"Who's that guy?"
New council leaders, new names, new priorities?
When I wrote last week's newsletter, I think we had one new local authority leader in the region just about decided, now I think we have all but one.
It wasn’t always obvious from the outside who was going to emerge as prospective leader in each area, given we’re talking about a big wave of new councillors, rather than little tweaks here and there to change majorities.
Now, everyone but Newcastle have decided. Newcastle is a bit more complicated, and there’ll be negotiations ongoing.
Okay, so…
In Gateshead we have Nick Allan, who is going to be immediately busy with a by-election, after one of Reform’s councillors resigned 10 days in.
In South Tyneside, we have Paul Mackings, who you may remember from my ‘free advice’ section a couple of weeks ago, as he was one of those photographed by Chris Owens for the FT.
In Sunderland, we have Chris Eynon, who brings down the average age of council leaders in the region quite significantly by being 30 years old.
Then in Hartlepool, we have Graham Harrison who had served as the local party branch chair, although unlike the other three council areas they are on a fine margin, as only a third of seats were up.
They are all Reform, in case it needed to be repeated.
In Newcastle, we’re likely to have a Lib Dem / Green coalition, and both of those groups had existing leaders in their smaller pre-election form…but whether that will give a guide to who rises from the fray, I don’t know.
Adding to potential confusion is the fact the Greens do sometimes enjoy alternative leadership approaches…for example, they hold an overal majority in the London Borough of Waltham Forest, and have chosen joint group leaders, who will rotate leader and deputy leader roles every 12 months.
North East…MSA
Each of these leaders (apart from Hartlepool, who are on the Tees Valley patch), will become members of the cabinet of North East mayor Kim McGuinness.
She has lost four Labour collegues from her cabinet with this election, and now will be left with one Labour colleague (from North Tyneside), an existing Northumberland Conservative, a LD/Green, and four new Reform cabinet members.
That’s enough change to be dealing with, but they are also going to have to learn a new name, as the Combined Authority is no more…it is now the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority.
That’s a change that’s come about as part of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act, which has given more powers to mayors around things like local growth, health, planning and the ability to appoint ‘commissioners’ who are similar to London’s deputy mayors (but without being in cabinet) or the Night Czar Amy Lame.
AI Growth
The North East AI Growth Zone Prospectus has been published, setting out a vision for the region to be a hub of AI innovation and adoption, and where the technology drives growth in key sectors.
It’s centred around expanding the use of AI in the region - something which includes embedding it in our regional strengths, and is as much a mindset and process thing as anything else - and developing the infrastructure needed to place the North East as a critical part of the UK’s wider AI strategy. That’s data centres, energy infrastructure and the like.
Most of the recommendations and next steps are around ecosystem development - in essence growing the number of organisations (and individuals) who are engaged with AI growth.
It also mentions some of the perennial issues we face in regional economic strategy, including aligning skills provision and marrying up the desire to grow in one area (in this case AI) with stuff like planning strategy and land use in another.
Northern England Olympics 2042?
There’s chatter about a joint Olympic bid for the North of England in the 2040s, which the government has backed with some work looking at stadium regeneration.
The timeline is great, because it will mean HS2 will have just been finished and everyone can get from London to the Official Gateway to the North (i.e. Birmingham).
Nice bookending of the HS2 project too, given it was originally agreed in the months before the London 2012 Olympics.
In-Work Poverty
On Monday I was at a Society Matters event where they presented some research they’ve been working on alongside partners at Durham University.
They haven’t published the work yet, as it’s ongoing, but it looks at poverty in the region - in particular in-work poverty - and how it impacts on both adults and young people.
It began as a project for the North of Tyne Combined Authority (remember that?) and has now run over three phases where they’ve collected thousands and thousands of data points from work with businesses and individuals.
It’s allowed them to put together a picture of how things are changing over the last few years, and I think it’s fair to say the overall message is still a concerning one.
The very worst of the impact of the cost of living crisis, and the double-digit inflation we had a few years ago, has run through the system and generally fewer people are really actively struggling to cover the essentials.
