鈥淚t鈥檚 rare to see a project where everyone - researchers, artists, students, and audiences - walks away changed,鈥� says Helbig. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not just making theatre. We鈥檙e co-creating new ways of thinking, feeling, and connecting across difference.鈥�

Each play is infused with the distinctive voice of its creators - from poetic monologues to ensemble movement, to satire and sensory storytelling. Following the performance, audience members are invited to stay for a candid conversation with the creators, discussing the themes, the process, and what it means to tell stories across cultures.

In a time of global complexity and cultural tension, it offers a rare chance to pause, reflect and connect. It celebrates the diversity of lived experience and invites audiences to engage directly with the kinds of questions anthropology is uniquely positioned to ask. 

Tickets for the event can be purchased at . 

Tiny Human Dramas is part of an expanding vision - the team is currently developing a short documentary film about the creative process and exploring opportunities to take the project to national festivals, including the Edinburgh Fringe and the ESRC Festival of Social Science.

Building upon his 2024 book, , the unsettling history of role-playing in 鈥榗onstructed situations鈥� is explored through his commentary on the performative dynamic of the experiment and its wider societal implications. Students from the School of the Arts, Languages & Cultures also feature in the reenactments shown in the series. 

To mark the UK premiere, the , in partnership with , will be hosting an in-conversation event on Wednesday 4 June titled 鈥�鈥�.&苍产蝉辫;

Professor Stephen Scott-Bottoms will be joined by from the , who is also among the expert commentators featured in the series, alongside , Director of the docuseries. An internationally recognised expert on social identity, collective behaviour, intergroup conflict, and leadership influence, Professor Stephen Reicher co-led the BBC鈥檚 partial reconstruction of the Stanford Prison study,  

The event will feature behind-the-scenes insights into the making of the series, a discussion on the enduring relevance of the Stanford study and a live audience Q&A. It is open to the public and promises a compelling dialogue on truth, myth, and morality in psychological research.

Register for

The documentary series, The Stanford Prison Experiment: Unlocking the Truth, is set to air on .

The treaty suspension reflects a growing regional trend: South Asian countries are increasingly treating water as a strategic asset rather than a shared resource amid rising mistrust, climate stress and geopolitical competition.

The region is home to nearly a quarter of the global population, and relies on huge transboundary rivers fed by Himalayan glaciers 鈥� the so-called of freshwater reserves. A breakdown in water diplomacy could trigger environmental collapse, humanitarian crises and geopolitical instability. The weaponisation of water must be urgently addressed as a global climate justice issue.

A flashpoint occurred in August 2024 when devastating floods affected in Bangladesh. Some Bangladeshi officials accused India of releasing excess water from a large dam upstream without warning. India , citing extreme rainfall and standard dam operations. Nevertheless, the incident reignited longstanding tensions between the two countries.

Complicating matters further is China recently approving the construction of the on the Yarlung Tsangpo river in Tibet, which becomes the Brahmaputra in India. This massive project has about China鈥檚 ability to exert control upstream, and the ecological risks for India and Bangladesh downstream.

China hasn鈥檛 signed formal water-sharing agreements with its neighbours, but its growing presence in regional water infrastructure signals a dramatic shift in south and east Asian hydro-politics.

Climate change is making things worse

Recent climatic trends are making transboundary rivers an increasing focus of geopolitical friction. These trends include accelerated , , and intensifying extreme weather.

While melting glaciers will temporarily boost the flow of rivers, the long-term prognosis is bleak. If emissions and warming trends continue, many glacier-fed rivers 鈥� including the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra 鈥� could see by the end of the century. This will directly affect hundreds of millions of people who depend on them.

The crisis is being intensified by changes in the Himalayas. The region is warming faster than the global average, with a shift from snowfall to rainfall that disrupts the timing and volume of water that flows down from the mountains to the fields and cities below.

At the same time, has pushed South Asia鈥檚 reserves of underground water toward collapse, threatening both food and water security.

A dangerous precedent

A collapse or suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty could set a dangerous precedent. Importantly, the threat is less about India cutting off water flows 鈥� an unlikely and technically challenging act 鈥� and more about the erosion of trust, transparency and data sharing.

One of the treaty鈥檚 most valuable features has been the routine sharing of data on things like water levels, river flow and dam operations. Pakistan needs this data to forecast floods and droughts, plan its irrigation, generate hydropower effectively and manage its drinking water, yet India is indicating it will no longer honour these obligations.

But India鈥檚 strained water relations are not limited to Pakistan. Bangladesh and Nepal have often felt sidelined or pressured in negotiations, and India鈥檚 indication that it may reconsider longstanding treaties raises concerns in both countries.

This is especially the case as the Ganges Water Treaty nears its 2026 expiration: the vast Ganges river flows through India and irrigates much of Bangladesh 鈥� and the treaty guarantees Bangladesh a minimum river flow.

Other key agreements, such as the and with Nepal, and the with Bangladesh, remain largely unimplemented, breeding mistrust. These failures undermine confidence in regional water diplomacy and cast doubt on India鈥檚 commitment to equitable cooperation.

None of this is helped by India, Pakistan and Bangladesh all continuing to rely on outdated irrigation methods that mean they use more water than necessary. As climate change intensifies floods, droughts and glacial melt, there is an urgent need to reform existing water treaties to reflect present-day climate, hydrological and geopolitical realities.

The Indus Waters Treaty, negotiated in the 1960s before the emergence of modern climate science, no longer accounts for these transformations. Indeed, most water treaties in the region remain rooted in technocratic, engineering-centric frameworks which fail to address extreme climate variability and its cascading impacts.

The upcoming expiration of the Ganges Water Treaty, and the pending negotiation of other basin agreements, present a critical opportunity to rethink water governance in South Asia.

Though the Indus flows through India before Pakistan, in other basins, India is downstream. This is the case with the Brahmaputra, where it demands upstream cooperation from China.

Undermining the Indus treaty could weaken India鈥檚 own position in future negotiations and strain its relations with Nepal and Bangladesh, while giving China more influence in South Asian hydro-politics. China is already expanding its footprint by offering billions in loans to Bangladesh and strengthening ties with Nepal, particularly around water infrastructure.

Weaponising water is a perilous strategy that may backfire. The weakening of water diplomacy in South Asia is not just a regional threat; it endangers global climate security.

In the face of escalating climate change impacts and recurring disasters, updating transboundary agreements like the Indus Waters Treaty, Ganga Water Treaty, and Kosi and Teesta accords is no longer optional 鈥� it is an urgent necessity with enormous consequences.

, Leverhulme Early Career Fellow, Geography,
This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .

Stark inequalities in the workforce continue. People from more middle-class backgrounds continue to dominate the sector, and fresh policies are needed to truly shift the dial. For audiences, the report points to a worsening picture with widening engagement gaps in class and ethnicity over the last year. Perhaps the most significant findings are the variations in terms of engagement by locality within England.

The report makes clear the scale of the challenge facing policymakers.

Key findings by place:

• There are only 13 English local authorities where over 50% of the population have been to an art exhibition in the last twelve months 鈥� all 13 are in London.
• The local authority with the highest percentage of residents visiting an art gallery in the last 12 months was the City of London, at 70%; the local authority with the fewest was Boston, Lincolnshire, at 11%.
• Other local authorities where the figures are high were Brighton and Hove (49%) and Oxford (46%); outside of the south of England, the highest figure was for York (37%).

Key findings by demographics:

• There has been a widening gap in the last year between who engages with arts and culture by socio-economic background (comparing 2022/23 with 2023/24). For example, there has been a 9% increase in the gap between 鈥榤iddle class鈥� and 鈥榳orking class鈥� people attending a live music performance, and a 7% increase in the gap for 鈥榓ttending an art exhibition鈥�.
• There is a large variation in engagement in cultural activities by socio-economic background, e.g. 51% of people in 鈥榤anagerial/professional households鈥� have been
• to the theatre in the last 12 months, whereas the figure for 鈥榮emi-routine / working class鈥� was 26%.
• The class differences are largest for museums and galleries, with 54% for managerial/professional and 31% for semi-routine/working class. In nearly all cases, Black and Asian people are less likely than people in other minority ethnic groups to have engaged in the DCMS categorised arts, culture and heritage activities. For example, 23% of Black people and 19% of Asian people had attended live music, compared with 42% of White people.
• Local authorities with more people working in arts, culture and heritage also have greater rates of engagement in most forms of arts and culture. For example, six out of the ten local authorities with the largest percentage of people working in arts, culture and heritage occupations are also in the ten local authorities with the largest percentage of people having visited an art exhibition.
• The activities most strongly associated with people working in Arts, Culture and Heritage and people 鈥榚ngaging鈥� are visual arts (attending exhibitions), literary events and live dance.
• The majority of areas showing this relationship were found to be London boroughs, with the next highest areas outside of London being Cambridge, Brighton and Hove, Oxford, Bristol and Waverley (in Surrey).

