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Ben Wealthy

@benwealthy.bsky.social
235 followers 169 following 182 posts

Acting Director and Head of Policy and Public Affairs, World Wellbeing Movement. Chair, Harrow Cycle Hub. The back catalogue - www.linkedin.com/in/ben-wealthy-739…

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Ben Wealthy @benwealthy.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Andy Burnham’s ultimate test will be whether people’s lives improve www.theguardian.com/politics/202... Couldn't agree more @sarahdavidson.bsky.social @carnegieuk.bsky.social
theguardian.com
Andy Burnham’s ultimate test will be whether people’s lives improve | Letters
Measures of wellbeing should carry real weight in decisions about tax, spending and public services, says Sarah Davidson
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Ben Wealthy @benwealthy.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Textbook example of policy development purely for headlines www.bbc.co.uk/news/article.... The goal of their criminal justice policy appears to be more prison places. That's what success looks like. Surely, the objective should be to reduce crime - especially violent and sexual offences?
bbc.co.uk
Tories pledge to build 50,000 new prison places
The party says its proposals would stop prisoners being released early and cut crime.
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Ben Wealthy @benwealthy.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Almost 50 cyclists from @harrowcyclehub.bsky.social took part in the London Cycling Festival last Sunday @londoncycling.bsky.social. 6 volunteer-led rides converged on the beautiful Canons Park, Harrow. Wellbeing through cycling and connection. Pic credit: Wai Cheung from Pinner Camara Club
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Ben Wealthy @benwealthy.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
UK youngsters recorded an average life satisfaction score of just 6.73 out of 10, bottom amongst European countries. The focus of policy should be to improve the happiness of the people, with a big focus on children and young people. www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news... @childrenssociety.bsky.social
mirror.co.uk
British teenagers named unhappiest in Europe for the second time running
New research has exposed the pressures facing young people, with school, money and wider worries weighing heavily on their wellbeing as The Children's Society calls for action
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Ben Wealthy @benwealthy.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
The new PM has yet to deliver a Budget or a Spending Review so labelling it in the way Andy Haldane did feels more of a political attack (because you say that knowing it will get headlines) than thoughtful analysis on the challenges and opportunities for the UK economy. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Andy Burnham rejects 'tax and spend socialist' comments
The prime minister insists he is prepared to take "difficult decisions" at next month's Budget.
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Ben Wealthy @benwealthy.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Important point - it is a real shame that these two issues have been pitted against each other as though they are mutually exclusive.
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Ben Wealthy @benwealthy.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Interesting thoughts, clearly there has been much debate and thoughtful deliberation amongst Parliamentarians. But what of the people and the representative function MPs should serve....it seems the Commons is significantly out of step with public polling on this issue. Feels quite sad and worrying.
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Ben Wealthy @benwealthy.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Deeply disappointing news; and for some individuals tragic. 73% of people support a law change, with only a small minority opposed. If Parliament cannot make progress on this issue, it should pass the decision to the people through a referendum.
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Health Equals @healthequals.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Your postcode shouldn't determine your shelf life. But in the UK, it does. Depending on where you live, your life could be cut short by up to 18 years. That's not because of bad luck or individual choices alone. 🧵
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Ben Wealthy @benwealthy.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
UK Wellbeing Report and summary available here worldwellbeingmovement.org/uk-wellbeing...
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Ben Wealthy @benwealthy.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
Good to see our 2026 UK Wellbeing Report covered in the Independent (thanks to Victoria Young). The 2020s could be a lost decade for wellbeing without a change in course. The World Wellbeing Movement is calling for an Annual Wellbeing Statement in Parliament. www.independent.co.uk/life-style/w...
independent.co.uk
How to tell if you are living below the wellbeing poverty line
If someone has good health, is well educated, has a partner and a certain level of income, you might assume that they are in a good place mentally. Not so fast; many factors can lead to a person falli...
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Ben Wealthy @benwealthy.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
UK Wellbeing Report and summary available here worldwellbeingmovement.org/uk-wellbeing...
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Prof Jim McManus, OCDS, D.Sc,FFPH,FBPsS, @jimmcmanusph.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
We know more about prevention than ever before. So why do prevention efforts still fail? open.substack.com/pub/jimmcman... #PublicHealth #Prevention #SystemsThinking #HealthEquity
open.substack.com
Why Prevention Sometimes Fails
And how we create the conditions for success....