That’s not to say a everything is fine - a third of people still say they have less than £50 per month spare after the essentials - but those who have nothing or are in deficit have fallen.
BUT…they say the research mirrors what the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has found nationally which is that if you fall into poverty now you are more likely than ever to fall into deep poverty.
There are still significant proportions - double digit percentages - of working age people in the North East who say they cannot afford to take part in social or leisure activities, or that they struggle to feed their families.
That’s unacceptable in any scenario, but especially when it’s people who are in-work.
Keep an eye out for the research to be published - I’ll flag it too.
Creative Industrial Strategy
This is more a moan than anything else.
I saw yesterday that Creative UK had been in the region, running an Industrial Strategy Roadshow, looking specifically at the Creative Industrials Sector Plan.
The roadshow event was hosted by the CBI and Lloyds Banking Group, featuring panel speakers from Creative UK, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, HM Treasury and the outgoing BBC Director General.
They've shared some stats on the regional impact of Creative UK’s funding.
Looking at the people tagged (and the faces I recognise in the photo) there are lots of good folks, who work hard for the region, but…no one I'd call a creative practitioner.
There are business leaders, support providers and advice givers, there are researchers, academics and policymakers…but how many have tried to make a living in the creative industries?
Of those who have, how many are actively doing so now?
How many do it without backing? Without someone else managing the risk? Without an organisation or established business behind them?
The Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre find 31% of creative industry employment is freelance or self-employment, rising to 59% in the arts, culture and heritage sub-sector.
I sometimes hesitate to call myself a writer, but I am. I write. I pay my bills with words that come out of my brain. You are reading those words. Watermelon. There, made you think the word ‘watermelon’.
I have always written, but it's only been the last four years or so that I've done it for an extended period as my main source of income.
I do the work. I promote myself. I do business development and chase my own invoices. I forecast my own cashflow. I am my own worst boss and my own best employee. I make the tea.
I have an evolving statement of intent to keep me focused, currently it is:
DO GOOD WORK, WITH GOOD PEOPLE…AND DON'T GIVE IT AWAY.
Each portion is a reminder of a previous professional mistake.
It's a tough business, and very different from any other type of working I've done - as an employee, both junior and fairly senior, as a SME director, in-house or in consultancy.
I am fortunate to have friends who've become clients, clients who've become friends, and to very rarely fall foul of the biggest challenges of this racket.
I am in a unique position.
I straddle the policy and creative worlds, both in my own work and with my clients.
A personal frustration is strategy which is made in isolation.
I hope, when we talk about creative sector industrial strategy, that we are including in that conversation people who are freelance, who juggle portfolio careers, who are young and old, who are carrying that intersectionality of gender, race, disability or sexuality.
I hope, as well, that we are hearing from the coalface the reality of AI, of course to arts funding, of the labour-intensive nature of many grant applications and of squeeze after squeeze after squeeze of incomes and outgoings.
Watermelon. There, made you think it again.
Some snapshots
Tony Gates, former CEO of Northumberland National Park Authority, calling for better funding
The impact of extra council tax on second homes, and what it brings in - including £6m in Northumberland and £2.58m in Newcastle
Sir Ian McKellen was guest of honour celebrating the Ensemble 84 theatre company in Horden. Remarkably, they believe they are the biggest employer in the village since the pit closed
Employment up, unemployment down, economic inactivity down, in the last quarter…but still not great compared to national averages
What have I been up this week?
In-work poverty with Society Matters on Monday
Co-working with Pattern and Billy No-Mates on Tuesday, in the wonderful setting of Unique Magazines
Academic policy influencing toolkits
Working on event prep for a couple of different clients
A visit to a big cultural and creative sector project
That's it for now, thanks all.
Until next time I'm on arlen@arlenpettitt.co.uk.
Arlen, I have been wowed by a visit to the uniquemagazines website thanks to you. I could spend the rest of the day there if I had the time. What a great place to have meetings!🐰