, Head of Policy, Creative PEC, said: 鈥淧lace-based approaches to supporting culture are high on the agenda, especially in England, as new Strategic Authorities and local powers unfold. Our latest report highlights that local areas with higher rates of cultural engagement also tend to have a higher proportion of people working in the sector, suggesting a possible relationship between the two.

As policymakers and cultural bodies develop locally responsive culture and heritage strategies, this research adds further weight to the idea that such plans should aim beyond solely boosting engagement for local communities. In addition, they should also consider how opportunities within the local arts, culture and heritage workforce can be nurtured and sustained as a part of a more holistic approach.鈥� The report 鈥樷€� was co-authored by Professor Dave O鈥橞rien, University of 51福利社 and and , from the . The report is published by Creative PEC, which is funded by the .

• Creative PEC has published an interactive dashboard to support those responsible for local growth and cultural planning to delve further into regional and local data. .

The three-year programme, which will be piloted in the North West before eventually being rolled out across the UK, aims to make the subject more accessible to students from a wider range of backgrounds. The training will be made available at no cost to the teachers or schools.

Economics is currently offered as an A Level subject at just over half of non-selective state schools in England, compared with 90% of selective schools and 82% of independent schools. This partly reflects a shortage of qualified economics teachers 鈥� made worse by very low levels of new teachers choosing to specialise in the subject.

, Vice President and Dean of the Faculty of Humanities at 51福利社, said: 鈥淭he teaching, research and development of economics has a long history at 51福利社. Our commitment to equity and diversity across our work is paramount, and this initiative, building on the research from FFT Education Datalab, highlights that we still have much to do. We鈥檙e extremely proud to work alongside the Bank of England in producing more teachers of economics.鈥�

, University Academic Lead for Lifelong Learning, Flexible Learning Programme at 51福利社, said: 鈥淎t 51福利社, we are passionate about creating flexible, lifelong learning opportunities to help individuals, organisations and sectors adapt to an ever-changing world. This collaboration with the Bank of England offers flexible professional learning to bridge the gap in teaching economics. Our first cohort of teachers starts in September with plans to roll the programme out across the UK in the coming years.鈥�

The launch comes as new research commissioned by the Bank of England and carried out by FFT Education Datalab revealed that:

• Economics has become increasingly popular at A Level and undergraduate level over the last decade.
• There are stark regional differences in participation with students in London more than twice as likely to study economics than those in North-West England.
• Students from disadvantaged backgrounds are far less likely to take economics at school or university than their peers.
• Around 70% of those studying economics at school and undergraduate level are male.

Clare Lombardelli, Deputy Governor for Monetary Policy at the Bank of England, spoke at the launch of the research at 51福利社. She talked about her own experience growing up in nearby Stockport where she studied economics A Level at a local sixth form college.

She said: 鈥淓conomics is an increasingly popular subject. But it is not available to enough young people across a range of backgrounds.

鈥淎n economics qualification can be a gateway for young people to a highly rewarding career 鈥� both intellectually and professionally. It also gives people a better understanding of how money works 鈥� which is a vital life skill that can benefit all of us.

鈥淲e are delighted to be working with 51福利社 on this teacher training programme so economics can tap into a broader range of talent and more people can benefit from the opportunities that come from studying economics.鈥�

Gareth Taylor, Head of Professional Development at the Economics, Business and Enterprise Association, which represents economics teachers, said: 鈥淭here is clear evidence that a shortage and unequal spread of teachers with the knowledge and skills to teach economics is impacting the life chances of young people. This much-needed new programme will enable more schools and colleges to offer economics and is an exciting and very welcome development.鈥�

The full report is available to download at

Teachers interested in signing up to the programme are asked to complete an .

Key Findings

• Contrary to common belief, and consistent with other recent large-scale studies, loneliness decreases with age. 29% of Gen Z feel lonely compared to 14% of Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation. Yet, most interventions still focus on the elderly 鈥� highlighting a gap for products, services, and workplace cultures that prioritise belonging amongst young people.
• Perhaps surprisingly, more than 50% of people find positive alone time a helpful way of overcoming loneliness 鈥� revealing a powerful opportunity for businesses to design environments, products, and experiences that support solitude, not just social interaction.
• 14% of people who completed the survey say they have nowhere to go when they feel lonely, but want to connect with others 鈥� a clear opportunity for businesses to create connection-friendly spaces in places such as caf茅s, retail stores, and offices.
• 60% report experiencing 鈥榬elational鈥� or 鈥榗ollective鈥� loneliness, not just 鈥榠ntimate鈥� loneliness 鈥� opening the door for brands to design experiences that foster everyday social connection.
• People not belonging to a group are 1.6x more likely to feel lonely 鈥� giving businesses a chance to build community through memberships, loyalty programs, and shared identity experiences.
• Dissatisfaction with income doubles the likelihood of loneliness, regardless of actual earnings 鈥� suggesting companies can drive loyalty and retention among their workforce by improving perceived financial well-being, not just financial status.

The report launch invites purpose-driven business leaders to join the Business vs. Loneliness change platform, working together with public and non-profit partners to help create a more connected world through business.

To access the report and for more information, visit . 

鈥淭he other circumstance for unwanted behaviour was while they were working in their first part-time job as a teenager, with adult male customers making sexual or otherwise inappropriate comments to them while they were working. A young girl working her first job probably isn鈥檛 going to feel able to challenge this behaviour or speak to someone about it.鈥�

Ms McFalone also carried out interviews with affected women. One told her she was 13 years old when she first was 鈥渃at-called in a school uniform鈥� by 鈥渇ully grown men.鈥� Another said: 鈥淚 worked for a pizza place as my first job 鈥� surprisingly the worst sort of male attention I got, which was borderline illegal, was when I was 15.鈥�

#BeeWell is a youth-centred programme led by 51福利社, The Gregson Family Foundation and Anna Freud. The #BeeWell survey listens to the voices of thousands of young people in secondary schools every year to understand and improve their wellbeing.

China recently of the world鈥檚 largest hydropower dam, across the Yarlung Tsangpo river in Tibet. When fully up and running, it will be the world鈥檚 largest power plant 鈥� by some distance.

Yet many are worried the dam will displace local people and cause huge environmental disruption. This is particularly the case in the downstream nations of India and Bangladesh, where that same river is known as the Brahmaputra.

The proposed dam highlights some of the geopolitical issues raised by rivers that cross international borders. Who owns the river itself, and who has the right to use its water? Do countries have obligations not to pollute shared rivers, or to keep their shipping lanes open? And when a drop of rain falls on a mountain, do farmers in a different country thousands of miles downstream have a claim to use it? Ultimately, we still don鈥檛 know enough about these questions of river rights and ownership to settle disputes easily.

The Yarlung Tsangpo begins on the Tibetan Plateau, in a region sometimes referred to as the world鈥檚 third pole as its glaciers contain the largest stores of ice outside of the Arctic and Antarctica. A series of huge rivers tumble down from the plateau and spread across south and south-east Asia. Well over a billion people depend on them, from Pakistan to Vietnam.

Yet the region is already under immense stress as global warming melts glaciers and changes rainfall patterns. Reduced water flow in the dry season, coupled with sudden releases of water during monsoons, could intensify both water scarcity and flooding, endangering millions in India and Bangladesh.

The construction of has historically disrupted river flows, displaced people, destroyed fragile ecosystems and increased risks of floods. The Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Dam will likely be no exception.

The dam will sit along the tectonic boundary where the Indian and Eurasian plates converge to form the Himalayas. This makes the region particularly vulnerable to earthquakes, , and .

Downstream, the Brahmaputra is one of south Asia鈥檚 mightiest rivers and has been integral to human civilisation for thousands of years. It鈥檚 one of the world鈥檚 most sediment-rich rivers, which helps form a huge and fertile delta.

Yet a dam of this scale would trap massive amounts of sediment upstream, disrupting its flow downstream. This could make farming less productive, threatening food security in one of the world鈥檚 most densely populated regions.