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Ben Wealthy @benwealthy.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Interesting to hear Andy Burnham outside 10 Downing Street pledge to "help people live well." At the World Wellbeing Movement, we believe wellbeing should be the priority of government. My blog calling for 'wellbeing growth in every postcode' worldwellbeingmovement.org/insights/wel...
worldwellbeingmovement.org
Wellbeing growth in every postcode - World Wellbeing Movement
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Kate Ardern@KateAlvanley @ardernkate.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
This is very well worth a read👇 @tracyd-ph.bsky.social @felly500.bsky.social @jimmcmanusph.bsky.social @ogden140.bsky.social @sebrees1.bsky.social @charliepickles.bsky.social @davidjbuck.bsky.social @hetanshah.bsky.social @dianecoyle1859.bsky.social
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Ben Wealthy @benwealthy.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
NEW: UK Wellbeing Report 2026 Wellbeing is flatlining with the 2020s set to become a 'lost decade' for wellbeing. Andy Burnham's vision of 'good growth' should include growing wellbeing and spreading it more equally. Good policy, good politics. worldwellbeingmovement.org/uk-wellbeing...
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Ben Wealthy @benwealthy.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
It is positive for public health that low and no alcohol drinks are becoming more popular - this is without changing the definition. Therefore, not at all convinced there is a case for doing so. Think DHSC should be resisting alcohol industry demand here www.theguardian.com/business/202...
theguardian.com
UK’s alcohol-free beer boom threatened by regulations, trade body warns
BBPA wants content definition for beer to be considered non-alcoholic to be changed from 0.05% to 0.5%
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Ben Wealthy @benwealthy.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
'Good growth in every postcode' needs definition. GDP problematic as a sole measure as it includes bad things, like drug dealing and prostitution. Burnham agenda could opt for 'two pillars' of success - growing GDP and growing wellbeing. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Andy Burnham to pledge ‘good growth in every postcode’ in devolution plan
Makerfield MP on course to be PM will argue for more decision-making in regions and communities as he sets out platform for government
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Josiah Mortimer @josiahmortimer.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
"The government will repeal the Vagrancy Act on Monday 29 June 2026, ending nearly two centuries of legislation that has criminalised rough sleeping and begging" www.gov.uk/government/n...
gov.uk
Rough sleeping no longer a crime as Vagrancy Act repealed
The government will repeal the Vagrancy Act on Monday 29 June 2026, ending nearly two centuries of legislation that has criminalised rough sleeping and begging.
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Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan @london.gov.uk · 26/06/2026
This is remarkable.
Bar chart which shows y-axis running 0-8000, and x-axis showing years 2019 and 2024. For 2019, a light orange bar runs up to just over 6000, with a darker orange running up to 8000. For 2024, a green bar runs up to 4000, with a dark green running to about 5000. The text "40% lower" is on the lighter green bar. Text at the top of the graphic reads "Estimated air pollution deaths are down by around 40%. New analysis estimates deaths associated with air pollution in London reduced substantially between 2019 and 2024." Text at the bottom of the graphic reads "Note: darker shading shows estimated ranges. Data based on a comparison of estimated mortality burden using updated methods and a scenario-based analysis where only air pollution changes. Source: london.gov.uk/aqmortality". The Mayor of London logo sits in the bottom right-hand corner.
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Ben Wealthy @benwealthy.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Dear Andy Burnham... My latest Substack piece in the form of a letter to the next PM outlining why he should focus on health and wellbeing. benwealthy.substack.com/p/dear-andy-...
benwealthy.substack.com
Dear Andy Burnham
A word on health and wellbeing
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Ben Wealthy @benwealthy.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
A 5-point 'Health and Wellbeing Manifesto' for Andy Burnham. 1) Health inequalities 2) National Care Service 3) Community public health 4) Measuring child wellbeing 5) Wellbeing at work
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Ben Wealthy @benwealthy.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
4) A national programme to measure child wellbeing, inspired by BeeWell in Manchester - see Our Wellbeing, Our Voice Campaign www.ourwellbeingourvoice.org. 5) Work and health...because he knows happy workers are more productive www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJDV...
