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The tax retention news is so big it has overshadowed some of chunky stuff in the press release that complements it and fills out the devolution strategy pursued by the new PM. Some initial reactions by me and some @centreforcities.bsky.social thinking below to get you started 👇

Read not just for the title (pretty happy with that one) but for what the trials and tribulations Burnham went through for the MBacc tells us about his national policy plans and where devolution in the skills space still has further to go

We've got the biggest by-election in UK history happening tomorrow. We at @centreforcities.bsky.social have got you covered on the details 👇 Here's what the incoming Greater Manchester Mayor should focus on:

This is a nice piece from @yz18.bsky.social on getting caught up in the semantics of Burnham's speech. Based on how he's talked about 'reindustrialisation' as GM mayor, it's clear that this is not a backward-looking policy - far more aligned with the current Industrial Strategy (a good thing!)

Much done, still more to do. Ahead of the first ever mayoral by-election, @xuanrulin.bsky.social summarises the tasks ahead for the next Manchester Mayor: 🎯Grow city centre strengths 🎯Bee Network rail 🎯More participation through devolved skills policy 🎯Densification in the urban core

Having ticked off Newcastle this week, Leicester and Bradford are the biggest not yet visited. I'm now up to 36/63 of the cities we at @centreforcities.bsky.social look at. For anyone needing guidance these are the rules we play by!

Where I argue Burnham's place-based experience and emphasis on local, public control is the right perspective to bring to national transport policy. This will be crucial to shape GBR to the new devolved policy landscape and to get DfT/industry out of 'joining up the national train-set' mindframe

Still digesting yesterday's speech? Well, there were a couple of well-timed @centreforcities.bsky.social outputs last week that we think make great accompaniments. Short 🧵 👇

TfL's plans are a template for how other metro mayors should start thinking about their upcoming road powers in the context of their integrated transport plans. Even the best version of Bee Network buses will still get stuck in the Manchester morning peak traffic if these measures are ignored!

My latest blog: what is TfL doing about bus speeds? And how can other metro mayors learn from the plans? The takeaway is: serious integrated transport in big cities is a carrot and stick approach - ignore restrictions on private vehicles in congested areas at the expense of bus performance!

Slow buses: Big cities should take note of TfL’s answer to London bus speeds - Centre for CitiesTfL’s road strategy shows why road powers are central to improving London bus speeds and big city transport.www.centreforcities.org

Clue's in the name - focusing on big cities will lead to big national impacts. Come join us next week where we take you through why a government going for national economic growth should focus on the UK's largest urban areas, and how it feeds through to living standards 👇

Report launch - Big Cities Outlook - Centre for CitiesHow are the UK's largest cities performing, and what does this mean for the national economy?www.centreforcities.org

Both have seen big reductions in deprivation. Focus in Manchester is on transport, while Liverpool have made strides in skills. But the underlying ingredients are the same: inclusion (through access to opportunities) and, crucially, underpinned by growth. It's the emphasis that differs.

Good chat tying in a lot of things swimming around in the political discourse recently: deprivation, growth, Manchesterism, NEETs... Hopefully an interesting listen as we try to make sense of it all in the context of our big cities!

If you missed our thoughts on last week's Milburn Review and what role cities have in tackling England's youth employment challenges, check out the thread below 👇

See our work two years ago (!) showing this for hybrid working in central London. Young workers are keenest to be in the office. They have most to learn from senior colleagues - who prefer being at home, but may not be appreciating the externalities... www.centreforcities.org/publication/...

Our quickfire thoughts on what the Milburn review means for cities and how the Govt should think about the opportunities for young people in its urban agenda. As an aside, refreshing to go through a 200+ page Review that is so incisive and well-written 🤯 Thread to follow 👇

Key point: Rising min wages have not led to unemployment - theory is because they have balanced employer (monopsony) power in concentrated labour markets. But cities are the most competitive labour mkts. So requires vigilance where min wage bite is high! (great title for a blog too!)

More steps towards the TfW T network here. But the biggest steps to better connect up Wrexham will come from buses. we've got the key insights to our Welsh city transport data tool here: www.centreforcities.org/blog/integra...