, Dr Peter O’Brien, was invited to speak at the event to provide broad insights from the higher education sector and regional perspectives from higher education institutes within Yorkshire and the Humber.
The session was chaired by Michael Wood, Head of Health Economic Partnerships at the NHS Confederation, who led the discussion. Christopher George, Health Economic Policy Advisor, also gave a presentation on ‘The NHS as an Economic Actor: The role of the NHS in the Economy’. Accompanying panel members included Mark Rogers, Chief Executive at the Leadership Centre, and Kathryn Lavery, Chair of Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust. Alongside panel members, Peter addressed multiple questions covering collaboration and partnerships, civic goals and local communities, devolution and stability, regional powers and local authorities, financial challenges, and the importance of networks in combating health inequalities.
This webinar supports YU’s work in health & wellbeing, bringing together knowledge to inform our current and future projects. Previous work between YU, the NHS Confederation, and Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber, includes the development of the YHealth4Growth white paper. The paper was presented in Parliament, in October 2024, to show how Yorkshire can provide a “blueprint” for the new Labour government, regional mayors, and businesses to address health and economic equalities that cost UK plc at least £180billion a year.
On Tuesday 18th February, leaders and representatives from Y-PERNs smaller and specialist universities met at Leeds Conservatoire to explore the specific challenges and opportunities they faced in undertaking academic policy engagement. Participants from Leeds Arts University, Leeds Conservatoire, Leeds Trinity University, and York St John University discussed how Y-PERN can best them to build capacity, resources, and activities that provide value to them and the wider Y-PERN network while enhancing their unique role and contribution.
It was noted that there was widespread appreciation amongst smaller and specialist universities for their shared association of Y-PERN and feeling part of a network that larger universities sit within. There was though a divide between larger Y-PERN institutions that measure impact of policy and our specialist and smaller universities who focused predominantly on developing graduate skills, retention and employability and also professional practitioner expertise through teaching and research.
Participants highlighted that the extensive expertise of smaller and specialist universities is not always research focused, so can sometimes be more difficult to identify and value in more typical forms of academic policy engagement. This expertise is however deeply valued by policy partners and can inform evidence-based policymaking as impactfully as more traditional research policy collaboration and knowledge mobilisation.
For example, Leeds Conservatoire have invested considerable time in curating and maintaining practitioner-based networks such as the West Yorkshire Music Network which evidence the impact of expertise-led policy engagement working with broad range of policy, public sector, business, voluntary organisations, charities, and community groups associated with arts, heritage, and culture. However, there was a need to enhance the resonance of creative and cultural economy and better integrate with other areas of social and economic policy such as health, transport, crime, and local growth.
The workshop also explored issues of resource and capacities associated with smaller and specialist universities. It was noted that there are many factors to consider, such as staff time, budgets, and the organisational structuring (with some of our universities not having specific research or knowledge exchange capacity). It was noted that what resources are available must be focused on areas of activity that promote student recruitment and the distinctive areas of research which connect to teaching and practice-based professional development. There was as such a need to adopt a more agile and adaptable approach to support smaller and specialist universities that appreciates such challenges and reflected their diversity of key interests.
One key area identified which was seen as delivering value and impact to Y-PERN’s smaller and specialist universities is the training of academic and professional staff to better engage in its work. Y-PERN and its partner universities have hosted a range of training activities and events. It was acknowledged however that there was a need to scale up training activities to develop expertise as this would allow for more opportunities to undertake policy engagement to be realised.
Colleagues from York St John University noted that the York Policy Engine had provided several opportunities including two members of staff participating in York Policy Academy programme at the University of York and other training initiatives. Participants encouraged other larger Y-PERN universities to support smaller and specialist universities in similar ways to support extended peer-to-peer learning across the network, with larger universities representing the interests of smaller and specialist universities in conversations they are not present at.
The workshop participants also discussed how to work more closely with Y-PERN’s Policy Fellows to enhance the resonance and impact of expertise and network building provided by smaller and specialist universities. It was noted that they could play a key role in the developing of Areas of Research Interest (ARIs) and multi-partner communities of practice at a local and regional level, both in shaping existing policy areas and in developing creative and cultural ARIs. They also considered how they might develop staff exchanges and secondments to policy units within the larger universities and with local and combined authorities.
