Ryan Swift
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ryanswift93.bsky.social
Ryan Swift
@ryanswift93.bsky.social
2.9K followers 870 following 73 posts
Research Fellow at IPPR North/IPPR - work on democracy, devolution, regional identity | PhD on the politics of Northernness
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Reposted by Ryan Swift
zoebillingham.bsky.social
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...
Update on May 2026 local authority elections
We have today issued the below statement for immediate use on the local authority elections taking place in May 2026. An MHCLG spokesperson said: “Following legal advice, the Government has withdrawn ...
mhclgmedia.blog.gov.uk
February 16, 2026 at 4:45 PM
ryanswift93.bsky.social
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...
Representation of the People Bill: Policy summaries
These policy summaries provide more information about the Representation of the People Bill, which was introduced in the House of Commons on 12 February 2026.
www.gov.uk
February 12, 2026 at 2:04 PM
Reposted by Ryan Swift
zoebillingham.bsky.social
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...
'Time for MPs to stop being ‘Super Councillors’ and start being legislators again' - LabourList
MPs Are Overstretched as ‘Super Councillors’—Devolution will restore their primary role as legislators says IPPR North's Zoe Billingham.
labourlist.org
November 21, 2025 at 4:54 PM
ryanswift93.bsky.social
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
October 30, 2025 at 6:55 PM
ryanswift93.bsky.social
“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👇
alexprior.bsky.social Alex Prior @alexprior.bsky.social · Oct 10
Just published w/ @snfschlee.bsky.social & @ryanswift93.bsky.social! We find that accompanying interviewees around the UK Parliament "allowed us to directly experience the estate...and the ongoing negotiations and interactions which produce it as a living site". www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Go-along research in the UK Parliament
The current deadlock surrounding the prospective Restoration and Renewal of the UK Parliamentary Estate is attributable to several perceived risks. Th…
www.sciencedirect.com
October 10, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Reposted by Ryan Swift
ippr.org
🚨 | 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
July 29, 2025 at 7:08 AM
Reposted by Ryan Swift
childofthenorth.bsky.social
"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...
Young people in the North are being hit twice as hard due to regional inequalities - Ryan Swift
The kids aren’t alright. Young people today have grown up in extremely challenging circumstances, enduring austerity, Brexit, economic stagnation, a pandemic and a cost-of-living crisis. Intergenerati...
www.yorkshirepost.co.uk
July 23, 2025 at 8:40 AM
Reposted by Ryan Swift
ipprnorth.bsky.social
“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 ⤵️
“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”.
July 22, 2025 at 1:01 PM
ryanswift93.bsky.social
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...
Young people in the North are being hit twice as hard due to regional inequalities - Ryan Swift
The kids aren’t alright. Young people today have grown up in extremely challenging circumstances, enduring austerity, Brexit, economic stagnation, a pandemic and a cost-of-living crisis. Intergenerati...
www.yorkshirepost.co.uk
July 22, 2025 at 11:54 AM
ryanswift93.bsky.social
Brilliant to have @alunfrancis.bsky.social, Chair of the Social Mobility Commission welcoming our State of the North report.
ipprnorth.bsky.social IPPR North @ipprnorth.bsky.social · Jul 18
"IPPR’s ‘State of the North 2025’ brings important focus on the specific challenges faced by many young people in the north of England"

@alunfrancis.bsky.social, Chair of the Social Mobility Commission, has welcomed our report highlighting the need to spread opportunity fairly across the country ⤵️
Alun Francis, Chair of the Social Mobility Commission said: "IPPR’s ‘State of the North 2025’ brings important focus on the specific challenges faced by many young people in the north of England. "I welcome their use of the Social Mobility Commission's research to illustrate the role that childhood conditions and local labour market conditions play in influencing young people’s later life chances. Our State of the Nation report has been used to show how child poverty has risen in all of the north’s regions since 2014/15 and our Data Explorer Tool reveals that many places across the North have some of the lowest access to higher professional jobs. "State of the North makes an important contribution to this debate, one which I believe supports and strengthens our call for place-based approaches to address local challenges and spread opportunity to all areas of the country."
July 18, 2025 at 2:33 PM
ryanswift93.bsky.social
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.
ipprnorth.bsky.social IPPR North @ipprnorth.bsky.social · Jul 17
“Too much power is held in London, and by unelected quangos, where decision makers hold the future of Northern arts in their hands"

We have united with North East Mayor and Chair of The Great North @kimmcguinness.bsky.social to call out our regional culture chasm ⤵️
Chair of the Great North group of northern leaders, Mayor Kim McGuinness said: “Culture is in the North's DNA, and our talent and creativity is known across the globe. “Yet too much power is held in London, and by unelected quangos, where decision makers hold the future of Northern arts in their hands. “It's little surprise the North has missed out on our fair share of culture investment, which has stifled the potential of our people and place. “We know culture and creative industries are a catalyst for growth and pride, and as leaders across the Great North, we are determined to end the days where the North loses out. Through One Creative North led by Mayor Tracy Brabin, we have a blueprint to nurture a new generation of talent and investment across the North. “I know this Government backs our devolution call, and I look forward to discussing this report with ministers”.
July 18, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Reposted by Ryan Swift
ryanswift93.bsky.social
Young people today have endured stagnation and seen opportunity limited. But young people in the North are being hit twice as hard – faced with entrenched regional inequalities.

