Nottingham professor’s Fellowship will analyse impacts of world issues on UK regions

Nottingham professor’s Fellowship will analyse impacts of world issues on UK regions

Financial geography expert, Professor Sarah Hall, of the University of Nottingham, has been appointed as Senior Fellow at the think tank UK in a Changing Europe (UKICE).

Professor Hall’s fellowship will analyse the uneven nature of the economy across UK regions and how they are impacted by significant global economic changes. Professor Hall will analyse policy interventions aimed at supporting local economies, including today’s announcement regarding the second round of funding from the government’s levelling up fund.

Her research will examine a number of locations, including Mansfield (Nottinghamshire), Belfast and Teesside to understand how firms and households are responding to changes in the UK economy such as Brexit and the cost of living crisis.

Professor Hall has also been appointed as Deputy Director of UKICE, where she intends to expand the organisation’s connections to the wider social scientific communities and policy audiences.

Dr Sarah Hall, Professor of Economic Geography in the School of Geography at the University of Nottingham said: “We know that the UK economy is being affected by a number of changes: the post-Brexit UK-EU trading relationship and the UK’s evolving trade strategy with other countries; changes in global supply chains, partly related to Brexit but also shaped by the ongoing Covid economic recovery; energy price shocks related to the war in Ukraine; and political commitments to deliver a net zero economy by 2050.

“The implications of these geopolitical changes for the UK economy are often the source of intense public and political debate. This Fellowship will provide impartial, accessible knowledge about these issues, grounded in social scientific research that is accessible to policy makers, businesses and the wider public.

“Given the fact that the UK has been identified as the most uneven national economy within the G7, and the Government is committed to a policy of ‘levelling up’, it is particularly important that such analysis includes regional and local scale analysis.”

The project will include real-time data tracking of UK local and regional economic performance through a dashboard called TracktheEconomy, which was initially developed by colleagues in the School of Economics at the University of Nottingham along with Professor Hall to chart local economy performance during the Covid-19 lockdowns. She has subsequently worked with colleagues at the university’s Centre for Inclusive Financial Technology (INFINITY) to launch a report entitled Levelling up: Designing policy to fit places, developing a machine-learned statistical model of the economic geography of the UK.

The TracktheEconomy data will support in-depth analysis of five locations across the UK selected to include a range of economic sectors, political, institutional and regulatory settings:

Belfast in order to address the economic impacts of the Northern Ireland Protocol, which was brought in after Brexit to allow goods to be transported across the Irish border without the need for checks.
Mansfield in order to understand a deindustrialised town which voted 71 per cent to leave in the Brexit referendum and has received Towns fund funding
Milton Keynes in order to understand one of the UK’s fastest growing cities with areas of slower economic growth that have received levelling up funding and narrowly voted leave in the Brexit referendum
Teesside in order to understand a deindustrialised locality with a local mayor, that voted leave and has been the recipient of considerable policy intervention subsequently including the Treasury campus in Darlington and the creation of a freeport
London in order to understand changes in the services sector, particularly financial services which has been identified as an important sector in which Brexit dividends may be derived from regulatory change, as well as being a local economy which is currently outperforming the UK nationally.

Professor Neil Crout, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange at the University of Nottingham, said: “This is fantastic news for Professor Hall and builds on the university’s research strengths in studying economic activity – an area which is clearly impacting so many people in the UK. This Fellowship could not be better timed, given today’s news of more levelling up funding being allocated to projects across the UK. Only with the latest data can the right judgments be made about where to allocate support and funding to help the UK economy to grow and improve inequality in UK regions.”

The news comes as the UK in a Changing Europe announces it is entering a new phase, with renewed funding and an expanded team and agenda, focussed on three broad themes:

UK-EU relations,
The UK after Brexit,
The UK’s place in the world.
As part of this relaunch, the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) has appointed ten new UKICE Senior Fellows. The new team of academics will contribute to UKICE’s programme of work by producing high-quality original research, and communicating it to policymakers, politicians, the media, and the general public.