The Sundarbans mangrove forest, a Unesco World Heritage Site that stretches across most of coastal Bangladesh and a portion of India, is particularly vulnerable. Any disruption to the balance of sediment could accelerate coastal erosion and make the already low lying area more vulnerable to sea-level rise.

The Brahmaputra eventually flows into a region of fertile fields and mangrove forests. Sk Hasan Ali / shutterstock

Unfortunately, despite the transboundary nature of the Brahmaputra, there is no comprehensive treaty governing it. This lack of formal agreements complicates efforts to ensure China, India and Bangladesh share the water equitably and work together to prepare for disasters.

These sorts of agreements are perfectly possible: 14 countries plus the European Union are parties to a , for instance. But the Brahmaputra is not alone. Many transboundary rivers in the global south face similar neglect and inadequate research.

Researching rivers

In our recent study, colleagues and I analysed . We wanted to assess how much academic research there was on each, what themes it focused on, and how that varied depending on the type of river. We found that, while large rivers in the global north receive considerable academic attention, many equally important rivers in the global south remain overlooked.

What research there is in the global south is predominantly led by institutions from the global north. This dynamic influences research themes and locations, often sidelining the most pressing local issues. We found that research in the global north tends to focus on technical aspects of river management and governance, whereas studies in the global south primarily examine conflicts and resource competition.

In Asia, research is concentrated on large, geopolitically significant basins like the Mekong and Indus. Smaller rivers where water crises are most acute are often neglected. Something similar is happening in Africa, where studies focus on climate change and water-sharing disputes, yet a lack of infrastructure limits broader research efforts.

Small and medium-sized river basins, critical to millions of people in the global south, are among the most neglected in research. This oversight has serious real-world consequences. We still don鈥檛 know enough about water scarcity, pollution, and climate change impacts in these regions, which makes it harder to develop effective governance and threatens the livelihoods of everyone who depends on these rivers.

A more inclusive approach to research will ensure the sustainable management of transboundary rivers, safeguarding these vital resources for future generations.

, Leverhulme Early Career Fellow, Geography,
This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .

For years, nature has been blamed as a blocker of economic growth. After some ministerial about not letting get in the way of growth ambitions, the UK government released more details of its plans to .

The centrepiece of its aspirations to balance both nature and economic growth is a , to be set up in England through changes to habitat regulations. This should allow developers to stay within their legal obligations towards nature through a payment scheme without delaying their projects.

The is that, as an alternative to relocating important species or improving habitats on the site of a proposed development, a developer could pay into the nature restoration fund. This would pay for larger, more strategically located schemes to protect the species in question.

The fund simplifies and streamlines the regulations while collecting funds to promote more, bigger, better and increasingly .

Protecting nature is not just about bats and newts. According to trade association the Home Builders Federation (HBF), there are 160,000 homes being delayed by what are known as measures. These rules were a response to growing public concerns about land and water pollution caused by nutrient loads 鈥� pollutants such as nitrogen and phosphorus 鈥� associated with livestock farming and spillages from sewage works.

Government agency 74 local authorities that they should not allow any more house building in their areas unless this pollution could be mitigated. But this has led to lengthy and expensive project-by-project reviews to identify potential damage.

How will a fund help?

The fund will build on some schemes that are already known to work. One such scheme works for the protection of . Another successful scheme is project, working to protect and enhance heathland sites where rare birds such as nightingales breed. Crucially, this scheme allows new development to go ahead in adjacent areas.

The fund will be run by Natural England, which aims to draw on these experiences to unblock development at a large scale rather than at single-site level, pooling contributions from developers to pay for mitigation measures when there is a risk to nature.

If a particular 鈥渂locking鈥� issue is identified, experts from Natural England will produce a plan, which must be approved by the environment secretary. A levy on developers will then pay for mitigation measures 鈥渋n perpetuity鈥� (often 30 years), allowing the development to get under way.

Environmental experts have the general principles and approach of the nature restoration fund. But there has also been about whether the plan is well enough thought through. There are also questions on how well it will integrate with other schemes.

A widespread worry is for the future of 鈥� which includes measures for creating and improving using biodiversity units, effectively a form of 鈥渘ature market鈥�. This approach sets a target of 10% for biodiversity improvement based upon the combined distinctness, condition and significance of affected habitats over the lifetime of the development. But these measures are only just .

The concern is that providers of sites for these habitat banks 鈥� which might be councils, landowners, charities or private businesses, for example 鈥� might get cold feet and if they can鈥檛 be certain that their plans will be compatible with the nature restoration fund.

There is concern, too, about how payments from the nature restoration fund would be calculated. These will need to be locally appropriate and not pit nature restoration and biodiversity net gain against each other if, for example, landowners are forced to choose a particular scheme for their land that they are then . With two parallel systems in play, the relationship between them must be crystal clear, otherwise shared goals could be missed.

Another question is whether Natural England can be both regulator and financial beneficiary of the new scheme. There have been calls from some of those already involved in nature markets for some form of .

And it will also be vital that the new scheme respects what鈥檚 known as the 鈥渕itigation hierarchy鈥�. This hierarchy aims to avoid, reduce and then mitigate any impacts on nature on-site in that order. Then developers should consider off-site measures in areas where there could be greater .

But a danger here is that this could disconnect people from nature even further by mitigating ecological loss miles away from the site of the damage. This disconnection is considered to be a critical underlying cause of .

There is much to like about the nature restoration fund, but there is a risk that little will be achieved without the government showing genuine ambition and allocating enough money and staff to properly monitor and enforce it over the long term. Only time will tell whether it achieves the government鈥檚 goal of speeding up development.

At the moment, it is not clear how the fund will complement similar schemes and there is a danger of creating a complex patchwork in nature restoration funding. But if it works well, it could provide a richer funding ecosystem for nature recovery 鈥� a much-needed boost for England鈥檚 nature-depleted landscape.

, Professor, Urban and Environmental Planning and , Senior Lecturer in Planning and Environmental Management
This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .

Ali Oliver MBE, Chief Executive at Youth Sports Trust said:  
 
"At the Youth Sport Trust, we know a child's wellbeing is the foundation for their success, both in and out of the classroom, and physical activity including PE, sport and play is vital to their physical, social, and emotional development. When children are healthy and happy, they are ready to learn. It鈥檚 encouraging to see through these results more parents are recognising the critical link between wellbeing and academic and personal development, with many now prioritising it when choosing a secondary school. We believe measuring wellbeing can help track progress as well as ensuring support is targeted towards those with the greatest needs. 

鈥淭hrough our development of the Well School and Well School Trust movement, a growing collection of schools and trusts taking positive action to improve education outcomes by supporting the health and happiness of their staff and pupils, we are committed to helping make this a reality. In June, we鈥檙e introducing a free Well check service for schools which will help parents easily identify schools committed to nurturing wellbeing, while also supporting schools in creating environments where every young person can thrive physically, mentally, and emotionally."  

Ben Levinson OBE, executive headteacher at Kensington Primary School and chair of the Well school collective, said:

"As a parent, headteacher and chair of the Well School Collective, I have always been a strong advocate for prioritising children's wellbeing within schools. Supporting positive mental and physical health has been at the heart of my approach at Kensington Primary School, and I鈥檓 proud to say that this focus has played a key role in our Outstanding Ofsted grade. By establishing strong wellbeing practices in primary schools, we help parents see the importance of continuing this focus as they look ahead to secondary education. Wellbeing and school excellence are not competing priorities; they are complementary, essential elements that drive success. That is why it鈥檚 so encouraging to see more parents recognising this; when we support wellbeing, we鈥檙e creating the conditions for every young person to flourish, and it鈥檚 vital that schools and parents work together to make this a priority." 

The experts also say that investing in wellbeing is not just a moral imperative - it also makes economic sense. They point to research from  which highlights the substantial financial benefits of prioritising wellbeing, estimating that tackling low wellbeing among young people could deliver billions  
 
To find out more about the national wellbeing measurement programme campaign, visit .  

鈥淭hrough her work, Jackie has foregrounded disability inclusion, ensuring that disabled staff and students have a voice in shaping a more inclusive culture,鈥� said Vicki Baars, Head of Culture Transformation at Culture Shift. 鈥淪he truly leads by example and lives the principle of 鈥楴othing about us without us鈥� -  her work remains a vital force for creating lasting change at the university.鈥�

New findings from the latest #BeeWell survey highlight the importance of ensuring every young person has access to everyday support in their wider community. This supports the broader Live Well commitment which seeks to tackle inequalities and improve wellbeing for all residents across the city-region.