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Ben Wealthy @benwealthy.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
2) National Care Service. When he was Health Secretary he published a white paper setting out bold social care reform. 3) Community based, collaborative health and wellbeing projects where people live and work. See the Live Well (Manchester) model www.greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk/what-we-do/l....
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Ben Wealthy @benwealthy.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
Andy Burnham could be the first post-war PM to have served as Health Secretary. Here are 5 things he may focus on: 1) Health inequalities are widening across the UK. As Health Secretary he welcomed the landmark Marmot review and this issue has remained a core part of his politics since.
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Ben Wealthy @benwealthy.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
If if if...Andy Burnham becomes Prime Minister he will be the first to have previously served as Health and Social Care Secretary (or its equivalent titles). I'm interested to see how health and wellbeing issues shape discussions around the Labour leadership in the coming days and weeks.
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Ben Wealthy @benwealthy.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
"I am not prepared to compromise on the safety and happiness of our children, and that is why this ban must happen, and why this ban will happen." Rare to see the word happiness in politics - more please. Short post from me in another place. www.linkedin.com/pulse/social...
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Lauren Edwards MP @laurenedwardsmp.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
It is a great privilege to have come second in the ballot for Private Member’s Bills. After giving the matter a great deal of thought, I will be reintroducing the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. You can read my full statement on this here or on my website: buff.ly/I78DfUX
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Sarah Wootton @sarahwootton.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
"I believe it undermines public trust in our democracy more widely if we cannot deliver on a measure that is supported by a very large majority of voters in all parts of the country.” www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
theguardian.com
Assisted dying bill set to return to the Commons
Labour MP Lauren Edwards to use private members bill to put issue before MPs again
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Ben Wealthy @benwealthy.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
Restoring the Mother of Parliaments is not just a basic matter of health and safety, as well as protecting a stunning architectural gem, but a statement of intent about our collective commitment to the future of democracy in the UK.
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Ben Wealthy @benwealthy.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
Public support for ban overwhelming across the spectrum. Evidence of harms clear, including from @worldhappiness.report www.worldhappiness.report/ed/2026/. APPG on Wellbeing Economics [secretariat provided by World Wellbeing Movement] backs action wellbeingeconomics.co.uk/growing-up-i...
wellbeingeconomics.co.uk
Growing up in the online world: our submission to the national consultation on social media | All Party Parliamentary Group on Wellbeing Economics
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Ben Wealthy @benwealthy.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Helpful explainer, thanks @thekingsfund.bsky.social! No doubt there are merits to the reforms but hard to see how they can play a significant role in improving health and wellbeing, and reducing inequalities. That has to be the key focus, and the Bill risks being a distraction.
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lawrencedunhill.bsky.social @lawrencedunhill.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
This week I start a major project to analyse Govt's response to the Covid Inquiry (the largest public inquiry in UK history) - @cbffjuk.bsky.social Looking back @ 30 public inquires into health scandals & over the last 3 decades - it's alarming how few recommendations were ever implemented 1/
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Ben Wealthy @benwealthy.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Happy #BikeWeek! Enjoyed a ride + pint yesterday evening with friends from Harrow Cycle Hub - a local charity that I chair committed to encouraging more people to enjoy the health and wellbeing benefits of cycling. Let's make Harrow more cycling friendly together! www.harrowcyclehub.org
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Cycling UK Official @cyclinguk.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Want to feel more confident cycling? 🚲 Celebrate #BikeWeek with the #BigBikeRevival! Free sessions to help adults learn to ride, build confidence, pick up maintenance skills and enjoy friendly group rides. 📅 8-14 June Find a session near you 👇 cyclinguk.org/bikeweek
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Ben Wealthy @benwealthy.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Very disappointing the government is continuing with abolition of Healthwatch and local offices. Can't help but feel the Bill is, at best, a distraction. Moving the Deckchairs Bill rather than a genuine Health Bill to improve population health and wellbeing.
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Ben Wealthy @benwealthy.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
In most fields it is accepted that people gain skills and knowledge over time, hopefully making them more effective and successful in their work. This can also be true in politics. To think anyone can just turn up and via sheer force of will and righteousness be a brilliant MP is far too simplistic.
