Yes, I think that’s probably right. This study from a few years ago suggested local identity in England was strongest in Newcastle and Sunderland.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-4432...
Both county and regional identities are stronger in more peripheral areas (North and South West).
But where regional identities are weaker, county identities still have some, albeit less, pull (parts of the Midlands and East).
Interesting to compare this map on county identity with yougov’s one on regional identity from last year.
Great to write in @labourlist.bsky.social today about our latest @ipprnorth.bsky.social report and how local government reorganisation must result in local democracy renewal.
labourlist.org/2026/02/unit...
We cannot afford for devolution not to work. If government want to make devolution its flagship programme, they must put communities in the driving seat, the future of democracy depends on it.
📋Read the full report here: www.ippr.org/articles/mak...
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If devolution is to be a flagship reform and lasting legacy, communities must be firmly in the driving seat.
Power can’t just move from Whitehall to town halls. It has to move from town halls to neighbourhoods.
9/
Unitarisation will happen whether we like it or not. The question is whether it centralises power locally or if it can be taken as an opportunity to rebuild democracy from the bottom up.
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3️⃣ Make participatory democracy the default with co-production, participatory budgeting and more permanent citizens’ assemblies.
And modernise council decision-making with remote & digital voting.
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2️⃣ Create inclusive neighbourhood boards in every new unitary area as a first phase, with at least 50% community representation.
And give communities the right to request powers from higher authorities — just as mayors can from central government.
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Our report sets out three practical reforms to ensure unitarisation strengthens democracy not weaken it:
1️⃣ Expand & empower hyperlocal councils so democracy exists “within walking distance”.
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So the choice isn’t reform vs a healthy system.
It’s whether structural change hollows out local democracy or becomes a catalyst to renew it from the bottom up.
There is real opportunity here for renewing local democracy if we make the most of it.
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Let’s be honest though, the status quo isn’t working great either.
- Turnout is low.
- Political satisfaction is weak.
- Most people feel they have little or no control locally.
Doing nothing won’t revive local democracy.
3/
Here’s the tension:
The government’s English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill aims to push power out of Whitehall.
But without safeguards, unitarisation could pull power upwards within local government and away from neighbourhoods.
2/
Unitarisation will mean:
- Fewer elections
- Up to 5,000 fewer councillors
- Larger populations per authority
- Decisions made further away — geographically and democratically.
NEW @ipprnorth.bsky.social REPORT
Nearly 30% of England is about to see the biggest shake-up in local government for a generation.
Unitarisation is coming and it will fundamentally reshape how millions are represented.
I think it's right that the May local elections will be going ahead, even in areas undergoing local government reorganisation. Democracy cannot be a matter of convenience or cost.
mhclgmedia.blog.gov.uk/2026/02/16/u...
This should be the first step in rebuilding trust in democracy and improving elections
Going further to limit the role of money in politics with annual donation caps and working to ensure automatic voter registration can be implemented fully before the next general election should be key priorities
It’s great to see many recommendations we made in our Modernisation Elections report in the Bill, including:
- votes at 16
- enhanced politics and citizenship education
- limits on foreign money
- improvements to voter ID
- moves towards automatic voter registration
www.ippr.org/articles/mod...
The government has introduced its Representation of the People Bill
At a time when trust is low, the threat of money in politics growing, and turnout is declining and unequal, action to strengthen our democracy, widen participation and enhance political equality is vital
www.gov.uk/government/p...
Devolution is essential for empowering our communities, councillors & mayors - but also our MPs. Read why in my opinion piece for @labourlist.bsky.social✍️
Do you agree?
labourlist.org/2025/11/no-m...
Nice piece on the special urban/rural character of the ‘south Pennines’ with its industrial heritage and wild moors and hills.
From my 19thC terraced house in a small mill town it’s just 10 mins to this
“Instead of codification and careful planning the Parliamentary Estate is a mess of ‘unwritten’ conventions, which like the constitution are made sense of only through narrative and route-finding.”
Great to see this paper that I worked on with @alexprior.bsky.social and @snfschlee.bsky.social out👇
🚨 | NEW PAPER: Community spaces are vanishing, and with them, the ties that bind us.
A year on from the Southport riots, we explore how the loss of pubs, parks and youth clubs is weakening social connection, and how to rebuild it 👉 ippr.org/articles/places-to-come-together
"Young people in the North are being hit twice as hard due to regional inequalities."
Read @ryanswift93.bsky.social column in @yorkshirepost.co.uk about how deep geographical disparities are harming children in the North of England.
www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/opinion...
“Devolution has created the need for a more relationship-based approach to culture delivery at a local level, one that is less top down and more co-created closer to communities. “If you keep doing what you’ve always done you’ll get what you’ve always had. “Funding and policy making for culture needs to devolve. “The centre cannot and should not hold. Growth potential is being stymied by over centralisation. “The kids are not alright… “IPPR North’s recommendation to ‘devolve responsibilities and funding for culture to combined authorities where the appetite and capacity for this exists’ is underpinned by our work on culture and innovation devolution across all 4 nations of the UK and our earlier work leading the APPG post-covid cultural recovery report on community cohesion”.
“Funding and policy making for culture needs to devolve"
We are grateful to esteemed culture expert Professor Katy Shaw for welcoming our State of the North 2025 report ⤵️
The announcement on votes at 16 was welcome but as we set out in our @ipprnorth.bsky.social State of the North report there’s a need to go further to empower young people in our democracy at the local, regional + national levels
I’ve written about this here www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/opinion...
Brilliant to have @alunfrancis.bsky.social, Chair of the Social Mobility Commission welcoming our State of the North report.
Great to have @kimmcguinness.bsky.social backing our State of the North report and its call for fairer culture funding for the North and more devolved powers for culture.
