Policy Connect
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| Formation | 1995 |
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| Legal status | Not-for-profit think tank |
| Location |
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| Website | www.policyconnect.org.uk |
Policy Connect is an independent, cross-party, not-for-profit UK think tank based in London. The organisation works to inform and improve the formation of public policy in the UK through its programme of evidence-based policy research and collaborative events and seminars.
Founded in 1995 by Labour MP Barry Sheerman, it conducts research across a range of policy areas, most notably: sustainability, education and skills, design and manufacturing, health, and energy safety.
It works closely with leading politicians, civil servants, academics and heads of industry, many of whom chair specific Policy Connect groups or research inquiries. Current and recent work has been chaired by, among others, Lord Michael Bichard; Dame Ruth Silver DBE; Dr Graham Spittle, Chair of the UK Government Technology Strategy Board; Charles Hendry MP; Alan Whitehead MP; Dan Rogerson MP and Jason McCartney MP.
Conservative Party MPs Chris White and Laura Sandys are board members.
Its head office is located in Southwark, near the Tate Modern.
Organisational structure
Policy Connect runs over 15 political groups, fora and commissions, each working within a different policy field, as well as providing the secretariat to several formal All-Party Parliamentary Groups. As such, the organisation has at times been described as a ‘network’ of policy groups, a term that reflects both the independence yet interconnection of the various groups that comprise Policy Connect as a whole. Policy Connect works in five primary policy areas:
Sustainability
- Westminster Sustainable Business Forum
- Associate Parliamentary Sustainable Resource Group
- Sustainable Resource Forum
- Carbon Connect
Manufacturing, Design & Innovation
- Associate Parliamentary Design and Innovation Group
- Associate Parliamentary Manufacturing Group
- Design Commission
Energy Safety
- All-Party Parliamentary Carbon Monoxide Group
- Carbon Monoxide All Fuels Action Forum
- All-Party Parliamentary Home Safety Group
Skills & Education
- Associate Parliamentary Group for Skills and Employment
- National Skills Forum
- Skills Commission
- Higher Education Commission
Health
- Associate Parliamentary Health Group
- Chronic Pain Policy Coalition
- All-Party Parliamentary Chronic Pain Group
Recent Publications
- Distributed Generation: From Cinderella to Centre Stage (Carbon Connect)
- Google Colleges? Specialisation in Public and Private Further Education (Skills Commission)
- Sustainable Skills: The Future of the Waste Management Industry (Associate Parliamentary Sustainable Resource Group)
- Sustainable Solutions: Raising the Water Mark (The Westminster Sustainable Business Forum)
- Postgraduate Education (Higher Education Commission)
- Putting Pain on the Agenda (Chronic Pain Policy Coalition)
- Restarting Britain: Design Education and Growth (Design Commission)
- Open to Ideas (Skills Commission)
- Technicians and Progression (Skills Commission)
- Leaner and Greener II: Putting Buildings to Work (Westminster Sustainable Business Forum)
- Leaner and Greener: Delivering Effective Estate Management (Westminster Sustainable Business Forum)
- Preventing Carbon Monoxide Poisoning (All-Party Parliamentary Gas Safety Group)
- Rubbish to Resource: Financing New Waste Infrastructure (Associate Parliamentary Sustainable Resource Group)
- Energy Efficiency: The Untapped Business Opportunity (Carbon Connect)