Future Consultations

In partnership with RSA Food, Farming and Countryside Comission 

From climate change to housing and infrastructure, land is often the unspoken but decisive element in policy debate. Yet this debate is too often siloed and too rarely focused on the potential for land to deliver multiple benefits. The July report of the RSA’s Food, Farming and Countryside Commission advocated a land use framework that could mediate between different uses of the land, encouraging and incentivising multifunctionality. The Commission is now entering its next phase, co-designing pilots to test the policy recommendations made in our report. The aim of this consultation is to bring together those working on the land with senior policy makers and others to take part in this co-design, shaping how a land use framework would work in practice and beginning to plan a pilot.

In partnership with The Foundation for Education Development 

You will be well aware that education policy in England is currently set by central government and driven by ministers of state.  Over the past 60 years in England, the average tenure of a Secretary of State for Education has been two years. As a result, education policy has been determined primarily by the preferences of the incumbent Secretary of State and is more often than not, politically motivated. 

The Foundation is convinced that a co-constructed  approach to research, development and setting of education policy is pivotal to an education system’s progress over time and we need your support to help make a once in a lifetime change that will leave an enduring legacy for many generations to come. 

 The Foundation for Education Development is a newly established body which has already carried out informal discussions with leading representatives across the sectors. We would like to engage with you in this vitally important non-political joint initiative which aims to create a neutral space where we can explore how we might create a better future for our country’s education system.

Our Consultation will bring together a range of people, including senior leaders from education, business, policy makers, academics, professional organisations, other public bodies and opinion formers who have an interest in this area. Your participation would be hugely valuable.

In Partnership with Carers UK

The impact of unpaid caring on the everyday life of working age people is a critical and growing issue in society. As retirement age rises, people live for longer, and social care options are reduced, many of us may find ourselves providing unpaid care for a family member or friend during our working lives. This can have severe consequences, including a struggle to balance work with caring commitments, which may lead to stress-induced health problems and ultimately voluntary or involuntary loss of employment. Caring also impacts employers and the state through loss of skilled workers and associated revenue, as well as costs associated with recruitment and unplanned absences. Through advocacy by Carers UK and Employers for Carers, policymakers and employers have begun to implement change to improve carers’ rights and available support in the workplace but more needs to be done. We hope that you can join us for this key consultation to address the continuing challenge for carers in employment and seek solutions for this growing societal problem.

In Partnership with RSA Food, Farming and Countryside Commission

Farming is braced for a decade of change. With a general election just over, and Brexit getting ever closer, the future remains challenging and uncertain for UK farmers facing a new trading environment and an impending transition away from Common Agricultural Policy rules and payments. But we know an even more significant transition is coming, which is the change needed to mitigate and adapt to the climate emergency, and to restore wildlife and natural resources. Many farmers are already leading in responding to the challenges, but many others feel locked in to the current system through long term investments, circumstances and skills gaps.

We need a plan so that farmers can be confident of their future and plan for change. How can we enable farmers to take the driving seat in designing and leading the transition? What is the new financial deal for farmers that supports their wellbeing and ability to adapt? How much food will we need to produce and how do we ensure its affordability? What scenarios are likely to emerge and what support needs to be in place to accommodate them?

The actions we take together now will be vital in us avoiding the worst consequences of the climate emergency and halting the loss of wildlife we are seeing, as well as ensuring everyone has access to healthy affordable food produced in a way that enables us to meet the UK’s global obligations to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and Paris Climate Agreement.

Our Consultation is building on the two year inquiry and recommendations already developed with cross sector support as part of the RSA Food, Farming and Countryside Commission and will bring together a range of leaders, experts and forward looking practitioners from within the agricultural sector and beyond.

While training for faith leaders is wide-ranging and varied, nowhere in the UK are mid- to senior religious decision makers trained in leadership skills side by side. 

The Senior Faith Leadership Programme is intended to deepen encounters between those who are serving the Abrahamic communities in Britain, whether in a lay or clerical capacity. Its focus is on developing leadership – which by its nature is an inter-disciplinary phenomenon. Leadership of communities affects people from all walks of life and concerns the diversity of human experience.

In Partnership with RSA Food, Farming and Countryside Commission 

It is now widely accepted that to tackle successfully the triple challenge of the climate, health and nature emergencies, the food system will have to make wide-ranging structural changes. This will have a huge impact on the businesses and organisations within the sector, many of whom are already working up plans and strategies to shift business models to meet the demands of a changing world.

The July report of the RSA Food, Farming and Countryside Commission took a whole systems approach to the food system, emphasising the many interdependencies and connections across sectors. The aim of this Consultation is to bring together different parts of the system – from production, processing, foodservice, retailers and public health – to explore how to ensure the food system transition is fair and just for businesses, communities and citizens alike. We want to explore the kind of food system we want for the UK and ask what role will disruptive new industries play? Will we need to shrink the ultra-processed food and drink sectors to meet health targets? Where might the stranded assets be and how can we reduce the risks for employers and employees? What role can divestment play? What is the future of food sector work with innovations in technology and AI, and what would ‘good work’ look like? Can short and direct supply chains really work in local food systems?

In Partnership with International Institute for Environment and Development

This consultation will draw on the experience of participants who have worked with grassroots organisations and federations to address housing and other needs at scale in cities in low- and middle-income nations over the last 30 years.  Looking to the future, how might we increase the scale, scope and effectiveness of these organisations, not least in light of current and future risks posed by climate change? What priorities should be set? What funding systems can support this work? How can we ensure that no-one is left behind?

In partnership with the Jane Goodall Institute

This week-long Consultation will bring together young people from across the world who are involved in the Roots and Shoots Programme devised by the Jane Goodall Institute. The focus of the week is for the professional development of each participant.

There will be a series of high-level presentations on topics of relevance to the Institute as a way of engendering debate and discussion.