Since launching in 2021, the #BeeWell programme, a partnership between Greater 51福利社 Combined Authority (GMCA), the Gregson Family Foundation, 51福利社 and Anna Freud, has engaged almost 100,000 young people in Greater 51福利社 to listen to their needs, understand their wellbeing, and drive action to ensure they receive the support they need.

The report highlights areas where Live Well, Greater 51福利社鈥檚 innovative vision for a shift in how public services and community organisations collaborate, will play a crucial role in ensuring no young person is left behind.

One of the key findings in this year鈥檚 report identified urgent challenges around food insecurity, with one in ten young people reporting that on most days, food in their house didn鈥檛 last and there wasn鈥檛 enough money to buy more.  The survey also found that only one in ten young people are consuming the recommended 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day.

The #BeeWell Youth Steering Group highlighted the need for greater awareness of how nutrition affects energy levels and wellbeing, alongside increased support for families to make healthy choices.

Mayor of Greater 51福利社, Andy Burnham, said:

鈥淭he #BeeWell findings make it clearer than ever why our Live Well ambition is so important. We are listening to young people, and they are telling us that access to support in their neighbourhoods, safe spaces to go, and someone to talk to are vital to their wellbeing.

鈥淭hrough Live Well, we are ensuring that every young person, regardless of their background, can get the help they need to thrive. Wellbeing is everybody鈥檚 business, and Greater 51福利社 is leading the way in putting young people at the heart of this mission.鈥�

Physical activity among girls also remains a concern with the trend continuing from previous years, with just one in four girls meeting the Chief Medical Officer鈥檚 guideline of one hour of activity per day.

Young people raised concerns about the sports offered in PE, gendered PE kits that make participation uncomfortable, and a lack of access to free and enjoyable activities in the community.

Live Well will work alongside GM Moving, local councils, and community partners to address these challenges, removing barriers to participation and increasing opportunities for young people to stay active.

Hayley Lever, CEO of Greater 51福利社 (GM) Moving said:

鈥淢ovement, physical activity, and sport is fundamental to young people鈥檚 mental wellbeing.

鈥淭he #BeeWell findings highlight the urgent need to accelerate our collective efforts to make physical activity more accessible, inclusive, and enjoyable for all young people.

鈥淚鈥檓 so proud of #FeelGoodYourWay and how it shines a light on how movement, physical activity, and sport is changing young lives for the better.

鈥淭he right opportunities to move can transform a young person鈥檚 life.鈥�

The survey also identified that while 60% of young people feel like they belong at school, the report found lower levels of school belonging reported among girls and LGBTQ+ young people. It also showed lower scores for Year 10 pupils in metrics including sense of school belonging and feeling hope and optimism, when compared to Year 7s.

This drop-off in wellbeing and hope has been a large driver in the development of the Greater 51福利社 Baccalaureate (MBacc) which launched this year. The MBacc is transforming technical education in our city-region, supporting all our young people to fulfil their potential and help give them hope for the future.

This year鈥檚 survey introduced new measures on access to trusted adults, revealing that while 75% of young people say they have someone to talk to about their worries, boys are less likely to feel that they have someone to confide in than girls.

The #BeeWell Youth Steering believes that improving feelings of school belonging would have a positive impact on overall wellbeing, including increasing hope and optimism for the future.

Saint, from the #BeeWell Youth Steering Group, said:

鈥淚t is incredibly important that we run #BeeWell surveys so we can accurately determine where young people need more support.

鈥淏y analysing these key headlines, we can target the most significant factors impacting the mental wellbeing of young people and aim for improvements within those areas.

鈥淓very young person should be given the opportunity to flourish and succeed and ensuring this not only provides an environment of safety and belonging for the individual, but will collectively help us progress into a more cohesive and compassionate society in the long run.鈥�

The Live Well ambition aims to tackle these disparities head-on by ensuring every young person has somewhere to go and someone to talk to.

Councillor Mark Hunter, GMCA Portfolio Lead for Young People, said:

鈥淓very young person in Greater 51福利社 deserves access to great everyday support. The #BeeWell data provides us with the evidence we need to take action鈥攚hether that鈥檚 tackling inequalities in school belonging, increasing access to healthy food, or ensuring young people feel safe and supported in their communities.

鈥淲e want to bring services and communities together to make our vision for Greater 51福利社 a reality, and we are committed to making a real difference to young people鈥檚 lives across our city region.鈥�

In response to the findings, #BeeWell will work with Greater 51福利社鈥檚 ten local authorities to support the development of an action plan to improve young people鈥檚 wellbeing across the city-region.

An event will be held in the coming weeks bringing together young people, schools, and community partners to co-design a plan for action based on the #BeeWell insights.

The Summit reinforced that tackling the inequalities that shape how we age, linked to place, gender, class, race, disability and migration, must be central to age-friendly work. MUARG's ongoing work is crucial in driving research and collaboration to improve the experience of ageing and to build fairer, more inclusive and connected cities for all. 

Learn more about the 51福利社 Urban Ageing Research Group鈥檚 work in building an age-friendly future by .

Also named as a Fellow is Professor Toni Haastrup, a leading expert in feminist international studies. Her work has explored contemporary Africa-EU relations, feminist foreign policy and the Women, Peace and Security agenda. With over 80 published works, her work seeks to bridge theory and practice, which has led to collaborations with UN agencies and EU institutions. Passionate about inclusion in the sector, Toni is currently chair of the . Her contribution to feminist knowledge in Europe was recognised with an Emma Goldman Award in 2022. She is also a mid-career fellow of the Independent Social Research Foundation.

鈥淚 am deeply honoured to be recognised by the Academy of Social Sciences,鈥� Toni said. 鈥淭his recognition further validates the importance of feminist perspectives within the humanities and social sciences, at a time we are increasingly seeing a backlash within and outside the academy. Yet, this work is essential to addressing some of the most pressing challenges of our time, and I am grateful to the colleagues and collaborators who have supported my work over the years.鈥�

Our final new Fellow is Professor Sophie Woodward, a distinguished sociologist who carries out research into material culture, consumption and everyday life. Sophie is the author of several books including Why Women Wear What They Wear (2007), Blue Jeans: The Art of the Ordinary (2012), Birth and Death: experience, ethics and politics (2020) and Material Methods: Researching and Thinking with Things (2019) who co-directs the , as well as serving as Vice-Director of the National Centre for Research Methods (NCRM). She is also one of the founding editors of the new Journal of Creative Research methods. 

鈥淚 am delighted to be made a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences - it is wonderful to receive recognition like this,鈥� said Sophie. 鈥淚 look forward to working with other fellows at a time when the world needs social science methods, perspectives and critiques more than ever. I look forward to continuing to develop critical engagements with methods and the data they can generate and my research into everyday lives.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 delighted to welcome these outstanding social scientists to the Academy鈥檚 Fellowship, whose research and practice are helping to develop solutions to pressing societal issues,鈥� said Will Hutton, President of the Academy. 鈥淲e look forward to working with them to further promote the vital role the social sciences play in all areas of our lives.鈥�

To secure the future of bus services, the expert panel has put forward a series of recommendations including investment in more frequent and reliable buses, long-term funding settlements, a new statutory requirement to provide socially necessary services and continued support for affordable fares.

The panel urged the Transport Select Committee to ensure their report to the Government includes a focus on the 鈥榝our As鈥� - Availability, Accessibility, Affordability, and Acceptability. Without addressing these key issues, they point out that millions of people will continue to face transport-related exclusion.

鈥淏uses are an essential public service, yet too many communities are cut off from the bus network - this needs to change,鈥� said Silviya Barrett from Campaign for Better Transport. 鈥淭he Government must identify gaps in the current network, provide targeted funding to plug those gaps and introduce of a 鈥榖us service guarantee鈥� to ensure all communities have access to a good, affordable and reliable bus service in the future.鈥�

鈥淭here is an urgent need for reform,鈥� added Professor Lucas. 鈥淚f the Government takes action now, we can create a sustainable, well-connected bus network that benefits communities, the economy, and public health.鈥�

As the honorary chair of creative writing, Lemn will joined by fellow judges John McAuliffe, Professor of Poetry at 51福利社 and 51福利社-based poet and critic, Maryam Hessavi.

The theme for 2025 is 鈥�51福利社ions鈥� and the challenge is simple - write a 鈥榤icro poem鈥� of no more than 280 characters, and submit using the official competition entry form.

