The Northern Agenda
The Northern Agenda is a weekly podcast covering politics and public affairs from across the North of England, voiced by journalists who are outside the Westminster bubble, reporting from the other side of the North/South divide.
From Blackpool to Barnsley and Bamburgh and everywhere in between, exploring subjects such as levelling up to buses, elections to the latest council scraps, The Northern Agenda brings you discussion and analysis of the North's big political stories, from people experiencing them on the ground.
Rob Parsons and Liam Thorp look at the political stories that really matter to the North - and from the North - that you won't hear about from the national media in London.
The Northern Agenda is a Laudable production for Reach. It is presented by Rob Parsons, and it is produced by Daniel J. McLaughlin.
You can subscribe to the daily Northern Agenda newsletter here: http://www.thenorthernagenda.co.uk/
101
⚡ The man bringing lightning fast broadband to ...
Will carbon capture make any difference to levelling up or net zero in places like Teesside, the Humber and the North West? Can fast broadband speeds reach rural or remote towns and villages in the North?
30 min
102
A Northern Agenda exclusive! The winner of the ...
There were lots of winners who got £20m here or £10m there for regeneration schemes but also many more losers who put time and money into their bids and got nowhere. But it turns out there was one big winner from the whole process and that's the consultancy firms who helped our cash-strapped local councils write their bids.
49 min
103
The North-South divide on asylum: a Northern Ag...
Rob Parsons reports from a conference in Newcastle where experts from a host of different fields put forward their view on how we can fix the country's broken asylum system.
23 min
104
💷 Budget 2023: the reaction to Jeremy Hunt's fi...
In a special live edition of The Northern Agenda podcast, Rob Parsons is joined by a fantastic panel full of expertise about Northern politics to dissect what it all means for people in our region
39 min
105
🏙️ The challenges and opportunities facing our ...
Stephen Patterson, the CEO of the business improvement district Newcastle NE1, tells the podcast about the challenges and opportunities facing our cities - and whether Newcastle United's footballing success has rubbed off on local businesses. And Rob Parsons talks to Jack Shaw from the IPPR North think-tank about whether Jeremy Hunt's Budget will be a big moment for Levelling Up, and the cultural credit plus economic impact Eurovision could have on Liverpool this May.
46 min
106
Roads minister Richard Holden on electric buses...
Roads minister Richard Holden joins Rob Parsons to discuss the new zero emission buses coming to Yorkshire. And Rob looks at some of the top Northern politics stories with Tom Lees.
43 min
107
Louise Haigh on what Labour would do about our ...
Rob Parsons caught up with Louise Haigh to find out what Labour would do about our struggling bus and rail services. And Rob picked over some of the North's biggest political stories - from asylum seekers to buses and Parmos - with Edna Robinson, chair of the People's Powerhouse movement.
36 min
108
15-minute cities: an international socialist co...
Tory MP Nick Fletcher tells the podcast why he thinks the idea will "cost us our personal freedom", whilst a local councillor in Sheffield explains why the changes will make it easier to access services on your doorstep.
41 min
109
Do we need a Minister for the North? | Kim Lead...
Rob Parsons chews over some of the other big politics stories in the North with Henri Murison from the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, and speaks to Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP for Batley and Spen, ahead of the party's Northern Skills conference
30 min
110
How we can save Northern football | Hydrogen: t...
Listen to our beginner's guide on how hydrogen - the most abundant chemical element in the universe - could hold the key to creating thousands of jobs all across the North. And why Northern football clubs are under threat with areas set to lose the “lifeblood” of their communities without Government intervention.
41 min
111
Exclusive interview with Michael Gove from the ...
The Northern Agenda reports from the Convention of the North in Manchester, speaking exclusively to Levelling Up secretary Michael Gove
28 min
112
The (onshore) wind beneath our wings | Why cari...
40 min
113
💼 Jonathan Ashworth on Labour's plan to help pe...
Jonathan Ashworth, Labour's Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, joins Rob Parsons on The Northern Agenda podcast this week to discuss his plans to help people get back into work.
The Leicester South MP, who grew up in Greater Manchester, used a major...
40 min
114
The year Leeds culture comes out of hiding | Th...
Hello and welcome to The Northern Agenda podcast - back for 2023 fully refreshed after a Christmas break and ready to take in invigorating new year dive into some of the big politics stories affecting the North.
Whilst we want to wish you a Happy New...
39 min
115
🗳️ Preview of the Stretford and Urmston by-elec...
This week, The Northern Agenda podcast takes a look at the North's second big by-election in December to elect a new MP.
After Labour romped to victory in the City of Chester, can they do the same in the Greater Manchester seat of Stretford and...
27 min
116
How the 'worst-ever outbreak of bird flu' could...
We're heading out to the countryside for our political guest this week, as the world is going through its worst-ever outbreak of bird flu.
In the UK it's been reported that around 600,000 of Britain's 1.2 million free-range turkeys produced...
29 min
117
📣 'This is the North': a Northern Agenda specia...
This week's podcast is coming to you from The People's Powerhouse Annual Convention. The Northern Agenda editor Rob Parsons is joined by a series of speakers and guests at the 'This is the North' conference, held in Manchester.
To discuss the...
37 min
118
🗳️ It's by-election season in Chester and Stret...
As we were recording this week's podcast, the Housing Secretary Michael Gove was up in Rochdale for talks with the local housing association that owned the flat where two-year-old Awaab Ishak died after prolonged exposure to mould.
Awaab died in...
29 min
119
😠 'I'm furious': Yorkshire mayor reacts to autu...
Reactions are coming in following the Autumn Statement from Jeremy Hunt on Thursday - and one of those voicing their concern - and indeed, anger - is West of Yorkshire mayor Tracy Brabin.
The Labour metro mayor tells The Northern Agenda editor Rob...
41 min
120
💷 Government expands intervention into Liverpoo...
The Northern Agenda editor Rob Parsons is joined by Liam Thorp, political editor of the Liverpool Echo, to take a look back on some of the big stories in Northern politics.
One of which involves Michael Gove, now back in post as Levelling Up...
30 min
121
🏫 How primary school children running drugs for...
Thousands of young people in England are being groomed, harmed, and even killed because the systems that are supposed to keep them safe are not fit for purpose.
That's the damning verdict of a new report by the Commission on Young Lives final...
30 min
122
🏥 The "ticking time bomb" in the North's hospit...
With all the attention on drama at the top of government and what it could mean for our economy, the parlous state of the NHS looks like it's barely registering on the news agenda.
Speaking in Parliament this week, new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak...
31 min
123
🚌 Why Leeds lags behind Dublin and Lille 🏗️ Our...
It's a truth universally acknowledged that Leeds is the biggest urban area in Western Europe without a rapid mass transit system - a metro to you and me - despite numerous attempts over the years to get one.
Political leaders in West Yorkshire hope...
34 min
124
Dr Kieran Mullan MP on sentencing for child mur...
The phrase a 'life sentence' is a familiar one for anyone who follows reports of our most high-profile criminal cases, but how often does a life sentence actually mean life?
And in the case of offenders who carry out the most unimaginable act of...
42 min
125
The future of STEM: how we can get more young p...
A supply of graduates in the so-called STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) is vital for our economy - but how we can get young people, particularly girls, to engage with the subjects and fill the high-skilled jobs in...
23 min