The ADRC is the only cross faculty centre at BU that brings together expertise in the areas of ageing and dementia. The aim of ADRC is to use the team’s collective expertise to develop person-centred research which will improve the lives of older people with long-term conditions including dementia and their families. The research falls under three broad categories – developing ageing & dementia friendly environments, nutrition & wellbeing and activity & social inclusion. The ADRC is led by Professor Jane Murphy, supported by staff and students from the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences and the Faculty of Science & Technology.
Yolanda Barrado- Martin (Sci-Tech), Iram Bibi (Sci-Tech), Sophie Bushell (HSS),Mary Duah-Owusu White (Sci-Tech), Mananya Podee (HSS), Vladislava Segen (Sci-Tech), Raysa El Zein (HSS).
The National Geographic are currently seeking proposals for projects to help advance the field of science communication by determining more effective ways to market nature and inspire action.
Proposals can be made for up to $50,000 of funding for projects that: advance the science of nature communication by systematically testing visual communication and education methods; visualise complex data; communicate about an environmental issue; or develop new education methods for reaching learners of all ages.
Priority will be given to projects that aim to do one or more of the following:
Propose an interdisciplinary collaboration of a scientist (including social scientists) and a visual artist, photographer, or videographer to quantify impact of visual communication via different channels (e.g., Instagram)
Engage students in identifying and implementing effective strategies for communicating about nature
Use social marketing principles to inform the approach
Study how the human brain responds to nature imagery
Measure audience engagement and test the effectiveness of different communication approaches as part of a storytelling proposal
Demonstrate increased engagement among target audiences (e.g. decision makers, students, etc.) on the chosen topic
The deadline for applications is 4th April 2018. Further information about the proposal and the application form can be found here.
If you are interested in applying for this funding and would like some support from our Public Engagement team around it, you can! Just email our Engagement Officer Natt Day (nday@Bournemouth.ac.uk) to arrange
We would like to invite you to the latest research seminar of the Creative Technology Research Centre.
Title: Encounters in space and place: immersive environment construction for the concert hall and beyond
Speaker: Peter Batchelor
Composer and Sound Artist
De Montfort University
Time: 2:00PM-3:00PM
Date: Wednesday 14 February 2018
Room: F309, Fusion Building
Abstract: Peter Batchelor will be speaking about the construction and fabrication of environments in acousmatic music and its transferability to all sort of sound design. Looking at the exploration of all of these concepts within the concert hall and outside (i.e. installations—gallery and public) over multiple channels. He’ll also talk about trompe l’oreille as well (illusory soundscapes).
His music draws strongly on the aesthetics and compositional concerns of the acousmatic tradition, but uses this heritage as a springboard to investigate a variety of other genres and presentation formats for electroacoustic media including radiophonic documentary, live-electronics and improvisation, multimedia and large-scale multi-channel installation work. More recently his interest has shifted towards site-specific public (sound) art, including the fabrication of aural landscapes and sonic illusion (trompe l’oreille).
His work has received recognition from such sources as the Concours de musique electroacoustique de Bourges and the International ElectroAcoustic Music Contest of São Paulo and has been presented internationally.
BU PhD student Mrs Preeti Mahato published her latest scientific paper ‘Determinants of quality of care and access to Basic Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care facilities and midwife-led facilities in low and middle-income countries: A Systematic Review’ in the Journal of Asian Midwives [1]. This paper is co-authored by Dr. Catherine Angell and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen, who are both based in the Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health (CMMPH) and Prof. Padam Simkhada, BU Visiting Professor and based at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU). Journal of Asian Midwives is a free Open Access journal, freely available for anybody across the globe to read online.
The authors highlight that maternal mortality is a major challenge to health systems in Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) where almost 99% of maternal deaths occurred in 2015. Primary-care facilities providing Basic Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care (BEmONC) facilities, and facilities that are midwife-led are appropriate for normal birth in LMICs and have been proposed as the best approach to reduce maternal deaths. However, the poor quality of maternal services that leads to decreased utilisation of these facilities is among the major causes of maternal deaths worldwide. This systematic review studied factors affecting the quality of care in BEmONC and midwife-led facilities in LMICs.
