January 2021: Lord Kerslake

Go Big. Go Local.

The UK is one of the most spatially unequal countries in the developed world. In his talk Lord Kerslake plans to cover the work of the UK2070 Commission, an independent inquiry into regional inequalities in the UK, examine the reasons why successive government policies have failed to make an impact on this, and set out the 10 priories for action identified by the Commission. In particular he will speak about the importance of having a clear, comprehensive, long-term plan for levelling up and the need for robust measures to assess progress. He will also talk about the impact of COVID–19, which has increased the challenge of levelling up but also its urgency.

A former Head of the Civil Service, Lord Kerslake led the Department for Communities and Local Government from November 2010, stepping down in February 2015. Prior to this, he was the first Chief Executive of the Homes and Communities Agency.

Before joining the Civil Service Lord Kerslake received a knighthood for his services to local government, spending eight years serving the London Borough of Hounslow and then a further 11 years leading Sheffield Council. In early 2015, he was made a life peer, taking the title Baron Kerslake, of Endcliffe in the City of Sheffield.

Lord Kerslake is chairman of numerous organizations including Peabody, Be First (Barking and Dagenham Council’s regeneration company), London Collective Investment Vehicle, Sheffield Theatres, Sheffield Hallam University, the Centre for Public Scrutiny and the New Economics Foundation. He is President of the Local Government Association. Lord Kerslake was recently appointed as new Chair of Stockport Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC) to help deliver transport and regeneration ambitions for the town.