The workshop concluded by identifying several proposals to draw on and address some of the key issues discussed. A short report for publication will be produced from the workshop and Y-PERN will report findings back to relevant stakeholders with recommendations for future policy engagement collaborations with our smaller and specialist universities.
The team at Y-PERN are pleased to present our Year 2 Regional Report.
The report, which summarises Y-PERN’s activity to date, reflects on what we have learnt about our impact and value, how Yorkshire and the Humber is leading the way in regional academic policy engagement and discusses how Universities can support multi-level governance for inclusive and sustainable growth.
The Y-PERN report evidences in detail how Yorkshire and the Humber is leading the way in regional academic policy engagement, and suggests how Universities can support multi-level governance for inclusive and sustainable growth. Let us continue to work together across the region for the benefit of the places we live in, work in & call home.
- Andrew Brown, Y-PERN Academic Director, Kersten England CBE, Y-PERN Engagement Director & Peter O’Brien, Y-PERN Policy Director
In the report, you’ll discover:
Activities and impacts from the Yorkshire sub-regions including:
o How Y-PERN synthesized ten projects related to early years education and childcare to help shape West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s economic strategy and local growth plan
o How Y-PERN’s academic insights on the region’s economic history and recent economic growth areas have fed into South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority’s Skills Strategy and Plan for Good Growth
How Y-PERN is working to connect and our region’s policy makers, researchers and community organisations
Emergent findings on local governance issues with Yorkshire and Humber being a ‘live laboratory’ for regional devolution
Strategical next steps for Y-PERN and the future of regional policy engagement
Discover how Y-PERN is transforming the way university academics and knowledge exchange experts work with policy partners across the region in our Y-PERN Year 2 Regional Report
Y-PERN hosted a meeting of the newly reconvened Yorkshire and Humber Councils Policy Officer Network (YHCPON) at the Cloth Hall Court in Leeds in January 2025. The meeting brought together local and combined authority policy and strategy officers from across the Yorkshire and Humber Councils network to discuss a range of issues.
The meeting was led by Professor Kersten England, the Y-PERN Director of Engagement, and Paul Hayes, Senior Policy Fellow based at the Leeds University Business School, who both have considerable experience of working across local government in the region. Topics discussed include how the group should work, what the most useful issues are to focus on, and how universities can support them.
Participants agreed on the value and appetite to develop the work of the Policy Officer Network to build relationships, collaborations, and shared understanding across the local and combined authority policy officer community of the Yorkshire and Humber region.
There was agreement that the network should focus on the more significant policy issues and broader trends at a local, regional, and national level, providing ‘headspace’ to explore opportunities to identify and implement systematic transformational change.
A key aim was to facilitate smarter working through sharing and agreeing priorities and explore how local and combined authorities might better engage with academics and access research. The challenge of navigating diverse local and combined government was signposted as important, as was engaging early career policy officers with academic researchers.
Key Outcomes:
Discussions about the importance of place as a key lens to focus activities for the network were had, particularly as a Yorkshire and Humber regional or mayoral combined authority scale is not always the most appropriate to consider policy issues. Merging research with context and circumstances of place is thus important, as is consideration for research and policy transfer and scaling.
Place was also seen as important to understand better the local and regional intelligence and data landscape.
The network also stressed a keenness to better connect local and combined authorities with bodies such as the National Institute for Health Research ‘Health Determinants Research Collaborations’ with those without to develop shared understanding of their place-based working approaches.
A presentation on the English Devolution White Paper, published in December 2024, was also provided by Y-PERN Policy Fellow, Neil Barnett (Leeds Beckett University), who outlined some of its challenges and opportunities. Subsequent discussions about devolution indicated that plans for local government reorganisation (outlined in the White Paper) would not impact on the region as there were now four combined authorities already in existence – which will now be called strategic authorities. Some concerns were expressed, however, about a potential ‘power drain’ if local government is increasingly seen by central government as a ‘delivery agent’ of combined authorities with little agency for local policy initiatives.
