Matt Edgar

Fortnightnote: 28 April to 9 May 2025 Press enter or click to view image in full size Bluebells in the garden What did I enjoy? The highlight for me was an event hosted by Leeds City Council and the Cabinet Office’s ‘Test, Learn and Grow’ team to explore a collaborative approach to neighbourhood health. It was a rare chance to catch up with colleagues from my national role and home city in the same big room, with inspiring introductions from our Lord Mayor, Healthwatch Leeds, and the LS14 Trust.

Seeing the publication of the Public Design Evidence Review, which explores the role and value of design in the public sector. It includes a section on public design for transformational change for which I was interviewed in 2023. I reckon the things I said back then, alongside other participants who I look up to as thought leaders, remain very relevant today. Choice quote from the executive summary: Well-designed policies and services solve problems and deliver intended outcomes.

Getting back to work at the London and Leeds offices in the gorgeous sunshine. I worked at Waterloo on Monday, Canary Wharf on Tuesday, back home in Leeds on Wednesday, and the Leeds government hub on Thursday and Friday. Across the week, I enjoyed catching up with colleagues who are all digesting the government’s 10 Year Health Plan for England, understanding what it means for their work, what might need to speed up, and what we might need to do less of so we can focus on the right things.