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Ben Wealthy @benwealthy.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Of course, politics is a unique walk of life. We want and need a mix of people in our Parliament, plumbers included. A generous interpretation of the public mood is that they are pro a Parliament that looks more likely the country as a whole. Totally.
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Ben Wealthy @benwealthy.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Given the rise of plumbers as by-election candidates, Steve asks whether we would want a non-qualified person in our house claiming they could fix our radiator. They are an outsider in the plumbing world and therefore genuinely on your side. Only in politics is experience viewed with suspicion.
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Ben Wealthy @benwealthy.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Latest Rock & Roll Politics 'Does it matter any more if a by-election candidate is out of their depth?' @steverichards.bsky.social Couldn't agree more with concerns about this bizarre and dangerous (and widespread) notion that many voters prefer to support a candidate with no political experience.
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Ben Wealthy @benwealthy.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
The food industry has shown reformulation is possible and whilst there are complaints about shifting goal posts there has been a broad consensus in recent years on this direction of travel. If your business model is based on creating significant negative externalities then its not a good business.
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Ben Wealthy @benwealthy.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Spot on Katherine Jenner: There should be “no trade-off between public health measures and the affordability of food”. Both vital policy objectives. www.ft.com/content/a5b4... @oha-updates.bsky.social
ft.com
Plan to tighten healthy food rules provokes backlash from UK industry
Businesses warn that proposed changes to ‘nutrient profiling model’ risk stoking inflation and reducing investment
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Ben Wealthy @benwealthy.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
What Professor Jennie Popay said ⬇️ www.theguardian.com/society/2026... I read the Oxford Longevity Project report to give it the benefit of the doubt and the content made me even more concerned than the news articles.
theguardian.com
Inequalities in health are the result of where you’re born, live, work and grow old | Letter
Letters: Our life expectancy is not simply our personal responsibility, writes Jennie Popay
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Ben Wealthy @benwealthy.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
Succinct arguments here. As ever, where you stand depends on where you sit. Ultimately, we have a process through the screening committee for determining the harms v benefits calculation. People are free to campaign and disagree but not sure what an alternative, responsible system looks like.
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Ben Wealthy @benwealthy.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
A lesson in life satisfaction and healthy ageing from 103 year old. "It's what I do, I'm never happier than when I'm putting paint on..." www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
'It keeps me in touch with life': The London artist still working at 103
Anthony Eyton, from Brixton, is preparing for this year's Royal Academy Summer Exhibition.
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The King's Fund @thekingsfund.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
How did a long-shot proposal to create a tobacco-free generation move from scepticism to cross-party support and become law? Deborah Arnott, former chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, explores how the generational smoking ban came to pass: bit.ly/4nr7ATK
kingsfund.org.uk
How the generational smoking ban came to pass
Deborah Arnott reflects on how a long‑shot proposal to create a tobacco‑free generation moved from scepticism to cross‑party support and became law.
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The Sutton Trust @suttontrust.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
🚨 NEW: There is a ‘happiness gap’ between people born into different social classes, we have found. Our research with Co-op finds that wellbeing remains closely tied to the social status you’re born into, but social mobility helps to close most of this gap ⬇️🧵
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Ben Wealthy @benwealthy.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
The APPG on Wellbeing Economics, which is supported by the World Wellbeing Movement, recently met to discuss social media harms. We explored new evidence from the World Happiness Report and heard from Prof Jonathan Haidt. The notes can be viewed here: wellbeingeconomics.co.uk/meeting/soci...
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Ben Wealthy @benwealthy.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
I'm on Team @harrowcyclehub.bsky.social in this year's Hatch End Triathlon. We are raising funds to buy a 2-seater trike for Wheels for All - a local initiative that makes cycling accessible to people of all abilities. Find out more and donate here if you can: www.gofundme.com/f/fund-a-2se...
gofundme.com
Donate to Fund a 2-Seater Trike for Accessible Cycling in Harrow, organized by Farah Juma
Hi everyone! We're taking on the Hatch End Triathlon this year - but… Farah Juma needs your support for Fund a 2-Seater Trike for Accessible Cycling in Harrow
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Ben Wealthy @benwealthy.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
I agree there should be a ban. I also think process, evidence and considered policy making matters.
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