In a letter to the Guardian, Professor Kate Pickett of the University of York praises Andy Burnham's approach to policymaking, describing it as a "rare commitment to co-designing policy alongside experts and communities" that offers a "proven, scalable blueprint for national renewal."
Burnham's approach in Greater Manchester
Pickett, who chairs the Greater Manchester independent inequalities commission and advises its "prevention demonstrator," has witnessed Burnham's method firsthand. She notes that when the commission delivered its inequalities report, it was not shelved; instead, Burnham used it to pivot the entire city-region towards tackling the wider determinants of health and prosperity.
A new institute for social change
Pickett argues that if Burnham becomes prime minister, he will need strong support to prioritise effective but politically challenging policies. She proposes a new national institute for social change, modelled on the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), to provide independent, rigorous guidance and quantify long-term payoffs from upfront investment in social and environmental infrastructure. This, she says, would help overcome short-term thinking imposed by electoral cycles.