There was a shared desire to develop shared oversight and understanding of regional and sub-regional interactions with the UK government to build a collective Yorkshire Humber voice with the government and relevant departments and agencies. It was noted that the White Paper opens space for the regional policy communities to enhance joined-up and wider determinants policy work and collectively determine (and innovate) in shaping local and regional evaluation and outcomes frameworks, measuring and valuing things in ways which are reflective and sensitive local, place-based contexts and needs. Participants noted that better connect emergent Local Growth Plans across the region could be a valuable tool in this facilitating this work.
Ongoing work on local and combined authority Areas of Research Interest was identified as potentially significant in establishing policy-themed ‘communities of practice’ across the region to support collaboration, policy transfer and scaling.
Several participants noted however, that it was also important to open up spaces to consider how to strengthen community engagement, voice and agency in both widening and deepening devolution, and shaping evaluation and outcomes criteria. The potential role of YPIP in this work was identified as significant.
The meeting concluded with agreement that YHCPON should meet regularly, with future meetings focusing on issues such how to build ‘communities of practice’ linked to identified policy areas, the better circulation of information about research and policy, how can universities enhance engagement with non-university local authorities, and how can ‘best practice’ be transferred between local authorities and combined authorities.
Y-PERN recently presented a brief research note to the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire on the challenges and opportunities presented for the region by the recently published UK Government English Devolution White Paper. The APPG brings MPs and Peers of all parties together with key leaders – those in local and combined authority government, public and private sectors and social enterprises – to help maximise future investment in the region for the benefit of all local communities and economies. Secretariat support for the APPG is provided The Public Affairs Company and North Star Public Affairs.
Y-PERN Policy Fellows, Dr Neil Barnett (Leeds Beckett University) and Dr Andy Mycock (University of Leeds) drew on recent research evidence from an ongoing devolution project which is being co-delivered with Yorkshire Universities and Yorkshire and Humber Councils.
The Research Note highlighted that the English Devolution White Paper draws attention to the challenge of aligning formal and informal levels of government and policymaking. There is a need to align existing strategies from local authorities alongside those outlined by the region’s combined authority local growth plans. There also needs to be wider strategy across the region. The White Paper also raised questions as to where local authorities fit amongst increased powers for combined authorities. The lack of funding for local authorities may increase tensions between these two levels of government.
Combined authorities also need to have the resources in order to carry out these new powers as well as implement plans from local authorities. It was noted that some government departments have not been involved as much as they should in the development of the Devolution White Paper, in particular DEFRA and DWP. Some policies from the previous Levelling Up agenda have also been moved to the peripheries. The Research Note also drew attention to the shift towards combined authorities on local democracy, particularly local councillors who may experience a power drain as local authorities become primarily delivery agents.
During his presentation of the Research Note to the APPG, Dr Andy Mycock stressed that there is a considerable role that the APPG can play in utilising their connections with government ministers and civil servants as well as connecting the Yorkshire and Humber voice and projecting it onto various levels of local and national government. He went on to argue there is a need to consider the opportunities presented in the White Paper, making sure that the success of devolution is set by local MPs, not the Government. He also noted that devolution will play a pivotal role in setting future policy agendas, and that the APPG has a role in both its deepening and widening as outlined in the White Paper.
Y-PERN and its partners will continue to support and collaborate the APPG in the new parliament, exploring opportunities to provide a strong, unified voice to drive economic growth across the region and are looking to work alongside our external members and to develop policy proposals that can be put to the Government that would support economic growth.
University of Hull’s First Hull Poverty Truth Commission Evaluation Report has now been published.
Written by Dr Gill Hughes and Y-PERN Policy Fellow Dr Juan Pablo Winter, the report discusses how the first Hull Poverty Truth Commission has inspired a major cultural shift to ensure that people who experience the impact of decisions should be part of the decision-making process.