Thematic analysis on included studies revealed various factors affecting quality of care including facility-level determinants and other determinants influencing access to care. Facility-level determinants included these barriers: lack of equipment and drugs at the facility, lack of trained staff, poor attitudes and behaviour of service providers, and poor communication with women. Facility-level positive determinants were: satisfaction with services, emotional support during delivery and trust in health providers. The access-to-care determinants were: socio-economic factors, physical access to the facility, maintaining privacy and confidentiality, and cultural values. The authors include that improving quality of care of birthing facilities requires addressing both facility level and non-facility level determinants in order to increase utilization of the services available at the BEmONC and midwife-led facilities in LMICs.
This is the fifth paper co-authored by CMMPH’s current most published PhD student. The evaluation of birth centres in rural Nepal by Preeti Mahato under joint supervision Dr. Angell and Prof. Simkhada (LJMU) and Prof. van Teijlingen.
References:
Mahato, P., van Teijlingen, E., Simkhada, P., Angell, C. (2017) Determinants of quality of care & access to Basic Emergency Obstetric & Neonatal Care facilities & midwife-led facilities in low & middle-income countries: A Systematic Review, Journal of Asian Midwives 4(2):25-51.
Mahato, P., van Teijlingen, E., Simkhada, P., Sheppard, Z., Silwal, R.C. (2017) Factors related to choice of place of birth in a district in Nepal. Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare 13: 91-96.
Mahato, P.K., Regmi, P.R., van Teijlingen, E., Simkhada, P., Angell, C., Sathian, B. (2015) Birthing centre infrastructure in Nepal post 2015 earthquake. Nepal Journal of Epidemiology 5(4): 518-519. http://www.nepjol.info/index.php/NJE/article/view/14260/11579
Regmi, P., van Teijlingen, E., Hundley, V., Simkhada, P., Sharma, S., Mahato, P. (2016) Sustainable Development Goals: relevance to maternal & child health in Nepal. Health Prospect 15(1):9-10. www.healthprospect.org/archives/15/1/3.pdf
Do you want to showcase your PhD? Raise the profile of your research? Be in with the chance of winning over £500 worth in prizes?
If the answer is yes to any of the above then the 3MT® might be the opportunity for you.
The 3MT® competition cultivates students’ academic, presentation, and research communication skills.
Presenting in a 3MT® competition increases capacity to effectively explain research in three minutes, in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience.
Eligibility: Active PhD and Professional Doctorate candidates who have successfully passed their transfer milestone (including candidates whose thesis is under submission) by the date of their first presentation are eligible to participate. If your Viva Voce will take place before the date of the University final (7 June 2018) you are not eligible to enter the competition.
Pourakhi, meaning self-reliant in Nepali, was established in 2003 to advocate for the rights of women who returned to Nepal after having worked abroad. The current Chair Manju Gurung is co-author on our paper.
Since 2003, Pourakhi has established a number of programmes around pre-employment, pre-departure, employment and post arrival support. In 2009, it opened a Shelter Facility to provide a safe space for women who returned to Nepal and were not able to rejoin their family and community. Pourakhi recognized that many women who returned from abroad had been victimized abroad and needed to seek relief from the government. In order to provide assistance to these women, In addition, Pourakhi established programmes to empower women after they return to Nepal from foreign employment. More specifically, Pourakhi established a financial literacy programme to educate women and an in business skills.
Pourakhi has been instrumental in ensuring that the voices of migrant women workers are heard and reflected in national policy and law. Additionally, it has successfully lobbied the government to ratify a number of international laws needed to protect the rights of female migrant workers.
Although Pourakhi began as an organisation by and on behalf of women, it has recognized that all migrant workers have the right to safe migration. Therefore, Pourakhi now assists both woman and men in all stages of the migration process.
The other two Nepali-speaking co-authors are Prof. Padam Simkhada from Liverpool john Moores University, who is also Visiting Professor in Bournemouth University’s Faculty of Health & Social Sciences and Dr. Sharada Prasad Wasti who is working for the Institute for Reproductive Health at Georgetown University, Washington, DC in the USA.