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Typically thought of as being an easy to clean area of the home, hard floors have risen in popularity in recent decades. Globally, hard floors are the most common floor type,2 and research released today by Dyson has uncovered poor cleaning habits that mean hard floors are likely to be harbouring an array of hidden nasties. This comes as 32% of Brits – equating to 21.6 million people in the UK – will use the same dirty mop head for six months or more before replacing it. What’s more, one in 20 also admit to keeping the same mop for a year or longer, and one in 10 think it is acceptable to use the same mop 100 times, spreading dirt around their floors every time they use it. Cross contamination is a primary issue for most common and traditional mopping methods with germs and bacteria further being unknowingly spread around homes as Brits use dirty water to clean floors.3 45% only change the water to new water between rooms, whereas 41% wait even longer until it looks dirty. This could mean that floors are being washed with dirty water, adding more dirt rather than taking it away. Surprisingly, almost one in 10 (9%) even admit to not changing the dirty water at all when mopping. Over a quarter (28%) admit to mopping their floors once a fortnight or less while over half (53%) admit they don’t regularly clean behind appliances and leave dirt to build up for as long as six months at a time. image002.jpg On how to achieve a perfect barefoot clean feel after mopping, Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert offers their top tips for eliminating dirt around the home: 1. Create a cleaning schedule to stay on top of dirt build-up. In the last year, there has been a 15% global reduction in the number of people who maintain regular cleaning schedules. 47% of the British public admitted to only being motivated to clean when they spot visible dirt or dust.4 Regular floor cleaning with a wet hard floor cleaner like the Dyson WashG1™ removes more stubborn dirt than vacuuming alone. It is important to have a debris free surface, clear any clutter from the floor or other surfaces. Choose the right machine: Different vacuums are designed for different floor types and home sizes. Some machines will be engineered with hard floors in mind and will struggle on thick pile carpets, for example. Choosing the right machine for your home will make a big difference to the ease and speed with which you’re able to clean your home. Clean your floors ‘little and often’. Washing your floors frequently in areas that receive more foot fall will help to stop dirt building up and getting trodden into your floor. Using a dedicated wet floor cleaner on hard flooring such as the Dyson WashG1 is helpful for this, as the versatile format means it vacuums and washes the floor simultaneously. Cleaning schedules have also become less regimented. In recent years only 41% of people claim to have a regular cleaning schedule, and 60% admit to cleaning reactively; being motivated to clean only when there is visible dirt or dust5. It’s perhaps not surprising, that a fifth of people are still concerned their floors are dirty after they’ve mopped them (22%) and one in four6 feel extremely worried about indoor dust at home. Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert reveals why it is important to change the way we mop: “Cleaning your hard floors properly and regularly is important for maintaining a healthy environment around your home. Without a proper cleaning routine, dirt may unknowingly build up and spread around your home. It is evident from our research that current mopping habits mean British households aren’t cleaning their floors as effectively as they should. “From ignoring problem areas where dust and debris build up, cross contamination with dirty water to not replacing mop heads or inconsistent cleaning, current mopping behaviours may be making floors dirtier as opposed to cleaner. Moving away from traditional methods, wet floor cleaners like the Dyson WashG1 simplify the floor cleaning experience and provide a modern efficient and hygienic solution” To help take the guesswork out of mopping, the brand new WashG1 is Dyson’s first dedicated wet floor cleaner that tackles wet and dry debris in one go. Engineered for hygienic cleaning and maintenance, the WashG1 is revolutionising wet floor cleaning, removing the need for multi-products and multi-steps to achieve a barefoot clean feel around the home. To put the product to the test, Dyson have cleaned one of London’s most iconic landmarks The Victoria and Albert Museum. From cleaning the grand marble floors housing the most prestigious exhibits, to cleaning up leftover food in the Gamble Room Cafe, the WashG1 had a dirt busting tour of the museum leaving it spotless. Images can be found here. The WashG1 introduces Dyson’s engineering expertise to cleaning hard floors. With a 1 litre clean-water tank to cover flooring up to 290m2, the Dyson WashG1 uses a combination of hydration, absorption, and extraction technologies to remove wet and dry spills and stains simultaneously. The Dyson WashG1 is available to purchase now from Dyson.co.uk, retailing at £599.99.

