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The Policy Connect network of groups produces an enormous amount of news, commentary, research and resources, in addition to the busy and varied events programmes that each group operates. On this page, we pick the best bits of news from across the network.

Do visit each group's own website for more news and information about about that group's activities. If you have any questions about any aspect of the Policy Connect network, don't hesitate to get in contact with us.

Remote working and disabled employees - How a pandemic brought a long-standing issue to the forefront of the conversation

1st April 2020

The outbreak of Covid-19 has wrought disruption on a massive scale, with organisations across the country scrambling to keep their businesses operational while ensuring the safety of their staff.  Unsurprisingly, many have invested in technological solutions to enable remote working and virtual meetings.

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COVID-19 - Policy Connect Update

24th March 2020

With state of play continually changing with COVID-19, we wanted to share how Policy Connect will work and engage with our members and parliamentarians during this period of uncertainty.  

To ensure the health, wellbeing and safety of our employees and our stakeholders, Policy Connect staff have been working remotely and we are using a number of teleconferencing services to ensure we are staying in touch and continuing to operate as a team.

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Policy Connect's sustainability team announces essay collection

11th March 2020

Policy Connect’s sustainability team has today announced that it will be launching a collection of essays on addressing climate change and meeting the UK’s target of net zero emissions by 2050.

The collection will focus on how to deliver climate policy within energy, construction, industry, transport, consumption, and land use, with a consideration of local, national and international contexts. Each essay will take a sectoral or cross-cutting issue and examine the challenges and opportunities for delivering solutions in that area.

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Climate Change

Will the Climate Assembly work?

28th February 2020

This weekend will be the third gathering of the 110 person Climate Assembly commissioned by the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Select Committee in partnership with five other select committees. In this article, Jake Ainscough discusses the importance of the 'citizens assembly' and the task it has been given. 

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Data

Safer Internet Day - how the data industry needs to work together to ensure this is a priority

11th February 2020

Tuesday 11th February marks the sixteenth anniversary of Safer Internet Day. Since being established by the European Union in 2004, Safer Internet Day has spread across the world. It is now celebrated in over 150 countries to promote the safe and positive use of digital technology, especially for young people. In this article, Jack Tindale discusses why the onus needs to be placed on data ethics to ensure a safer internet for all. 

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Supermarkets going green

Ready for a new challenge – how supermarkets are pledging to go green

5th February 2020

For every £1 of household expenditure in the UK, 49p is spent in supermarkets. Of this, 33p is spent in just the four largest supermarket groups (Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons). UK supermarkets have huge influence in dictating what the UK population consumes, and the way that common household goods are made, packaged, and transported. Decisions made by supermarkets have huge sustainability implications, and can really make a difference in combatting the current climate crisis and working towards a net-zero future.

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Sustainability Priorities: Reception Wednesday 22nd January 2020

28th January 2020

On Wednesday 22nd January, Policy Connect held a reception in the House of Lords to discuss the sustainability priorities of the new Parliament. The event, chaired by Policy Connect’s head of sustainability, Claudia Jaksch, provided a forum for policy-makers, business leaders, industry members, academics and third sector organisations to discuss the key challenges in sustainability that need to be tackled over the next five years.

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NHS wait time

Why NHS targets may soon be a thing of the past

24th January 2020

The Health secretary Matt Hancock has suggested that existing A&E waiting targets could be scrapped following the NHS’s worst A&E waiting times this winter. The A&E four hour wait target, aimed at seeing  95% of patients who would be admitted, transferred, or discharged within four hours of attending emergency departments has recently come into the spotlight after this announcement. In this article, Marjan Jamal will discuss why the “four hour target” has become a contentious topic and opinions about its success are becoming ever more polarised.

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Is the Government finally waking up to our embarrassing plastic export problem?

10th January 2020

You may have noticed that plastic pollution has dropped out of headline news. Just two years ago, we were loudly celebrating the ban of plastic micro beads, but now, society is quietly wondering if it is OK to start eating pre-wrapped salads again. However, while the media circus has largely moved on, the fight for significant policy change continues. In this week's blog, Jake Ainscough discuss what more needs to be done to address Britain's plastic waste exports problem. 

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Policy Win: NICE improves CO safety guidance

8th January 2020

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has adopted a number of Policy Connect’s recommendations in its updated guidance on ‘Indoor air quality at home’.

Following a consultation between June and August, the newly published document includes a number of guidelines that will help healthcare professionals raise awareness of, and prevent, carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.

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