Congratulations to FHSS Prof. Vanora Hundley and her co-authors from across the globe who published ‘Progression of the first stage of spontaneous labour: A prospective cohort study in two sub-Saharan African countries’ in the journal PLOS Medicine [1].
The authors highlight that since the early 2000s researchers using new statistical methods to have informed changes in recommended labour practices in some settings, they have also generated a lot of controversy. As a result of persistent questions as to whether racial characteristics influence labour progression patterns, recent studies have been conducted among different populations, but not yet in any African population. The authors conclude that
As labour may not naturally accelerate in some women until a cervical dilatation of 5 cm is reached, labour practices to address perceived slow labour progression should not be routinely applied by clinicians until this threshold is achieved, provided the vital signs and other observations of the mother and baby are normal.
In the absence of any problems other than a slower than expected cervical dilatation rate (i.e., 1 cm/hour) during labour, it is in the interest of the woman that expectant, supportive, and woman-centred labour care is continued.
The Doctoral College is happy to announce that this year we will be running the first official Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) event at BU. 3MT® is an academic research communication competition developed by The University of Queensland celebrating the exciting research conducted by PhD students around the world.
The competition cultivates students’ academic, presentation, and research communication skills. Presenting in a 3MT® competition increases capacity to effectively explain research in three minutes, in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience. Competitors are allowed one static PowerPoint slide, but no other resources or props.
Watch this year’s 3MT® UK finalists presentations which was hosted at the Vitae Researcher Development International Conference where the winner received a £3,000 grant to spend on public engagement activity (sponsored by RCUK).
The BU University winner will receive up to £400 towards a conference of their choice, plus entry into the Vitae National 3MT® competition, plus a £100 Amazon voucher.
In order to be considered for a place in the University heat you must submit a fully completed application form, to PGRskillsdevelopment@bournemouth.ac.uk by midnight on Monday 5 February 2018. For full eligibility, judging and prizes please visit the website.
Over the Festive Season the International Journal of Childbirth published the latest article from staff based at the Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health (CMMPH) [1]. This paper ‘Women, Midwives, and a Medical Model of Maternity Care in Switzerland’ is co-authored with Bournemouth University Visiting Faculty Ans Luyben (a Dutch midwife working in Switzerland), Sue Brailey from the School of Health & Education at Middlesex University and Lucy Firth at the University of Liverpool.
This Swiss paper builds on a body of work within CMMPH around a medical/social model of childbirth. BU academics have applied this model in multidisciplinary studies, including the disciplines of midwifery, [2-4] sociology, [5] and media studies [6].
References
Brailey, S., Luyben, A., Firth, L., van Teijlingen, E. (2017) Women, midwives and a medical model of maternity care in Switzerland, International Journal of Childbirth7(3): 117-125.
van Teijlingen, E. (2017) The medical and social model of childbirth, Kontakt 19 (2): e73-e74
MacKenzie Bryers H., van Teijlingen, E. (2010) Risk, Theory, Social & Medical Models: critical analysis of the concept of risk in maternity care, Midwifery 26(5): 488-496.
Ireland, J., van Teijlingen, E. (2013) Normal birth: social-medical model, The Practising Midwife16 (11): 17-20.
van Teijlingen E. (2005) A critical analysis of the medical model as used in the study of pregnancy and childbirth, Sociological Research Online, 10 (2) Web address: http://www.socresonline.org.uk/10/2/teijlingen.html
There’s only a few days left to submit your entry for this year’s Research Photography Competition! Don’t miss out on this opportunity to have your photo exhibited in the Atrium Art Gallery!
Photo by Kerstin Stutterheim, Professor of Media & Cultural Studies.
The last few years have seen our staff and students submitting a wide range of images summing up their research (last year’s entries can be seen here). Photography is a great way to capture and share a different side of your research with other staff, students and members of the public. Nearly 100 images have been entered over the last few years, and we’re looking forward to seeing what this year’s competition brings.
Want to take part?
Whether you’re in the early stages of your research or it has come to the end, we are inviting all academics and student researchers from across the university to showcase your research through an image relating to this year’s competition theme ‘People‘. This could include:
An image relating to people in your team,
People who might be impacted by or benefit from your research,
People you’ve met in the course of your research,
Or even from your own point of view.