Typically thought of as being an easy to clean area of the home, hard floors have risen in popularity in recent decades. Globally, hard floors are the most common floor type,2 and research released today by Dyson has uncovered poor cleaning habits that mean hard floors are likely to be harbouring an array of hidden nasties. This comes as 32% of Brits – equating to 21.6 million people in the UK – will use the same dirty mop head for six months or more before replacing it. What’s more, one in 20 also admit to keeping the same mop for a year or longer, and one in 10 think it is acceptable to use the same mop 100 times, spreading dirt around their floors every time they use it. Cross contamination is a primary issue for most common and traditional mopping methods with germs and bacteria further being unknowingly spread around homes as Brits use dirty water to clean floors.3 45% only change the water to new water between rooms, whereas 41% wait even longer until it looks dirty. This could mean that floors are being washed with dirty water, adding more dirt rather than taking it away. Surprisingly, almost one in 10 (9%) even admit to not changing the dirty water at all when mopping. Over a quarter (28%) admit to mopping their floors once a fortnight or less while over half (53%) admit they don’t regularly clean behind appliances and leave dirt to build up for as long as six months at a time. image002.jpg On how to achieve a perfect barefoot clean feel after mopping, Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert offers their top tips for eliminating dirt around the home: 1. Create a cleaning schedule to stay on top of dirt build-up. In the last year, there has been a 15% global reduction in the number of people who maintain regular cleaning schedules. 47% of the British public admitted to only being motivated to clean when they spot visible dirt or dust.4 Regular floor cleaning with a wet hard floor cleaner like the Dyson WashG1™ removes more stubborn dirt than vacuuming alone. It is important to have a debris free surface, clear any clutter from the floor or other surfaces. Choose the right machine: Different vacuums are designed for different floor types and home sizes. Some machines will be engineered with hard floors in mind and will struggle on thick pile carpets, for example. Choosing the right machine for your home will make a big difference to the ease and speed with which you’re able to clean your home. Clean your floors ‘little and often’. Washing your floors frequently in areas that receive more foot fall will help to stop dirt building up and getting trodden into your floor. Using a dedicated wet floor cleaner on hard flooring such as the Dyson WashG1 is helpful for this, as the versatile format means it vacuums and washes the floor simultaneously. Cleaning schedules have also become less regimented. In recent years only 41% of people claim to have a regular cleaning schedule, and 60% admit to cleaning reactively; being motivated to clean only when there is visible dirt or dust5. It’s perhaps not surprising, that a fifth of people are still concerned their floors are dirty after they’ve mopped them (22%) and one in four6 feel extremely worried about indoor dust at home. Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert reveals why it is important to change the way we mop: “Cleaning your hard floors properly and regularly is important for maintaining a healthy environment around your home. Without a proper cleaning routine, dirt may unknowingly build up and spread around your home. It is evident from our research that current mopping habits mean British households aren’t cleaning their floors as effectively as they should. “From ignoring problem areas where dust and debris build up, cross contamination with dirty water to not replacing mop heads or inconsistent cleaning, current mopping behaviours may be making floors dirtier as opposed to cleaner. Moving away from traditional methods, wet floor cleaners like the Dyson WashG1 simplify the floor cleaning experience and provide a modern efficient and hygienic solution” To help take the guesswork out of mopping, the brand new WashG1 is Dyson’s first dedicated wet floor cleaner that tackles wet and dry debris in one go. Engineered for hygienic cleaning and maintenance, the WashG1 is revolutionising wet floor cleaning, removing the need for multi-products and multi-steps to achieve a barefoot clean feel around the home. To put the product to the test, Dyson have cleaned one of London’s most iconic landmarks The Victoria and Albert Museum. From cleaning the grand marble floors housing the most prestigious exhibits, to cleaning up leftover food in the Gamble Room Cafe, the WashG1 had a dirt busting tour of the museum leaving it spotless. Images can be found here. The WashG1 introduces Dyson’s engineering expertise to cleaning hard floors. With a 1 litre clean-water tank to cover flooring up to 290m2, the Dyson WashG1 uses a combination of hydration, absorption, and extraction technologies to remove wet and dry spills and stains simultaneously. The Dyson WashG1 is available to purchase now from Dyson.co.uk, retailing at £599.99.

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