The evaluation report shows how a ‘new business as usual’ is unfolding and speaks to the statement that the Poverty Truth Network (PTN) embraced:
You can also find out more about the story of the first Hull Poverty Truth Commission by viewing the University of Hull commissioned film “My pockets” here >
The film identifies the process as an ‘engine switch’ not a ‘paint job’ – this is about a participatory needs-led approach that shifts power through equitable trusting relationships to create transformative systems change.
The University of Leeds and Leeds City Council have launched a new framework setting out how they will work together to mobilise the research expertise of the University to address the challenges faced by Leeds City Council and the city.
Tackling the challenges facing our city together
Times are challenging for local authorities, Leeds included, with increased need for services juxtaposed against years of austerity and constrained finances. Whilst things are undeniably tough, there are also reasons to be optimistic with new opportunities arising from continued devolution and an increased focus on place by the new Government and research funders.
As anchor institutions, the University of Leeds and Leeds City Council both have a strong stake in the city’s future success. By working together, and with other city partners, we want to deliver real lasting improvements in the lives of people and communities in Leeds and the wider region.
To achieve this, we are seeking to better leverage the University’s research capability and expertise to power evidence-informed policy development to tackle poverty, inequality, and other pressing challenges.
“Our Leeds Best City Ambition sets out our priorities for the city, which can only be achieved alongside others through our Team Leeds approach. Our continued collaboration with academic institutions across the city enables us to work towards achieving our ambitions, building upon the huge strengths, influence and potential that our academic assets bring. The strength of the ongoing partnership with the University of Leeds continues to deepen, with the launch of the Research Collaboration Framework setting the clear foundations, opportunities and existing successes for us to continue to build upon. The financial challenge being faced by the public and third sector is greater than ever, which is why we need to continue to work together to make evidence informed decisions, allowing us to adapt to the changing needs of our communities and ensure that our shared goals are delivered in the most effective way.”
Mariana Pexton, Interim Chief Executive, Leeds City Council
Innovating how we work together to get things done
The University of Leeds and Leeds City Council have a long history of working together. A review of collaborative research between the two organisations in 2020 noted 118 joint research projects that were ongoing or completed in the previous 5 years. The review also made a series of recommendations on how we could enhance and accelerate collaboration.
Prompted by these recommendations, we have made significant progress in strengthening opportunities to work together and extending these to include a more diverse range of colleagues.
Developing Areas of Research Interest
Responding to the recommendation to identify the Council’s knowledge needs and priorities for collaboration, we have been leading the way in developing Areas of Research Interest at a Local Authority level.
Areas of Research Interest, or ARI, originally came out of the Nurse Review in 2015 as a way for Government departments to improve their dialogue with researchers. The Government Office of Science provides guidance for the Government department but no official guidance exists for Local Authorities (for more on ARI read our blog: Capturing the ARI zeitgeist).
The University of Leeds has been working closely with the Council since 2022 to support them to develop their own Leeds City Council Areas of Research Interest (LCC ARI). These identify areas where further knowledge and evidence would help Leeds City Council colleagues develop more effective policy and activity. They form an invite to researchers to share existing research evidence or to discuss opportunities to collaborate.
Whilst this work has emerged from the bi-lateral collaboration, it is intended to make it easy for researchers from any University to see what the Council’s interests are and get in touch.
With the ARI as a clear guide to the priorities and needs of Leeds City Council, we have been able to respond by allotting a portion of the University of Leeds’s Research England policy support fund allocation to projects addressing aspects of the LCC ARI. A list of projects funded since 2022 are available on the Policy Leeds Policy Support Fund page and represent an investment of just over £1 million over the three years. These projects are helping inform Leeds City Council’s thinking and have led to further collaborations.
Providing a clear map for engagement
Unlike Parliament and National Government, which have clear opportunities for researchers to share evidence via Select Committee inquiries or Government consultations, routes to engaging with local authorities are less well developed. Similarly, Universities are large and complex organisations, which can make it hard for Council colleagues trying to find someone to talk to with the right expertise. This risks fragmented engagement based on personal relationships that are lost as colleagues move on to different roles or institutions.
To establish a more resilient and transparent route for engagement, the framework defines institutional collaboration contacts to act as a first port of call for questions or to facilitate introductions: Policy Leeds acts as the contact point for University of Leeds colleagues interested in engaging with Leeds City Council.