Whatever your idea is, we want you to get involved and get creative!
Taking part in the competition is a great way to showcase and raise awareness of your research, as well as growing your academic profile both in and outside the university. You will also be in with a chance of winning some Amazon vouchers!
How do I enter?
Step 1: Take your photo.
It’s easy! Grab a camera and take a picture connecting with the theme ‘People‘. Interpret it in any way you see fit to capture any area of your research.
Each image will need to be 300pi (pixels per inch) with physical dimensions equivalent to an A3 size piece of paper (297 x 420 mm or 11.7 x 16.5 in). Images smaller than this tend not to have a high print quality.
Step 2: Submit the photo!
You may enter only one photo per person. Once you have the perfect image, all you have to do is submit it by emailing the Research account (research@bournemouth.ac.uk) before the deadline, along with a 100 – 200 word description of your research behind the image.
Submission details
The submission deadline is 12 January 2018 at 5pm. Late entries will not be accepted.
Staff, students and the general public will then be able to vote for their favourite image.
The competition winners will be presented with a prize by Professor John Fletcher in the Atrium Art Gallery, in March 2018. All photographs will be presented in the Atrium Art Gallery for two weeks in March so you’ll get a chance to see all the entries.
Photo by Rutherford, Senior Lecturer In Creative Advertising
Need inspiration?
Take a look at our Photo of the Week, where you can read about the research behind the images from previous entries.
Should you have any queries about the competition then please contact Sacha Gardener, Student Engagement & Communications Coordinator, in the Research and Knowledge Exchange Office.
Bournemouth University’s annual undergraduate research conference – Showcasing Undergraduate Research Excellence (SURE) – returns for a third year in March 2018
As well as giving students a supportive platform to showcase the quality of work they do, it gives others at BU an insight into the excellent research undertaken by our undergraduates. Not only is it a unique opportunity to further develop skills, prizes will also be available which include a fee waiver for a Master’s course at BU for the best overall contributor.
All undergraduate students at BU are eligible to apply, as are recent graduates. Examples of research could be anything from preparing for a dissertation or an essay to work carried out during a placement year to volunteering or work with academic societies. The key criteria is to be able to evidence critical thinking through the work. Please do encourage your students to apply.
The deadline for abstracts has been extended to Friday 12 January.
Abstracts will be accepted for oral or poster presentations. If a student would like to present your research through another medium – a film, art exhibition or performance – please contact sure@bournemouth.ac.uk initially.
The deadline for submitting abstracts has been extended Friday 12 January 2018.
Prizes
Best overall contribution – a fee waiver to any BU Master’s
Best original research via oral presentation – 4 x £350 funding (1 per Faculty) for students to attend and present their research at the British Conference of Undergraduate Research
Best poster, demonstration or art installation: 4 x £25 Amazon voucher (1 per Faculty)
Conference attendance
SURE 2018 will take place on Wednesday 7 March 2018. Registration for the conference will open in January 2018.
Staff and students from across BU are encouraged and welcome to attend.
Photo by Chantel Cox, PhD Student, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences
The last few years have seen our staff and students submitting a wide range of images summing up their research (last year’s entries can be seen here). Photography is a great way to capture and share a different side of your research with other staff, students and members of the public. Nearly 100 images have been entered over the last few years, and we’re looking forward to seeing what this year’s competition brings.
Want to take part?
Whether you’re in the early stages of your research or it has come to the end, we are inviting all academics and student researchers from across the university to showcase your research through an image relating to this year’s competition theme ‘People‘. This could include:
An image relating to people in your team,
People who might be impacted by or benefit from your research,
People you’ve met in the course of your research,
Or even from your own point of view.
Whatever your idea is, we want you to get involved and get creative!
Taking part in the competition is a great way to showcase and raise awareness of your research, as well as growing your academic profile both in and outside the university. You will also be in with a chance of winning some Amazon vouchers!
How do I enter?
Step 1: Take your photo.
It’s easy! Grab a camera and take a picture connecting with the theme ‘People‘. Interpret it in any way you see fit to capture any area of your research.
Each image will need to be 300pi (pixels per inch) with physical dimensions equivalent to an A3 size piece of paper (297 x 420 mm or 11.7 x 16.5 in). Images smaller than this tend not to have a high print quality.
