MetroPolis Takes Manchester Met Expertise to Labour Party Conference

The Labour Party Conference provides an important opportunity for researchers, policymakers and practitioners to come together to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the UK. This year, MetroPolis will support two fringe events that showcase Manchester Met expertise and demonstrate the value of evidence-informed policymaking.

The first event, How can Labour deliver good work in every postcode?, is being hosted jointly by MetroPolis and the Work Foundation at Lancaster University. Led by Professor Katy Jones, Head of the Decent Work and Productivity Research Centre at Manchester Metropolitan University, the roundtable will bring together ministers, mayors, MPs, employers and trade unions to discuss how government can improve access to secure, fairly paid and healthy work across all parts of the country.

The discussion comes at a pivotal moment for employment policy. While increasing participation in the labour market remains a priority, the event will explore how policymakers can move beyond a “work first” approach and instead focus on job quality, progression and long-term employment outcomes. Participants will examine how good work can be embedded within employment, skills and industrial policy, the support employers need to improve job quality, and how local leaders can address place-based barriers that continue to limit opportunities for many communities.

Alongside this focus on employment and economic inclusion, MetroPolis is also supporting a second fringe event that explores how stronger relationships between generations can help tackle some of society’s most pressing challenges.

Bridging Divides: Why Generations Matter, organised by Intergenerational England and British Future, will bring together leaders from policy, research and civil society to discuss how an intergenerational approach can strengthen communities, reduce loneliness and foster a greater sense of belonging.

The event is led by MetroPolis Chancellor’s Visiting Fellow Emily Abbott, Co-Founder and Director of Intergenerational England. Working with MetroPolis and colleagues from the University’s Institute of Sport, Emily has been developing new policy thinking around intergenerational approaches to community wellbeing, participation and social cohesion.

As part of this collaboration, MetroPolis has sponsored the development of a new report  and a policy briefing that will be launched during the event. The report highlights how taking an intergenerational perspective can lead to better outcomes across a broad range of policy areas, from health and wellbeing to community development and social connection.

Taken together, the two events demonstrate the breadth of Manchester Met’s policy engagement and MetroPolis’ commitment to bringing academic expertise into national conversations.

To find out more about Manchester’s Metropolitan University’s role in the Labour Party Conference, please click here.