This year’s @ipprnorth.bsky.social State of the North report focuses on the challenges for young northerners.
July 17, 2025 at 7:40 AM
Reposted by Ryan Swift
ryanswift93.bsky.social
Great to see the government set out its plans for an elections and democracy bill.

www.gov.uk/government/p...
Restoring trust in our democracy: Our strategy for modern and secure elections
Details of the plans for delivering the government’s commitments on elections and registration.
www.gov.uk
July 17, 2025 at 10:25 AM
Reposted by Ryan Swift
ipprnorth.bsky.social
Today the government have announced that votes at 16 will be part of the upcoming Elections and Democracy Bill 👏

@zoebillingham.bsky.social reacts 👇
July 17, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Reposted by Ryan Swift
ipprnorth.bsky.social
Cultural funding must become fairer across the country 🎭

@ryanswift93.bsky.social spoke to Capital FM Yorkshire about today’s State of the North research ⤵️
July 17, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Reposted by Ryan Swift
ipprnorth.bsky.social
“Too much power is held in London, and by unelected quangos, where decision makers hold the future of Northern arts in their hands"

We have united with North East Mayor and Chair of The Great North @kimmcguinness.bsky.social to call out our regional culture chasm ⤵️
Chair of the Great North group of northern leaders, Mayor Kim McGuinness said: “Culture is in the North's DNA, and our talent and creativity is known across the globe. “Yet too much power is held in London, and by unelected quangos, where decision makers hold the future of Northern arts in their hands. “It's little surprise the North has missed out on our fair share of culture investment, which has stifled the potential of our people and place. “We know culture and creative industries are a catalyst for growth and pride, and as leaders across the Great North, we are determined to end the days where the North loses out. Through One Creative North led by Mayor Tracy Brabin, we have a blueprint to nurture a new generation of talent and investment across the North. “I know this Government backs our devolution call, and I look forward to discussing this report with ministers”.
July 17, 2025 at 2:35 PM
ryanswift93.bsky.social
Great to see our @ipprnorth.bsky.social State of the North findings on regional inequalities in culture funding being picked up by the Yorkshire Post who highlight the important role that culture can play socially and economically across the region.

www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/opinion...
Culture can play a vital role for Yorkshire so why is there such a gap in funding?
The value of culture should not be underestimated. Yorkshire has seen repeatedly how hosting world-class events and nurturing best in class talent can benefit the region. In fact, we are seeing it now...
www.yorkshirepost.co.uk
July 17, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Reposted by Ryan Swift
ippr.org
Barely half of people voted in last year’s general election. Our democracy is in crisis, and we risk reaching a tipping point where politics loses its legitimacy. The government has clearly heard these alarm bells.
July 17, 2025 at 10:48 AM
ryanswift93.bsky.social
Great to see the government set out its plans for an elections and democracy bill.

www.gov.uk/government/p...
Restoring trust in our democracy: Our strategy for modern and secure elections
Details of the plans for delivering the government’s commitments on elections and registration.
www.gov.uk
July 17, 2025 at 10:25 AM
Reposted by Ryan Swift
ipprnorth.bsky.social
🚨 Today we publish State of the North 2025 🚨

The North gets just half as much arts and culture funding per person as London. We reveal the impact this & other regional divides have on young people, and what must change 👇

www.ippr.org/articles/the...
July 17, 2025 at 7:41 AM
Reposted by Ryan Swift
chroniclelive.co.uk
Research from IPPR North shows that the North has received arts and culture funding of £28 per head since 2023, compared to £57 in London
North faces £450m 'culture chasm' as report shows huge funding gap to London
North faces £450m 'culture chasm' as report shows huge funding gap to London
www.chroniclelive.co.uk
July 17, 2025 at 2:13 AM
ryanswift93.bsky.social
Young people today have endured stagnation and seen opportunity limited. But young people in the North are being hit twice as hard – faced with entrenched regional inequalities.

This year’s @ipprnorth.bsky.social State of the North report focuses on the challenges for young northerners.
July 17, 2025 at 7:40 AM
Reposted by Ryan Swift
rosielockwood.bsky.social
Today I’ve published an intervention @ipprnorth.bsky.social on visitor levies 🏨

Backed by calls from Mayors like Oliver Coppard and @davidskaith.bsky.social, the @yorkshirepost.co.uk says it puts pressure on Rachel Reeves to hand over the power to Mayors 🧵
The front page of today's Yorkshire Post.
July 4, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Reposted by Ryan Swift
ryanswift93.bsky.social
A really welcome announcement from the government earlier this week on fairer funding for local government. I was pleased to comment on it.

www.gov.uk/government/n...
June 21, 2025 at 8:31 PM
ryanswift93.bsky.social
A really welcome announcement from the government earlier this week on fairer funding for local government. I was pleased to comment on it.

www.gov.uk/government/n...
June 21, 2025 at 8:31 PM