In addition to the Areas of Research Interest, the framework sets out some of the other routes that exist for University and Council colleagues to engage so they can share expertise and develop collaborative activity. These include:
Matching interested colleagues to share knowledge and ideas
Submitting evidence to Leeds City Council scrutiny boards’ inquiries
Contributing to expert groups or policy forum meetings
Undertaking placements or secondments
By making such routes of engagement more visible we hope to enable more researchers to share relevant evidence and expertise in a timely way to inform Leeds City Council’s activities and to build fruitful collaborations.
“At the heart of our University strategy is the desire to harness expertise in research and education to help shape a better future for humanity, and working through collaboration to tackle inequalities, benefit society and drive change.
This collaboration framework with Leeds City Council will further enhance how we work collaboratively with partners across the region, to leverage our strengths and expertise to support policy making that addresses the pressing challenges facing the city, region and its people. This framework will help to strengthen collaboration opportunities and enable policy makers to access the research and expertise needed for evidence-based decisions that drive benefit to the region for growth, and the public good.”
Nick Plant, Deputy Vice Chancellor: Research and Innovation and Chair of Collaboration Steering Committee, University of Leeds
The University of Leeds Parkinson Building in autumn.
Continuously learning and sharing
Learning how to best work together will be a continuous journey and innovation won’t always be a smooth road. We will continue to trial new ways of working alongside refining the routes we have already established.
As well as celebrating successes, we will share our progress and learning to help others interested in developing their own approaches to research-policy engagement at the local authority level.
Keep an eye on Policy Leeds communications to stay informed and learn about future work or opportunities to get involved.
All part of one Team Leeds
While the new framework is centred on the relationship between the University of Leeds and Leeds City Council, the strategic collaboration is not isolated but situated within a very active landscape of other collaborations and initiatives. We will seek to make the most of being an integrated and connected part of this wider collaborative ecosystem, and welcome working with other partners and communities within the city and region.
The challenges we need to address are far bigger than any one or even two organisations can tackle on their own. Only by working together and as part of a wider Team Leeds will we be able to deliver the Best City Ambition for Leeds to be the Best City in the UK to live, work, and prosper.
A toolkit for researchers wanting to expand their policy engagement knowledge and practice can be found on the Policy Leeds Resources page.
University of Leeds researchers can find a guide to the systems and support available within the University to facilitate collaborative research with external partners on the resources for collaboration intranet page.
Y-PERN is transforming the way academic researchers and knowledge exchange experts in the 12 Yorkshire and Humber universities work in partnership with policymakers in the region.
The deepening of devolution across our region presents a unique opportunity to co-create evidence based policies that bring real benefits to communities.
Y-PERN Policy Fellows are impact-focused academic positions working across Y-PERN partner institutions and policy organisations, reflecting the increasing importance of the impact agenda in academia. They form a bridge between academia and the policy world with the aim of enhancing the contribution of academic research to support evidence based policymaking across the region.
As the Bradford Y-PERN Policy Fellow this role will coordinate and deliver the University of Bradford’s work within and across the network. The post will work closely within the University with Professor David Spicer, the Y-PERN academic lead at the University of Bradford, the Y PERN Chief Policy Fellow, and with other Y-PERN Policy Fellows across the network.
The University of Bradford focus within Y-PERN is on the policy and engagement support for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) and on the potential and impact of the Bradford 2025 city of culture on the small business economy for Bradford and Yorkshire and Humber more widely. The role will be responsible for leading your own programme of research focussed on local Bradford business, as well as contributing to wider Y-PERN policy research objectives and representing the University of Bradford when working with external partners and wider networks.
In an election year in which climate policies are a key issue, the Yorkshire & Humber Climate Commission (a Y-PERN partner) is helping voters to cut through the noise.
Climate Talking Points calls for four key changes to national policy crucial for making real progress on climate and nature in Yorkshire and the Humber.