Lemn said: 鈥淭he Micropoetry Competition sets a wonderful yet challenging task of translating a theme into a short work of art. It鈥檚 a craft to tell a story in such a manner and I鈥檓 looking forward to reading the 2025 entries, centred around the chosen theme. As someone who published a book of tweets in the form of quatrains, I urge you to pen your poem and enter the competition.鈥�

Entries must be submitted by 23:59 on Saturday 21 June 2025, with winners to be announced by Friday 25 July 2025.

Prizes will be awarded for first place (拢500) and the two runners-up (拢250), with a 拢25 book token for winner of the under-18s category.

Professor of Poetry at 51福利社, John McAuliffe, said: "World Poetry Day celebrates all that is fascinating about poetry and its manifold forms. Our Micropoetry Competition explores the art of translating a set theme into a condensed poem that captures attention and shares a story.鈥�

For the full entry details as well as the terms and conditions, 

The most recent statistics show that violence against women and girls affects one in 12 women in . A quarter of domestic abuse incidents reported to police involve known, repeat perpetrators. But despite being to identify and control the most serious perpetrators, police do not currently have systems good enough to do that.

Currently, police forces use an algorithm to determine which offenders pose the greatest risk to women and girls. This is known as the 鈥� perpetrators are propelled up or down a list based on the recency, frequency, gravity (seriousness) of reported incidents, and the vulnerability of the victim.

The gap in this approach is that it largely treats incidents as isolated, when they should be looked at as a whole. Research has also found it is used between forces.

Most police perpetrator lists contain hundreds or even thousands of people, making them difficult tools to use. They also do not seem to be able to distinguish who the most serious offenders are, with men with very similar profiles near the top, middle and bottom of the lists.

We propose an , which would assess the whole of a perpetrator鈥檚 record of incidents. This would allow police to identify not only the most dangerous perpetrators, but also opportunities to better address their offending earlier on. This might be with diversion to programmes designed to support better choices and rehabilitation, or arrest and incarceration to prevent them harming other people.

By joining together incidents recorded by police for individual perpetrators, we constructed detailed case studies using police officer鈥檚 notes. Here is a summary of two people who appear in one force鈥檚 perpetrator list.

1. Male born mid 1980s, involved in 340 incidents over 20 years

His offending begins with an indecent assault on a young teenage girl when he is 19. He is increasingly involved in drug-related offending in his 20s. He is later sentenced to six years in jail for arson endangering life. Released on conditional licence, he is re-convicted of the harassment of his ex-partner and recalled to prison.

Release is followed by further offences until the mid-2010s when he is imprisoned again. When released, his offending is erratic (low-level public order, violence, threats, drug-related offending).

Throughout his 30s, he frequently victimises partners and ex-partners. He has no settled address and is homeless at various points of his life. He is still subject to frequent mental health episodes.

2. Male born early 1980s, involved in 396 incidents over 25 years

In his teens he was involved in low-level thefts, criminal damage and breaches of an antisocial behaviour order. He was also suspected of selling drugs to schoolchildren, and imprisoned, aged 18, for drug-related violence.

In his 20s he 鈥渁ssociates with鈥� children and is found with a missing vulnerable schoolgirl hiding in his house. He continues to commit offences of criminal damage, drug dealing, and stealing vehicles. Another missing teenage girl is found to be living with him.

In his early 20s he very violently assaults and harasses much younger partners. He continues to commit public order offences and to threaten, harass, and assault current and ex-partners, kicking his pregnant partner in the stomach.

In the early 2020s, police attend his ex-partner鈥檚 house following abandoned 999 calls 鈥� they find him with his hand over her mouth to stop her calling out to the police. He continues to be violent to ex-partners and his involvement in drug-related offending deepens. He is currently in prison for a violent offence.

Who is the danger?

Both men pose a real and severe threat of violence to women and girls as well as the public. But the RFGV algorithm places the first man more than a thousand places higher than the second. Clearly treating the offences they commit in isolation is not sufficient to distinguish which man poses the greatest risk.

A life-course approach, which takes into account the type and pattern of offending as it develops over time, is less susceptible to fluctuations which move an offender rapidly up or down the priority lists. Therefore, it more reliably reflects who poses the greatest risk.

A better ranking system is clearly required. The RFGV algorithm provides a 鈥渟core鈥�, but a more sophisticated system would also evaluate the direction of offending of individuals 鈥� is it escalating, more frequent, more serious?

A life-course approach could be used separately or together with RFGV to allow police analysts to identify the most serious perpetrators. It may also be possible to use artificial intelligence to identify trends in offending and escalation of risk through analysis of thousands of police incident reports in real time.

The system could then identify opportunities for which have been shown to be effective in reducing re-offending against current and future victims. It could also automatically trigger warnings to neighbourhood officers, specialist domestic abuse-trained officers, mental health services and so on.

We won鈥檛 really know the full capability until new systems are tried, and evaluated. This also means including the voices of survivors and focusing on the lives of persistent perpetrators 鈥� often substance use, homelessness, estrangement, imprisonment and mental health problems are at play. The possibilities of learning from artificial intelligence or other technology should not be privileged over the very sources of the data such intelligence relies upon: victims鈥� experiences.

, Professor of Criminology, and , Professor of Social Justice,  
This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .

The UK government has published its , a cornerstone of its strategy for growth. The bill aims to and includes the hugely ambitious target of building in England over this parliament.

The bill is ambitious in scope 鈥� 160 pages long and very technical. But what does it promise exactly?

On , it outlines reforms to limit vexatious repeat use of judicial review to block development. There are also some measures for a stronger electricity grid to ease the move towards renewable energy. While the plan to reward people living with 拢250 off their bills grabbed headlines, just as important are measures for energy storage to level out peaks in demand and supply.

On the side, planning departments will be allowed to charge more to those making applications. This should speed up decisions by funding more planning officer roles. But there are no measures to increase funding for drawing up local plans. This is important because councils often fall behind schedule in producing these. And where there is no up-to-date plan, there is a danger that developers will push through controversial proposals.

The bill also provides for more decisions to be delegated to planning officials rather than planning committees 鈥� this means council staff rather than elected representatives. This already happens for smaller planning applications, so is not entirely new. But it does raise concerns about democratic scrutiny.

The government argues that local democracy will not be undermined, as planning officers will be making their decisions in the context of democratically approved local plans as well as national legislation. But this could be misleading, unless planning authorities have the funds to update local plans regularly.

There are also changes to existing legislation, to support the building of new towns. Particularly welcome is the responsibility on development corporations 鈥� government organisations dealing with urban development 鈥� to consider climate change and design quality. This is in order to hit net-zero targets and avoid cookie-cutter housing estates.

Other measures are aimed at ensuring appropriate infrastructure is built to serve these new towns.

There are changes planned too on when orders can be used to buy sites that are broadly to be used for the public good. This could be for affordable homes, health or education facilities, for instance. It would work by reducing payments to the actual value of the land rather than its 鈥渉ope value鈥� (when landholders hold out for price rises once planning permission is granted).

There is also a commitment to creating a fund, which the government hopes will overcome some of the delays to approving new housing caused by potential threats to wildlife.

The fund will aim to unblock development in general rather than specific sites, as happens at the moment, and will pool contributions from developers to fund nature recovery. Where there are concerns for wildlife, experts will develop a long-term mitigation plan that will be paid for by the fund while allowing the development to go ahead in the meantime.

Will it work?

As a professor of urban and environmental planning, the question for me is will the bill encourage development to progress more speedily? Almost certainly 鈥� probably mostly in terms of bringing forward improvements to critical national infrastructure schemes such as the electric grid. For residential development, some incremental speeding up is likely as developers crave certainty in planning decisions.

But on their own, these measures are unlikely to be enough to provide the 1.5 million new homes set out in the government鈥檚 target. They offer nothing to tackle critical bottlenecks in terms of both . It is also difficult to see the target being met without much more government involvement 鈥� by building social housing in particular.

Will the bill result in better quality development? There is surprisingly little in the plans about improving design quality, other than in areas. This is disappointing, and a missed opportunity to ensure that developers raise their game in residential building and neighbourhood quality.

And might it override local democracy? Arguably yes, but in practice not as much as some critics might argue. Most of the reforms are finessing existing practices, such as delegated powers to planning officers. Much depends on what the national government guidance turns out to be.

The biggest concern is that it might increase invisible political pressures on planning officers by councillors and senior officials. It would have been good to have seen more measures to protect their independence and professional judgement.