Step 2: Submit the photo!
You may enter only one photo per person. Once you have the perfect image, all you have to do is submit it by emailing the Research account (research@bournemouth.ac.uk) before the deadline, along with a 100 – 200 word description of your research behind the image.
Submission details
The submission deadline is 12 January 2018 at 5pm. Late entries will not be accepted.
Staff, students and the general public will then be able to vote for their favourite image.
The competition winners will be presented with a prize by Professor John Fletcher in the Atrium Art Gallery, in March 2018. All photographs will be presented in the Atrium Art Gallery for two weeks in March so you’ll get a chance to see all the entries.
Photo by Rutherford, Senior Lecturer In Creative Advertising
Need inspiration?
Take a look at our Photo of the Week, where you can read about the research behind the images from previous entries.
Should you have any queries about the competition then please contact Sacha Gardener, Student Engagement & Communications Coordinator, in the Research and Knowledge Exchange Office.
The final issue for 2017 of the Dutch Journal for Midwives, Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Verloskundigen, published our contribution on midwives and the media [1]. The two-page article ‘MEER BEMOEIEN MET MEDIA’ argues (in Dutch) that midwives as individuals and as a profession must try to engage with the media. Midwives should be open to starting a dialogue concerning issues around maternity care and midwifery. This article published in a practitioners’ journal builds on the collaborative research conducted at Bournemouth University around midwifery and the media [2-4], and our recently published edited book on the topic [5].
Ann Luce, Vanora Hundley & Edwin van Teijlingen
References:
van Teijlingen, E., De Vries, R., Luce, A., Hundley, V. (2017) Meer bemoeien met media (In Dutch: more engagement with media). Tijdschrift voor Verloskundigen (in Dutch: Journal for Midwives), 41 (6):28-29.
Hundley, V., Duff, E., Dewberry, J., Luce, A., van Teijlingen, E. (2014) Fear in childbirth: are the media responsible? MIDIRS Midwifery Digest24(4): 444-447.
Hundley, V., Luce, A., van Teijlingen, E. (2015) Do midwives need to be more media savvy? MIDIRS Midwifery Digest25(1):5-10.
Luce, A., Hundley, V., van Teijlingen, E. (Eds.) (2017) Midwifery, Childbirth and the Media, Palgrave Macmillan
This morning as Associate Editor I reviewed one academic paper resubmitted to BMC Pregnancy & Childbirth. After this I had to invite three reviewers for another paper newly submitted to BMC Pregnancy & Childbirth.
This afternoon I peer-reviewed a paper submitted to Women & Birth. For readers of our BU Research Blog who are not involved in academia, the volume of requests to review for scientific journals has gone through the roof in the past few years. And these are legitimate requests from high quality journals. There is a whole heap of so-called predatory journals pestering academics for reviews (and papers and editorial board memberships).
All that is left to be done before the Christmas Break is editing six short book chapters, submitting one scientific paper, and answer seventy odd emails.
The Christmas break is near, which means it is the perfect opportunity to capture your research photo relating to the theme People.
Photo by Chantel Cox, PhD Student, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences
The last few years have seen our staff and students submitting a wide range of images summing up their research (last year’s entries can be seen here). Photography is a great way to capture and share a different side of your research with other staff, students and members of the public. Nearly 100 images have been entered over the last few years, and we’re looking forward to seeing what this year’s competition brings.
Want to take part?
Whether you’re in the early stages of your research or it has come to the end, we are inviting all academics and student researchers from across the university to showcase your research through an image relating to this year’s competition theme ‘People‘. This could include:
An image relating to people in your team,
People who might be impacted by or benefit from your research,
People you’ve met in the course of your research,
Or even from your own point of view.
Whatever your idea is, we want you to get involved and get creative!
Taking part in the competition is a great way to showcase and raise awareness of your research, as well as growing your academic profile both in and outside the university. You will also be in with a chance of winning some Amazon vouchers!
How do I enter?
Step 1: Take your photo.
It’s easy! Grab a camera and take a picture connecting with the theme ‘People‘. Interpret it in any way you see fit to capture any area of your research.
