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The House of Commons has launched a call for evidence on the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, inviting written submissions ahead of detailed scrutiny in Public Bill Committee. This represents an important opportunity for place managers and civic leaders to shape one of the most significant pieces of legislation for local governance in a generation. The Bill, w ...

A powerful new documentary by Manchester Met filmmaking student Baka Bah has shone a light on the strength, creativity and resilience of Moss Side - challenging the stigma that has followed the neighbourhood for decades.

The Success of Moss Side, a 40-minute community-led film supported by Manchester Met’s 200-year anniversary Rise Programme, premiered on Saturday 6 September at Factory International, Manchester.

Ahead of the High Street Positives event in Darlington on Thursday 11 September - organised by IPM Fellow Laura Harris - we are revisiting research published in January 2024 in the Journal of Place Management & Development (JPMD) by  Dr Viriya Taecharungroj  and Dr Ioana Stoica, which focuses on the host town. The study -  Assessing place experiences in Luton and Darlington ...

Japan Week in Manchester (4–11 September 2025) opened yesterday, celebrating the city’s growing cultural, business, and academic connections with Japan. Today, Manchester Metropolitan University is welcoming the Japanese Ambassador and delegation, who are touring the University’s Institute of Sport and Fuel Cell Innovation Centre. Later, in the Council Chambers, the official si ...

Manchester Metropolitan University is developing a new Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship in Place Management, designed to support the next generation of professionals working to shape and improve towns, cities, and communities across the UK. We are inviting managers and team leaders to join a free online information session this September to learn more.

Date: 3 September 2025 On 2 September, MPs debated the Second Reading of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill in the House of Commons. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner described it as the “biggest transfer of power from Whitehall to our regions and communities in a generation” (Hansard, 2 Sept 2025). Presenting the Government’s case, Deputy Prime Minister, A ...

Tonight (29th August 2025) Blackpool's world famous lights will once again light up the promenade which is a tradition that has been sparking joy, debate, and cultural fascination for over a century. For the Institute of Place Management, Blackpool has been a focus of research for over a decade, with the Illuminations forming a central strand of that work. Through a series of s ...

As the Institute of Place Management prepares for its upcoming Masterclass on Place and Economic Development this September, Professor Steve Millington is encouraging place managers to refocus attention on a critical but often overlooked concept: the foundational economy. In a new bitesize 6-minute video, now available in the IPM Members Area, Professor Millington explains how ...

With the Second Reading of the English Community Empowerment Bill scheduled for 2nd September, the Institute of Place Management is sharing this blog by a number of IPM Fellows and Senior Fellows to help stimulate conversation about what the legislation could mean in practice. We know the Bill presents opportunities - but also risks if local governance reform becomes a tick-box ...

Readers almost certainly will have experienced irritating piped muzak in a hotel lobby, or those times when an intimate conversation has been drowned out by an over-zealous DJ. Such frustrations reflect deliberative attempts to manage and control the atmospheric qualities of place. Whereas this might prove effective in the controlled space of a shopping mall, interventions can ...