Burnham

• The further ceremonial title of Lord Mayor was conferred by royal letters patent on the leaders of the nation’s biggest cities.
• Metro mayors– of which there are now nine – are voted in by residents of all the local authorities of a combined authority.
• Our new book, Devolution in Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region, asks if the metro mayors amount to a constitutional revolution in English local government or a limited and temporary experiment.

Personality matters

• Along with his ten council leaders, he criticised the imposition of tier-three restrictions as discriminatory.
• Working with the council leaders or directly elected mayor of each local authority in the region, no matter their political allegiance, is crucial to metro mayors’ success.
• As are relationships with the political parties and interest groups and, ultimately, the electorate – none of which are static.
• Although metro mayors hold devolved powers distinct from those of local authorities, these do not automatically translate into the ability to get things done.

Transactional politics

• Quite how though varies depending on the combined authority.
• Greater Manchester was the only combined authority to have health and social care included in its first devolution deal in 2014.
• But Burnham and Rotheram went ahead regardless, effectively expanding their role beyond what the government’s deal had laid out.

Lack of power

• He has developed the Opportunity Pass, to provide free bus travel for 16-18 year olds, along with free access to various culture and leisure facilities.
• Since November 2018, Liverpool too has provided free bus travel, for apprentices aged 19-24.
• But our interviewees expressed frustration at setbacks related to a lack of power and resources which have made policy wins hard to achieve.
• On the question of HS2, the power that central government retains has been evident.

• TORONTO, May 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Tucows Inc. (NASDAQ: TCX), (TSX: TC) is pleased to announce that Lee Matheson and Gigi Sohn will be standing for election to the Board of Directors.
• With an impressive track record in the financial industry, Lee Matheson brings substantial, relevant expertise to the Board nomination.
• "We are thrilled to have both Lee Matheson and Gigi Sohn as candidates for our Board of Directors," said Elliot Noss, CEO of Tucows.
• The election for the Tucows Board of Directors will take place during the upcoming annual general meeting, scheduled for September 7, 2023.

• ICR , a leading strategic communications and advisory firm, today announced it has acquired Lumina Communications , an award-winning B2B technology-focused PR firm specializing in Cybersecurity, Enterprise Software and IT Infrastructure.
• “The Technology sector has been a longstanding center of growth for ICR, and as emerging solutions transform how all industries operate, the opportunity ahead looks even more promising,” said Tom Ryan, Co-Founder & CEO, ICR.
• Lumina brings to ICR deep industry expertise and relationships in critical technology sectors, including some of the most innovative companies in Silicon Valley, with a flagship office in San Jose.
• Bo Park, Managing Partner of ICR, will lead the combined team, working closely with Hugh Burnham, Founder and CEO of Lumina, who will become Managing Partner, reporting to Tom Ryan and ICR President Don Duffy.

• In her new role at Charles Taylor, Ms. Burnham will lead business development, high-impact marketing programs and brand strategy for the TPA business, whose growth is a core pillar of the companys continued expansion in the U.S.
• Bringing more than two decades of experience, Ms. Burnham will work closely with company leaders to develop and implement comprehensive marketing strategies tailored to drive business priorities.
• We are thrilled to welcome Heather to the team as a seasoned marketing leader at a time of rapid growth and opportunity for Charles Taylor, said Christopher Schaffer, Chief Executive Officer of Charles Taylor Global TPA.
• Charles Taylor TPA recently acquired Underwriters Safety & Claims (US&C), a TPA and managed care services provider with operations across the U.S.