Latest news
What’s happening to tackle inequality in Cambridge.
Blog – Red Hen Project: Improving life chances in North Cambridge
By Susan Hart and Lesley Dee Where would you find baked beans and washing powder in filing cabinets? In the office of The Red Hen Project! What is The Red Hen Project? The Red Hen Project is a small local charity which, for over 20 years now, has been working with and supporting families to overcome
Blog – Keeping an eye on 2027: what are we aiming for in education?
I have been doing a lot of reading recently about inequality and education. It’s all pretty discouraging stuff: social mobility is falling; school exclusions are rising, often due to social inequalities beyond a school’s control; GSCE performance is rising slightly but there are concerns about the costs to pupils’ health. Are we teaching the pupil
Blog – Inequality and AI
At first blush, inequality and artificial intelligence (AI) don’t see to have much in common, but scratch the surface and they begin to look like twins separated at birth. Artificial intelligence is the creation of software that can improve itself, to the point where it might enable machines to become sufficiently human-like for us to
Blog – Lewis Herbert’s Article on Cambridge University’s Role in Tackling Inequality
A few weeks ago the Leader of Cambridge City Council, Lewis Herbert, wrote an article for the Cambridge Independent on how Cambridge University can help to tackle inequality in the city. Find below the full text of the article which Cambridge Commons believes is a positive, practical message on how Cambridge University can help to
Blog – Thoughts on the Cambridge and Peterborough Independent Economic Review (CPIER)
The CPIER Final Report was published in September by the Cambridge and Peterborough Independent Economic Commission, with some local publicity. It has been long awaited, and the Cambridge Commons made some efforts to submit its views to the report. The final report is 136 pages long, and this comment is based on a quick analysis
Blog – Austerity, austerity, austerity
Universal credit began its roll out in Cambridge on 17th October, gradually to start off with, just new claims or people whose circumstances change. The full-scale transfer of all those on the relevant unemployment and in work benefits will come later. A few days later the government used their autumn budget to declare the beginning
Blog – Inequality in Britain ‘bleak’ according to public body
The Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) report ‘Is Britain Fairer?’ was released last week in pre-publication format. You can download the report here – https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/publication-download/britain-fairer-2018 The report outlines how inequalities are continuing to blight British society; suggesting some groups within our society are being ‘forgotten or left behind’. Producing this report is a statutory
Promoting equality in Cambridge: our AGM with Robert Porrer
It’s been a significant year in the life of The Cambridge Commons and our AGM this past Thursday was an opportunity to take stock. In just 12 months we have: run 17 events in the imagine2027 series with 3,000+ seat reservations built a mailing list of 1,300+ supporters of greater equality run a forum for
Blog – Big Tent Ideas Festival
The “Big Tent Ideas Festival” Babraham, Cambs, 8 September 2018. Some thoughts the “Big Tent” event attended recently by TCC Member Kimon Roussopoulos. The event was co-chaired by George Freeman MP (Con, briefly was Life Sciences minister) and (Baroness) Sally Morgan, sometime Blair advisor in Number 10 and other capacities. It was the
Inequality fund, Cambridge pound, car free day: imagine2027 forum debates how to transform city
What would you propose to transform Cambridge for the better? How can we pool our collective energy to have the most impact? What can we learn from the speakers at imagine2027 to make the city fairer and more equal? We hosted an incredible Forum on Action at the last talk in the imagine2027 series showcasing
Cambridge Ahead makes case for investment in infrastructure and housing
The region’s planners have badly underestimated employment growth in the Cambridge area with drastic consequences for housing, congestion and living standards, according to research commissioned by lobby group Cambridge Ahead. South Cambridgeshire has been particularly hard hit, the research suggests, with planners working on a 0.6% growth assumption compared to a more realistic 4.2%. As
Cambridge Commons invited to submit response to regional economic review
The Cambridge Commons has been invited to submit evidence to a major commission on the regional economy. The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Independent Economic Review (CPIER) has been set up to establish a coherent strategic position on regional growth, infrastructure and devolution. The interim report argued for steps to make the regional economy more inclusive, a