Each image will need to be 300pi (pixels per inch) with physical dimensions equivalent to an A3 size piece of paper (297 x 420 mm or 11.7 x 16.5 in). Images smaller than this tend not to have a high print quality.
Step 2: Submit the photo!
You may enter only one photo per person. Once you have the perfect image, all you have to do is submit it by emailing the Research account (research@bournemouth.ac.uk) before the deadline, along with a 100 – 200 word description of your research behind the image.
Submission details
The submission deadline is 12 Januray 2018 at 5pm. Late entries will not be accepted.
Staff, students and the general public will then be able to vote for their favourite image.
The competition winners will be presented with a prize by Professor John Fletcher in the Atrium Art Gallery, in March 2018. All photographs will be presented in the Atrium Art Gallery for two weeks in March so you’ll get a chance to see all the entries.
Photo by Rutherford, Senior Lecturer In Creative Advertising
Need inspiration?
Take a look at our Photo of the Week, where you can read about the research behind the images from previous entries.
Should you have any queries about the competition then please contact Sacha Gardener, Student Engagement & Communications Coordinator, in the Research and Knowledge Exchange Office.
Sex work is a controversial form of income. It is a subject much discussed by experts in feminism, religion, law and politics. And its popular portrayal is often left to people far removed from the realities of sexual commerce. Those who (wrongly) conflate sex work with human trafficking and exploitation would like to see it abolished.
In Brazil, sex work remains politically and socially contentious. But thanks to a staunch sex worker movement in the country, the people who actually do the work have made themselves key contributors to the debate. It is a movement which has informed political policy, affected legislation in urban reform and sexual healthcare and fought tirelessly for the full recognition of sex work as a profession.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of that movement. As part of the celebrations, an international exhibition is being held which features photographs taken by sex workers. Entitled “O Que Você Não Vê” (What You Don’t See), it centres on sexual commerce during the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. But it also provides an opportunity to reflect on the lessons that can be learned from three decades of an organisation representing the best interests of sex workers.
Standing together
As in many countries around the world, the legal status of prostitution in Brazil is vague. The criminal code issued in 1940 criminalised prostitution-related activities such as recruitment and facilitation, but not the direct sale of sex.
In the late 1970s, police raids on sex-related businesses in places such as São Paulo forced many sex workers to find work on the streets. A more precarious and isolated environment, it increased the need and appetite for some kind of organisation among the people working there.
In July 1987, Gabriela Leite and Lourdes Barreto, two São Paulo-based sex workers held the first national meeting for Brazil’s prostitutes. It resulted in the Brazilian Network of Prostitutes (BNP) as well as the publication of a newsletter “Beijo da Rua” (Kiss from the Street). The BNP’s mission was to build a new discourse of prostitution, not tied to crime or victimisation.
Conversation focused on state repression, health, collective identity and female sexual desire. Working with the Brazilian Ministry of Health, the BNP became instrumental in the creation of internationally applauded strategies to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS.
Then in 2002, a group led by Leite influenced the Brazilian government to issue “Ordinance 397” – which recognised sex work as an “official” occupation. Those registered as “sex professionals” would be taxed as autonomous workers and entitled to regular employment benefits including maternity pay, a state pension fund and medical care. It was a crucial moment of increased social tolerance.
Some years later, in the lead up to two huge sporting events due to be held in the country – the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games – Brazilian public discourse once again focused on anti-trafficking strategies, which further conflated forced migration and sexual exploitation with adult, consensual sex work – and served to reignite the abolitionist agenda.
A window into a sex worker’s world
After the closure of several sex-related businesses, a report entitled “Human Rights Violations of Sex Workers in Brazil” was compiled by sex worker support groups and submitted to the United Nations. The photographic project, “O Que Você Não Vê” was also launched as a platform to present a counter-narrative to the sensationalist stories of sex work during the Olympics.
The exhibition (which is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council) provides an insight into the mundane, everyday experiences of those working far away from the slick and glamorous portrayal of an international sporting spectacle. The exhibits reveal sarcasm and humour, and play on the mythologies that surround the sex worker’s profession. There is a dominatrix in her “pain” room, a woman posing with her “puta” family.
