The University of Manchester’s policy engagement unit will make the short trip to Liverpool on Monday (23 September) to deliver a packed programme of speaker events at Labour Party Conference.
Policy@Manchester has organised debates on two of the hottest topics in UK politics following the General Election in July.
Beginning at 11am in the Hilton Hotel’s Grace Suite 1, NHS Confederation CEO Matthew Taylor will chair a heavyweight discussion on why it has become so difficult to get a GP appointment and what can be done to improve matters.
The panel will include Dr Simon Opher, MP for Stroud and a General Practitioner; Dr Imelda McDermott, Research Fellow at The University of Manchester; Rachel Power, CEO of the Patients Association; and Dr Becks Fisher, Director of Research and Policy at the Nuffield Trust.
Following on at noon in the same venue, a new panel of experts will be asked to answer the question: “How can Britain become a clean energy superpower?”
Alexander Gray, Deputy Director for External Affairs at Energy UK, will act as Chair for what is sure to be a fascinating exchange of views. He will be joined by Olivia Blake, MP for Sheffield Hallam; Professor Zara Hodgson, Director of Dalton Nuclear Institute at The University of Manchester; Katy Recina, Head of External Affairs at National Gas; Asif Rehmanwala, CEO of Ecotricity; and Pablo John, Head of External Affairs at the Association of Decentralised Energy.
Policy@Manchester will also co-host three further fringe meetings with partner organisations.
Organised in tandem with the Centre for Cities starting at 9am in Museum of Liverpool’s Global City Theatre, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham will discuss his views on a range of issues high on the city region’s agenda.
At 1045am in Room 6 of the Liverpool Arena and Convention Centre, Akash Paun, Programme Director at the Institute for Government - which is co-sponsoring the event - will chair a discussion on “how can metro mayors help Labour achieve its missions for government.”
He will be joined by Jim McMahon MP, Minister of State in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government; Kim McGuinness, Mayor of the North East; and Richard Jones, Vice-President, Regional Innovation and Civic Engagement and Professor of Innovation Policy at The University of Manchester.
And at 1.30pm in Room 14 of the Liverpool Arena and Convention Centre, an impressive line-up of special guests will explore how education policy can better support children’s wellbeing and mental health.
The hour-long debate will be facilitated by Aveek Bhattacharya, Research Director at the Social Market Foundation which is organising the event with Policy@Manchester. Other panellists include Catherine McKinnell MP, Minister of State in the Department for Education; Jess Asato, MP for Lowestoft; Dr Charlotte Bagnall, Lecturer in the Psychology of Education at The University of Manchester; and Professor Lade Smith, President at the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham (left), addressing a Policy@Manchester fringe event during last year’s party conference season
Professor Cecilia Wong, Co-Director, Policy@Manchester, said: “We are attending the party conferences of the three largest political parties with the objective of offering non-partisan, expert advice on some of the biggest policy questions the country faces.
“Having a secured a large parliamentary majority in July’s General Election, the Labour Government has many challenges to address.
“We want to ensure the vast amount of world-leading research being conducted at The University of Manchester is brought to the attention of the key decisionmakers.
“The Policy@Manchester events will provide platforms for some of our most prominent academics to outline their thinking and play an active role in the process of formulating bold but deliverable public policy solutions.”
More details about Policy@Manchester events at Labour Party Conference are available on its website.