Hopefully the bill will speed up delivery of nationally important schemes for critical infrastructure. This means things like modernising the electricity grid and removing repeated use of judicial review to block a development. These elements should create jobs sooner and support economic growth.

Where the bill will make absolutely no difference is in improving living standards for people with older homes. This bill is focused on new builds and has little to offer those hoping for support in retrofitting ageing housing stock with more energy-efficient features or creating green spaces in areas where new development is increasingly in demand.

Despite some of the ministerial bluster about , much of the content of this bill is not about removing planning regulations. It is much more about improving them. Some measures will work better than others, but overall, given the government鈥檚 electoral mandate to deliver growth and protect the environment, this is a reasonable balancing act.

It鈥檚 unlikely to deliver much growth in its own right, but as an enabler of growth, it is promising. More worrying is whether it will lead to poor-quality housing built at pace and massive scale to inadequate energy-efficiency and design standards. This would fail to deliver on net-zero and biodiversity ambitions. It is very much a minor win for facilitating growth, but for nature it is nothing more than maintaining the status quo.

, Professor, Urban and Environmental Planning,
This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .

The River Rescue Kit is designed to support individuals and grassroots organisations in holding polluters and policymakers accountable. It offers guidance on gathering water quality data, lobbying decision-makers and raising public awareness.

Professor Woodward highlights the impact of groups like Windrush Against Sewage Pollution (WASP), whose campaigning efforts have brought national attention to the issue and helped shift public and political discourse. 鈥淐ommunity activism works,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e need more people to step up, challenge the status quo, and demand urgent action to clean up our rivers.鈥�

River Action and Professor Woodward urge the public to engage with the River Rescue Kit and join the fight against river pollution. By equipping communities with specialist knowledge and tools, this initiative aims to drive meaningful change and restore the UK鈥檚 rivers to health.

For more information and to access the River Rescue Kit, visit . 

In addition to her fiction, Sarah frequently publishes journalistic reviews, op-eds and provocations; she has written feature length radio plays and scripts and adapted her own work for radio. She commentates for culture programmes including primetime shows on BBC Radio 3 and 4 and has presented radio and television documentaries for the BBC and Sky Arts. Currently, Sarah is working on a film adaptation of The Wolf Border with AC Chapter One/Climate Spring and an original TV series concept for Bonafide Films.

Sarah was previously Professor of Practice at the University of Cumbria, and has taught masterclasses and workshops for The Arvon Foundation, The Faber Academy, The Guardian, and universities including Cambridge and St. Andrews.

For more information about the centre, please visit  

The partnership paves the way for collaborative research and teaching initiatives between two world-leading universities. Both universities recognise the importance of global engagement and the shared research expertise across the disciplines including engineering, nanotechnologies, cancer research, digital humanities, social sciences and creative industries.

The partnership builds upon joint research projects already in progress, with a view to expanding and fostering new initiatives.

The signing took place at a 鈥楳eet the Mayors鈥� event at the University of Texas LBJ School of Public Affairs in Austin, Texas, attended by Mayor of Greater 51福利社, Andy Burnham. Mr Burnham signed the Austin-51福利社 鈥楽ister Cities鈥� Memorandum of Understanding with the Mayor of Austin on 7 March, officially forging a friendship between the two cities.

Also in attendance at the signing was Bev Craig, Leader of 51福利社 City Council and an alumnus of 51福利社.

Professor Angelia Wilson, Faculty of Humanities Associate Dean for International, led the delegation from 51福利社 which included senior academics and leads for business engagement. The delegation joined other colleagues from 51福利社 at the South by Southwest Expo 2025 where the University hosted two panels on: 鈥楽econd Cities: Culture Beyond the Capital鈥� and 鈥楢rt Not Evidence: Free Expression on Trial鈥�.

Professor Stephen Flint, Associate Vice-President International, said: 鈥淚 am delighted we have signed this strategic partnership with the University of Texas at Austin, a powerful and innovative university in a creative city that draws parallels to 51福利社 and the powerhouse city we call home.

鈥淭his new relationship with the University of Texas at Austin will make an impact across all of our faculties. We look forward to driving forward collaborative research and enhanced opportunities for two-way student and staff mobility, as we work together to tackle key global challenges."

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater 51福利社, said: 鈥淭he new partnership between 51福利社 and the University of Texas is really exciting and a valuable outcome from Greater 51福利社鈥檚 visit to Texas.

鈥淏oth institutions are powerhouses of innovative research, and contribute a great deal to their regional economies 鈥� through commercialising start-ups and spin-outs and wider business support. Combining their expertise can only lead to significant economic and educational benefits for both places.鈥�

Sonia Feigenbaum, Senior Vice Provost for Global Engagement and Chief International Officer at The University of Texas at Austin said: "The University of Texas at Austin is proud to formalize this partnership with 51福利社, a renowned institution in a city that mirrors Austin鈥檚 creative energy and spirit of innovation. By bringing together our expertise across disciplines, this collaboration will spark groundbreaking research and new opportunities for students and faculty on both sides of the Atlantic."

51福利社 is recognised globally for its pioneering research, outstanding teaching and learning, and commitment to social responsibility. We are a truly international university 鈥� ranking in the top 50 in a range of global rankings 鈥� and our community includes more than 44,000 students, 12,000 staff, and 550,000 alumni from 190 countries working together to tackle the world's biggest challenges.

Sign up for our e-news to hear first-hand about our international partnerships and activities across the globe.

51福利社鈥檚 Professor Joyce Tyldesley OBE has won the 2025 Archaeologist of the Year award, as voted for by readers of Current Archaeology magazine.

As Professor of Egyptology, Joyce has a career-long determination to make the past accessible to all. With support from the Egyptology team, Joyce has developed a pioneering suite of online programmes designed to reach students who, for various reasons, could not attend traditional, face-to-face lectures.

Joyce studied the archaeology of the Eastern Mediterranean at Liverpool University, then obtained a D.Phil in prehistoric archaeology from Oxford University. She holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Bolton and is a Research Associate of the 51福利社 Museum. Joyce is also a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. In 2024, she was awarded the OBE in recognition of her services to Egyptology and heritage.

Dr Nicky Nielsen, Senior Lecturer in Egyptology at 51福利社, said: 鈥淭his is a very well-deserved honour. Professor Tyldesley has shaped the study of Egyptian archaeology here at 51福利社 for decades, as well as her extensive work in outreach and scholarly communication, and it鈥檚 wonderful to see her get recognition from the wider field.鈥�

The Current Archaeology awards celebrate the projects and publications that made the pages of the magazine over the past 12 months, and the people shortlisted have made outstanding contributions to archaeology. The awards were voted for by the public, with Joyce being named the people鈥檚 winner at the ceremony on Saturday 1 March.

"Joyce鈥檚 work and its impact are highly valued by all her colleagues in the department, and the University as a whole," said Professor Peter Liddel, Head of Classics, Ancient History, Archaeology and Egyptology. 鈥�Congratulations Joyce on another hugely deserved recognition of your achievements and contributions.鈥�

Reflecting her interest in outreach, Joyce has published a series of books and articles on ancient Egypt, including three television tie-in books and Cleopatra, Last Queen of Egypt, which was a Radio 4 "Book of the Week". Her book Tutankhamen: The Search for an Egyptian King, won the Felicia A Holton Book Award from the Archaeological Institute of America.

Professor Carter鈥檚 remarks reinforced the essential role that data plays in driving social change. The Pankhurst-Fawcett Scorecard has been a crucial tool for measuring progress across key sectors, identifying both victories and areas where further action is needed. This year鈥檚 findings provided insights into persistent gender disparities while also highlighting positive strides towards equality.

The event featured dynamic discussions, including a keynote address from Professor Helen Pankhurst - a direct descendant of Emmeline and Sylvia Pankhurst - who echoed Professor Carter鈥檚 message, stating: 鈥淭urning data into action is our greatest challenge and opportunity.鈥�

As the event concluded, GM4Women2028 reaffirmed its commitment to pushing for systemic change. The next Dialogue and Action Event will take place in Bolton on Saturday, July 5, providing another opportunity for communities, policymakers and activists to collaborate and plan actionable solutions.