Each photographic perspective is unique. But collectively, there is a clear appreciation of the chance for their voices to be heard (albeit in visual form). The exhibition represents yet another step forward for this historic workers’ movement. It is a reflection of resilience, a commitment to civic involvement. It is another attempt to reframe stigmatised bodies as human – worthy of non-exploitative labour, self-expression and care.
When you include those centrally funded and locally delivered projects, this government is spending more per head on transport in the northwest than we are in the southeast.
Chris Grayling, Sectary of State for Transport, 21 September 2017
There is a widely held view, fuelled by the media, that the north of England is hard done by when it comes to transport spending. Over 70,000 people recently signed a petition to the transport secretary, Chris Grayling, calling for more investment in transport in the north. Grayling has responded by saying the figures used to make this assessment are misleading, and that the northwest region now receives more transport spending than the southeast.
The issue of transport spending is awash with statistics. A recent House of Commons document confirmed that public spending on transport in absolute, per person and modal average terms is higher in parts of the north than in the southeast region outside London but not in the capital itself. In the 2015/16 financial year, transport spending per person was £401 in the northwest, £380 in Yorkshire and the Humber, and £299 in the northeast. For the southeast, it was £365 per head, while for London it was £973.
The think tank IPPR North has estimated that from 2016/17 onwards, the figures will be £680 for the northwest, £190 for Yorkshire and Humber, and £220 for the northeast. The southeast will get £226 and London £1,040.
So Grayling is right to say the northwest is doing well right now compared to the southeast (not including London), which is receiving similar amounts to the other northern regions. But this ignores the fact that London still receives far more than any other part of the country.
The problem with these kind of figures for individual years is that they can skew the overall picture of spending. For example, money for large infrastructure projects such as Crossrail in London and the southeast, and Manchester’s Metrolink programme, tend to be allocated to the particular years when the projects are completed.
Looking at all the spending data over a longer period of time is a better indicator of the gap between north and south. In terms of total transport spending, the southeast has actually received 13% more than the northwest since 2011/12. And looking at bus and rail services, London has received over five times more public spending in the last five years than the northwest.
But the real picture is even more complicated than this. Transport infrastructure in London is not just for Londoners. Many people in the southeast benefit hugely from London transport spending, especially those who commute in every day. Yet people from elsewhere in Britain also benefit when they visit, as do millions of international tourists.
London is very different from the other English regions, with much greater population density and a more mobile workforce. Its transport serves a different, wider purpose and also benefits from local government funding because of devolution. So a like-for-like comparison is inherently misleading.
The government’s recent budget has also gone some way to further reducing the north-south divide. The northeast will receive £337m for new rolling stock on the 40-year-old Tyne and Wear Metro network. Greater Manchester has been promised £240m to ease road congestion. A £1.7 billion fund will improve links between city centres and suburbs across the country. But the lack of news about the much-needed modernisation of the Manchester to Leeds transPennine route put on hold earlier this year is very disappointing, and Leeds still desperately needs a new mass transit system.
Verdict
It might come as a surprise for those in the northwest and Yorkshire to hear that they get about the same amount of transport spending (or more) than the southeast, but at the moment it is technically true. The northeast, meanwhile, remains the poor relation in every measurement of spending. But these simple facts don’t take account of the much higher spending in London or the very different circumstances by which this money is allocated.
Review
Derek Robbins, Senior Lecturer in Transport and Tourism, Bournemouth University
This is a comprehensive review of current transport investment and expenditure, well illustrated by published data. It can be difficult to separate data from political spin and government PR, which have the unnerving tendency to portray funding that has already been allocated as if it were newly announced. But the underlying premise of this article that transport investment in the northwest and Yorkshire has increased is well made.
I take greater issue with the conclusion that recent announcements have gone some way to further reducing the north-south divide. As the article illustrates, long-term investment is a better indicator, and the north still has some considerable catching up to do. The new projects are only a first step. I would also describe the lack of progress towards a modernised and reliable transPennine rail route as more than disappointing, given that it is an essential investment for future economic growth in the north.
While I also accept that London is different, I think the benefits of the capital’s transport links to the other English regions can be easily overstated.