Transparency data

Board meeting notes: 30 April 2019

Updated 9 November 2021

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-mobility-commission-board-meeting-notes/board-meeting-notes-30-april-2019

Attendees: Commissioners

Dame Martina Milburn (Chair)
Saeed Atcha
Alastair da Costa
Steven Coope
Pippa Dunn
Farrah Storr
Jessica Oghenegweke
Jody Walker
Sandra Wallace
Liz Williams
Sammy Wright
Members of the Secretariat

Apologies

Sam Friedman

Launch Event Programme

09.30 to 10.00 Press and media arrival

10.00 to 10.30 Commissioners and stakeholders arrive

10.30 to 11.30 Dame Martina speech followed by Q&A session

11.30 Event close

11.30 to 12.30 Martina/Commissioners – interviews undertaken with media, including specialist press

Commission meeting part 1

12.30 to 2.00pm

  • the Board reflected on the successful launch event which was preceded by the Chair’s morning interview with the Today programme. Some Commissioners were to be interviewed in the afternoon with some on standby to respond to media bids

  • the Chair informed the meeting that she would be away for the June meeting. The May, June and July meetings would be used to develop and finalise the Commission’s strategy. External facilitators would be engaged to facilitate discussion. Commissioners had previously discussed and drafted some text. Liz would write up and send to Secretariat

  • the Communications Strategy would be brought to the July meeting

  • it was noted that the Commission’s proposed new website was taking far longer to get off the ground. Cabinet Office and DfE would be approach to unlock the blockage

Update briefing on progress of the research programme – (Secretariat)

  • 11 tenders had been put out to market with a deadline of 3 May

  • contracts would not be awarded if bids did not meet the required quality standards

  • DfE colleagues and other government officials will help review bids

  • contracts will be awarded during the latter part of May

  • commissioners will be contacted during May on Phase 2 research proposals

Commission meeting part 2 – No. 10

2.45pm - this part of the meeting was hosted by Nero Ughwujabo (Special Advisor on social justice, young people and opportunity) and Alex Burns (Prime Minister’s Private Secretary covering Education issues). Following introductions, Nero gave brief opening remarks which were followed by Q&A.

3.05pm - Marcus Bell, Director of the Race Disparity Unit, shared his knowledge of what it is to lead an organisation at the centre of government working on a cross-cutting diversity and inclusion issue. The presentation gave an overview on the RDU with detail on some of the disparities that the unit had uncovered. This was followed by a Q&A session.

3.30pm - Greg McClymont - Head of the National Infrastructure Cities Programme.

The Commission is interested in the dynamics of ‘moving out and moving up’ and how that might influence future decisions that make Regions places where people can choose to stay. Greg presented on the findings from the NIC’s recent Infrastructure Assessment on Cities Transport and inter-dependencies with job markets, followed by Q&A.

4.15pm - Meeting close.

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