“We know there is not only consensus on what we need to do, but also plenty of evidence to support the policy changes. “
Rosa Foster, Director of YHCC
Evidence shows that people want action on climate. Without a change in national policy, Yorkshire and the UK are in danger of failing to meet climate targets and missing out on significant economic and social benefits.
“It’s imperative that we act fast, that we act now, and that everyone plays their part,” said Rosa Foster, Director of the Yorkshire & Humber Climate Commission (YHCC), which is an independent and politically neutral advisory body run by a secretariat at the University of Leeds.
“We work closely with organisations across all sectors, as well as with local authorities and local politicians in the Yorkshire and Humber region. We know there is not only consensus on what we need to do, but also plenty of evidence to support the policy changes. What’s needed now is for people on the doorstep to press for these and make sure the messages hit home.”
Crucially, YHCC is a key partner in the Yorkshire and Humber Policy Engagement and Research Network (Y-PERN). Y-PERN is bringing in expertise across a range of specialisms – climate, health, education, biodiversity etc – as well as communities and those with lived experiences, to inform local policy.
Regional action
The Climate Talking Points briefing, which will be presented at an online event on 13 March, states that rapid decarbonisation, prioritising nature, and building resilience are key issues – and that investment in these areas will create new jobs and business opportunities, lower energy bills, and bring down costs associated with poor health and climate impacts.
The Commission also says it is crucial to ensure that climate action reduces inequalities and helps people to pursue healthy, fulfilling lives.
Encouraging action is already taking place across Yorkshire and the Humber, with local and combined authorities investing in climate friendly measures such as the Leeds PIPES district heating network, and grants for reducing emissions aimed at small businesses in South Yorkshire. The South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority has also run its own climate-themed citizens’ assembly.
In Hull, the Living with Water project is tackling adaptation to climate impacts, while the major industries around the Humber have big plans to get to net zero emissions, which are particularly important for the region’s role in global climate action.
And in York, the City of York Council, with partners on the Retrofit One Stop Shop York (ROSSY) project, has been awarded £3.37 million from Innovate UK to support, promote and encourage retrofitting work to homes across the city, helping residents to save money and to move the city towards net zero, while upskilling the sector with the latest techniques.
Cllr Claire Douglas, Leader of City of York Council and a YHCC vice-chair, said:
“Climate Talking Points provide the opportunity for wide-ranging debates about the existential challenge facing humankind as we look to the future. Not only do they provide regional government, campaigning and other organisations with a framework for what needs to happen, they provide guidance to national policy makers and Government in how to deliver the change required if we’re to halt the increasingly dangerous warming of our planet.
“I hope the public and decision makers will embrace Climate Talking Points and the direction they point us towards in delivering the economic, environmental and social benefits for Yorkshire and Humber of living in a cleaner world”.
Cllr Jack Hemingway, Deputy Leader of Wakefield Council and also a YHCC vice-chair, said:
“We are really proud to have three West Yorkshire authorities ranked A by CDP [Carbon Disclosure Project] for global leadership – but we know we need to go further and faster. The Climate Talking Points enable us to have that conversation.”
Cllr Paul West, Councillor for Wolds Weighton Ward and another YHCC vice-chair, said:
“As we enter spring in a few weeks’ time, we can all reflect on the turbulence that climate change has caused over the winter period. Displacing people, damaging ecosystems, creating uncertainty for millions of people. It is vitally important that we all play our part in reducing our impact on the planet. Through the work of the Yorkshire & Humber Climate Commission we can all add our voices to help shape our planet and region for generations to come.”
What policy changes are needed to unlock climate action across Yorkshire and the Humber?
In its Climate Talking Points briefing, the Commission has identified four key policy changes:
Set out a clear pathway for reducing emissions and restoring nature and empower places to use local targets and go further and faster than national government if they wish.
Create locally managed funding pots to allow key sectors to get on with acting, rather than wasting time competing and bidding for multiple, disjointed funding sources.
Join up climate, skills and economy strategies to ensure they address the big challenges (poverty, ageing population, skills shortages and climate risks) together.
Commit to a nature-first approach to infrastructure projects so that they can cope with future climate scenarios and nature is woven into all climate action.