鈥淯krainians will not react well to attempts to undermine their views and preferences and will rally behind their leaders," Olga added. "Opposition forces will also find a way to come together and show unity - everyone in Ukraine understands what is as stake - it is an existential matter. Ukrainians have been fighting to protect their independence for years, and they will not give up now.鈥�

鈥淏y inventing low approval ratings, Trump is preparing the ground for a call for quick elections in Ukraine - in line with Putin鈥榮 references to Zelensky as an illegitimate president and negotiation partner,鈥� said Gwendolyn Sasse. 鈥淥ur findings show that for Ukrainians, holding elections now is not a preferred priority.鈥�

鈥淲hen the war ends, we can expect normal political competition to reemerge if Ukraine remains free,鈥� added Henry Hale. 鈥淏ut with the Russian threat still looming large, Ukrainians continue to rally strongly around their leader.鈥�

As Ukraine continues to resist Russian aggression and misinformation campaigns, the researchers say these must be called out and rejected. Their findings demonstrate that Ukraine still stands with Zelensky, and they say that efforts to delegitimise him only serve the interests of Vladimir Putin.

Beyond medicine and science, this research has real-world implications for everyday people. If synDNA is widely adopted, it could lead to groundbreaking medical treatments and innovations, such as designing genes to combat hereditary diseases. 

However, it also raises concerns about genetic privacy, ownership, and potential misuse. Could individuals鈥� genetic information be recreated without their permission? How might this affect legal rights or personal identity?

The researchers emphasise the need for governments, policymakers and scientists to collaborate on ethical guidelines to ensure responsible development and use of synDNA. By addressing these issues now, society can prepare for the transformative impact this technology may have on healthcare, reproduction and human identity itself.

The study was funded by the V铆ctor Gr铆fols i Lucas Foundation.

These findings underscore the importance of addressing sleep issues to support the mental health of young people and that gender is an important factor when considering how sleep and wellbeing are connected. 

The #BeeWell survey, which made this study possible, continues to provide valuable insights into the lives of young people, informing better policies and practices to improve outcomes. The programme is a collaboration between 51福利社, The Gregson Family Foundation, and Anna Freud. Visit  to find out more.

鈥淧aul鈥檚 book offers a profound insight into his experiences, challenges and triumphs, serving as a beacon of inspiration for people facing similar obstacles 鈥� we are proud he chose 51福利社 to be the place where he launches his book,鈥� said Professor Jackie Carter.

鈥淚 run the Disabled Staff Network and Disabled PGR group, and it is amazing how far the University has progressed in the past two years in its mission to promote disability inclusion and empowerment,鈥� said Laura Howard. 鈥淲hat people like Jackie Carter, Kathy Bradley and Melissa Westwood have achieved in that time is mind-blowing - they've managed to raise the profile of disability so much that we now get departments coming to us to seek feedback on ways they can improve.鈥�

For more information about 51福利社's initiatives in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, visit the .

The researchers stress the importance of combining global efforts to reduce emissions with localised strategies to adapt land management practices and safeguard ecosystems.

The University of Derby鈥檚 Dr Kirsten Lees, who is also co-author of the report, added: 鈥淧eatland resilience is an important area of research, as these ecosystems store vast amounts of carbon alongside providing a range of other services. Restoration of areas which are in poor condition is key to protecting these carbon stores. Our research shows that future changes in climate are a vital consideration when planning restoration projects, to ensure that work is targeted towards areas where peatlands can thrive.鈥� 

Developed by the Institute鈥檚 eight Productivity Forums across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, the regional agenda builds on its . It calls for better alignment of national pro-productivity policies, including investment, innovation, skills, trade, and foreign direct investment, with those of regional bodies and local authorities. Additionally, it emphasizes the need for coordination and selectiveness on the implementation of the industrial strategy and devolution deals.

The report emphasises the importance of scaling up powers for local authorities, particularly (Mayoral) Combined Authorities, to enact pro-productivity policies and align their growth strategy with the national Industrial Strategy and other initiatives to strengthen productivity and growth in the UK.

The Productivity Institute researchers find that while there has been some narrowing of productivity gaps between regions in recent years, this is partly due to improved performance in regions like the South East, North West, North East, and Northern Ireland, and partly due to a decline in productivity in London, a trend worsened by the pandemic.

Andy Westwood, policy director of The Productivity Institute said: 鈥溾€楾he national industrial strategy involves choices between places as well as sectors and that might involve scaling up in some rather than others depending on the clusters and their growth potential. Co-ordination might also seek to align planning and housing, including the location of new towns, with places that are most in need of human capital, for example in second tier cities.鈥�

The launch of the Regional Productivity Agenda, which is built on eight reports offering a detailed overview of productivity developments and policy recommendations for each region and devolved nation, coincides with this year鈥檚 National Productivity Week from January 27 to January 31. It will run a series of regional events held to discuss the productivity challenges holding back the UK鈥檚 regions and how to address them

The week鈥檚 events will see high profile policymakers, academics, business leaders and local politicians debate regional productivity disparities, the role of the public and private sectors in driving productivity growth, best-practice management skills and working practices, and technology.

National Productivity Week has been organised by The Productivity Institute, a public-funded research body headquartered at the University of 51福利社. It was established in 2020 to address the UK鈥檚 long-held productivity challenges that have been prevalent for almost two decades. Between 2009 and 2019, Britain鈥檚 productivity growth rate was the second slowest in the G7. In 2024 output per hour worked was about 10 percent below the average for France and Germany and almost 20 percent below the level in the United States.

The study argues that these tactics distract from the urgent need to upgrade ageing infrastructure, much of which was built in the 20th century. The companies - 70 per cent of which are owned by foreign investors - have reportedly distributed 拢76 billion to shareholders since privatisation in 1989, while building up over 拢56 billion in debt and neglecting vital upgrades.

鈥淭hese companies have adopted a playbook of denial, deflection, and distraction, similar to other major polluting industries, to protect profits at the expense of the environment and public health鈥� added Professor Alex Ford from the University of Portsmouth. 

The paper calls for stricter regulation of industry communications to combat greenwashing and misinformation, and urges policymakers to prioritise transparency to safeguard water security in the face of climate change. The authors also highlight the need for greater investment in sustainable solutions, such as restoring wetlands, alongside modernising sewerage systems. 

鈥淭he financial exploitation of water resources in England raises globally important issues around water security and environmental stewardship,鈥� added Professor Woodward. 鈥淭here needs to be much more careful scrutiny of water company communications and of the organisations and individuals responsible for environmental management.鈥�

The paper, Water industry strategies to manufacture doubt and deflect blame for sewage pollution in England, is published in Nature Water:

The 2024 general election was the first in the UK鈥檚 history to be run under a system of voter ID. When heading to the polling station, people could only vote if they proved their identity first. This was the result of a law brought in in 2023 and that had already applied to local elections in England that year.

Using data from the , we tracked people eligible to vote between 2023 and 2024 and that 5% of people eligible to vote 鈥� nearly 2 million people 鈥� didn鈥檛 own any recognised voter identification. This lack of ID was concentrated among poorer and less educated voters.

Of course, lacking photographic ID is not necessarily a permanent state. Some people will have been in the process of renewing passports and driving licences during this period. All of these people would also have been eligible for a voter authority certificate, a form of identification brought in with the new law 鈥� although we found take up of these was low.

We found that around 0.5% of all voters reported being turned away at polling stations as a result of lacking ID in the local elections of 2023. We also found that four times as many people (around 2%) reported not voting because they knew they didn鈥檛 have the right ID.

The equivalent figures were slightly lower at the general election of 2024, but a meaningful contingent still did not participate. Around 1.3% of electors 鈥� or over half a million people 鈥� were turned away or didn鈥檛 show up at all because of voter identification requirements.

While administrative records can provide accurate numbers about how many people were turned away at the polling station, they tell us little about people who were discouraged from even trying to vote because they didn鈥檛 have the right ID. So it is clear from our analysis that the impact of voter ID on turnout is likely larger than previous estimates based on polling station returns.

Who benefits?

We also found that the Conservatives were more likely to benefit from the voter ID law than other parties.

This is not surprising when we consider demographic factors. , Conservative voters are more likely to own ID, because they are more likely to be older and more affluent. Despite changes in social patterns of party support since the 2016 Brexit referendum, this pattern still holds true.

The types of identification which are allowed under the new law 鈥� and especially the decision to allow older people but not younger people to use travel passes 鈥� exacerbates these differences.

Who didn鈥檛 have ID? 

The chart above shows the percentage lacking photo ID by general election vote intention, as measured in May 2023 (lighter bars) and May 2024 (shaded bars), shortly before the general election was called.

In 2024, only 2.4% of Conservative supporters were likely to not have photo ID, while 3.8% of Labour supporters and 4.1% of Reform supporters were lacking.

