Policy Network, a London-based progressive think tank, hosted a breakfast briefing on 26 April to launch a paper proposing a new model of home occupation to solve the capital’s housing crisis. With house prices rapidly rising across London, and rent increases outstripping inflation and wage increases, those around the table at the event described London as becoming ‘hollowed out’ as
Read more
Wednesday 15 June 2016 7.00pm – 8.30pm (doors open at 6.00pm) Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) 11 million people in the UK are off the housing ladder and in private renting, up dramatically from previous generations. Over half of Londoners rent. Whether through choice or necessity, more people are renting and for longer. Join us to discuss the rise of
Read more
In the run-up to the election for the new Mayor of London, on 5 May, the British Academy last night held a discussion to consider whether the model of an elected ‘metro mayor‘ is really one that should be adopted across the rest of the country, as per the Government’s policies for devolution. There is no doubt that government in this
Read more
Panellists at a lively Question Time – style event at UCL last night set out various technical solutions to London’s housing crisis, but concluded that ultimately strong and forward-thinking political leadership was most important to lead to genuine change. Chaired by Peter Wynne-Rees, Professor of Places and City Planning at the Bartlett, UCL, the panel’s discussion was wide-ranging and at
Read more
An innovative flood defence scheme developed in Pickering, North Yorkshire, has been hailed as a success in an evaluation by the Environment Agency. The ‘natural flood management’ scheme, ‘Slow the Flow’, is estimated to have reduced the chance of flooding in Pickering from 25% in any one year, to less than 4%. The ‘Slow the Flow’ project was developed with
Read more
Europe’s migration ‘crisis’ is complex and multi-faceted, whilst policy responses to date have been simplistic and founded on assumptions about migrants’ journeys and motivations for moving, rather than on evidence. Such policy responses run the risk of making the present situation, the largest humanitarian crisis in Europe since the Second World War, worse. Meanwhile, negative narratives on the part of
Read more
The first group of migrants who arrived in Greece across the Mediterranean have been returned to Turkey today under a controversial policy adopted by the European Union. For each Syrian migrant returned to Turkey, the EU must take and resettle another Syrian from refugee camps who has made a legitimate request for asylum. However no Syrians have been included in
Read more
An audio recording of the latest 21st Century Challenges: Policy Forum event, on ‘Europe’s Migration Crisis?‘ is now available to listen to online. The audio recording covers all of the contributions by the expert panellists, the chair and audience questions and answers. In advance of the event, the RGS-IBG Policy Team recorded interviews with two of the panellists: Professors Heaven Crawley
Read more
21st Century Challenges 