One notable difference is an increase in Liberal Democrats and non-voters with no photo identification in 2024, although this is almost entirely due to a change in the number of people supporting the Liberal Democrats or deciding not to vote rather than changes in people鈥檚 actual ownership of ID.

Liberal Democrat voters had the lowest proportion of supporters without voter ID in 2023 (1.3%), but in 2024, the Liberal Democrat rate exceeded that of the Conservatives (2.9%).

There are still opportunities to posed by voter ID. Ahead of the next election the new government should extend the forms of identification allowed (especially for those younger than state pension age).

Improving public awareness around the law and the availability of voter authority certificates is another important step. There are also suggestions that a system of who don鈥檛 have voter ID would be an option.

In an electorate of 49 million, if almost two million aren鈥檛 able to vote because they don鈥檛 have the right ID, there is a problem. Those interested in building trust in our democracy should consider not only minimising electoral fraud but reducing this number by as much as possible.

, Leverhulme Early Career Fellow in Politics, and , Professor of Social and Political Science, and Principal Investigator of the British Election Study,

This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .

鈥�This lecture series honours him and marks a deepening relationship between our University and leading human rights barristers鈥� chambers Garden Court North,鈥� said Professor Eithne Quinn. 鈥淒avid delivering the first lecture highlights his decades of investigations and reporting on the Hillsborough families' justice campaign. This event will expose the urgent need for the landmark 鈥楬illsborough Law鈥� and raise vital questions about legal reform.鈥�

鈥�Mark was many things 鈥� a radical barrister, formidable advocate, opponent of the death penalty, lifelong socialist, student of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic Studies at Cambridge, and Chelsea FC supporter 鈥� but above all, a man of integrity, kindness, and wisdom," said Pete Weatherby KC from Garden Court Chambers. 鈥滺e combined humanity with fierce intellectual commitment. Whether defending protesters or representing Hillsborough families, Mark gave everything to his clients."

鈥�Mark is a much-missed friend and colleague, and I am glad that a lecture being held in his memory will highlight the importance of the Hillsborough Law - if was in place in 1989, the truth could not have been concealed. Those hiding it would have known they鈥檇 be found out and prosecuted. This sophisticated bill has a clear purpose and should be urgently introduced.鈥�

The event will take place at 51福利社鈥檚 Alliance 51福利社 Business School, followed by a drinks reception and buffet open to all attendees. To register for a free ticket, .

"The online world offers immense opportunities for young people to connect and learn - ensuring they can do so in an environment which puts their safety first is my priority and will guide this government鈥檚 action on online safety,鈥� said Technology Secretary Peter Kyle. 鈥淭his vital research will build a trusted evidence base for future action, helping us to protect and empower the next generation towards a safer and more positive digital future."

The study was published by the Journal of Youth and Adolescence, and is available to view .

That鈥檚 according to a new peer-reviewed paper which is the latest to raise concerns about the competition鈥檚 Owners' and Directors' Test 鈥� colloquially known as the 鈥楩it and Proper鈥� test 鈥� saying 鈥渃omplex and opaque structures permit the misuse of EPL club ownership for the channelling of illicit finances鈥�.

Criminology experts from 51福利社, who led the study, say their findings demonstrate 鈥渃onditions which are known to be associated with the use of organisational structures for illicit activities in the ownership structures of many EPL clubs鈥�.

Such conditions include the 鈥渨idespread use of various legal entities and traditional 鈥榮ecrecy鈥� jurisdictions鈥� that can hide who owners and investors are, as well as the presence of unnecessarily complex arrangements, and an absence of information on who all the owners actually are.

They state the current Owners鈥� and Directors鈥� Test does not do enough to prevent potential new owners and investors from withholding the source of their funds, 鈥渨hich could be from illicit activities鈥�.

The test, they state, also does not prevent investors from concealing 鈥渢he nature of particular transactions, which could involve violations鈥�, nor obscuring the 鈥渁ctual investors or owners of clubs, who may be unscrupulous actors looking to conceal their illicit funds or intentions鈥�.

Reporting in the journal , co-author Nicholas Lord, a Professor of Criminology at 51福利社鈥檚 School of Social Sciences, says these enabling conditions require further 鈥渟crutiny by responsible regulators鈥�.

鈥淭he obscuring of transparency around the ownership chains and networks presents significant obstacles to regulators seeking to assess the suitability of individuals and owners for football club ownership.

鈥淭he conditions of EPL (English Premier League) ownership structures in itself does not imply anything inappropriate is taking place, but these conditions make it possible for some people, who may be motivated to do so, to use ownership structures to obscure key information.

鈥淭he conditions we found are known to be associated with the use of organisational structures for illicit activities, such as money laundering, and are reflected in the ownership structures of many EPL clubs.鈥�

Co-author Dr Pete Duncan, who recently completed his PhD in the Department of Criminology, adds: 鈥�12 of the 20 clubs have at least 10% of their holdings, which 鈥� due to secrecy provisions 鈥� cannot be formally traced back to their beneficial owners. 

The experts launched their study 鈥渕otivated by recent concerns regarding links between football and illicit finance鈥�.

They searched the academic literature to identify conditions regularly observed in cases of money laundering and illicit financial management. They then collected and analysed data from the ORBIS portal (a database of over 489 million companies from 170 sources) and the 2023/24 EPL Handbook to qualitatively determine whether club ownership structures 鈥渟hared common conditions with structures which enable the management of illicit finance鈥�. The aim was to examine whether conditions that are often present in cases of illicit financial flows could also generate 鈥渢he potential for illicit financial management through EPL clubs鈥�.

They also assessed the ownership structures of each club, noting down the number of corporate or other non-natural person entities in each club ownership chain; the incorporation of holding companies in non-UK jurisdictions; the number and types of different legal entities composing each club鈥檚 organisational structure; and whether over 90% of holdings in each club could be attributed to natural persons. They then extracted the 鈥榮ecrecy score鈥� measure of the 2022 Financial Secrecy Index for each related jurisdiction used from the Tax Justice Network鈥檚 (2022) webpage.

Findings demonstrate that 51福利社 United had the greatest number of legal entities in its ownership chain (13), followed by Crystal Palace and 51福利社 City (both 11).

Also, the experts found 14 clubs have at least one corporate entity in the structure incorporated overseas (including in Jersey). When considered proportionally, Bournemouth, Wolves and Liverpool are the clubs with the greatest proportions of their ownership structures made up of overseas-based corporate or other legal entities 鈥� where most score relatively highly on the TJN鈥檚 鈥榮ecrecy score鈥� scale.

鈥淲hilst it might be understandable for an overseas beneficial owner to own an EPL club via a holding company incorporated in the overseas jurisdiction they reside in, the combined use of multiple secrecy jurisdictions and opaque entity types that ultimately result in the obscuring of true beneficial ownership is concerning,鈥� adds Dr Duncan, whose PhD examined the nature, organisation, and regulation of variably illicit tax minimisation in UK professional football.

鈥淭he use of these varied ownership mechanisms and structures makes it challenging to differentiate between sources of legal or illegal finances and wealth, whilst the creation of complex arrangements that are inherently legal and commercially plausible offers great scope to co-mingle both legal and illegal activities.

鈥淚t is these structures that should be scrutinised most closely by regulators and other stakeholders.鈥�

Professor Lord concludes: 鈥淲hat is certain is that such complicated ownership structures are not strictly necessary to run a successful EPL club.

鈥淢any structures do not simply extend beyond what is strictly necessary in a single dimension, but in fact combine multiple enabling conditions in the construction of seemingly anomalous structures鈥�.

Whilst such structures and arrangements can be used for good reason in business, what should be a concern for football stakeholders and law enforcement, is that the seemingly unnecessarily complex and opaque structures identified in this research could permit the misuse of EPL club ownership for the channelling of illicit finances.

鈥淎ny exposure to illicit financial flows could seriously jeopardise the futures of clubs, which would have serious negative consequences for those most attached to these very important institutions.

鈥淔urthermore, opaque ownership structures make it difficult for football regulators to ensure that regulations regarding multi-club ownership are being complied with.鈥�

Dr Duncan and Professor Lord recommend that future regulation involves mapping the structures of teams to identify conditions that are susceptible to misuse.

They also suggest further research on the topic, such as to analyse in what ways football club ownership structures have been misused for illicit financial flows, and how these behaviours are organised.

One limitation of their paper is that extracted ownership data originated from varying financial years, meaning some were not 鈥榣ive鈥�.