What is the Mayoral Regions Programme (MRP)?
The MRP is a programme funded by The Health Foundation that is investigating how Mayoral Regions can improve health and reduce inequalities by taking action across regions.
Mayoral Regions hold the levers for many of the wider determinants of health, such as employment opportunities, transport and planning. Therefore, there are significant opportunities to improve health and reduce inequalities through regional-level action.
The Health Foundation’s MRP will support Mayoral Regions to understand and make the most of the levers they have to take systemic action and bolster capacity to strengthen the role of regional tier government in this activity.
The MRP has recently published a Health in All Policies Toolkit for Mayoral Regions. You can find out more on our project work page using the link below
What are the aims of the MRP?
- To sustain capacity within Mayoral Regions to prioritise work and make tangible progress on improving health and reducing inequalities
- To extend the evidence base on how Mayoral Regions can add value in improving health and reducing inequalities and increase Mayoral Regions understanding of the levers available to them
- To strengthen collaboration and peer learning across Mayoral Regions
What is the role of the West Midlands Combined Authority in the MRP?
A total of £1.3 million has been awarded to the WMCA to oversee the 3-year programme and work with the following 8 consortia Mayoral Regions to deliver it:
The WMCA is hosting a central MRP team to drive action across the consortia member Mayoral Regions, which will provide direct support, catalyse collective influence and add capacity to Mayoral Regions through consultancy activity.
The central team will also work with regions to replicate successful practice through support with tools, resources and expertise, such as offering webinars on key topics and emerging issues, developing case studies and shaping jointly targeted policy areas across Mayoral Regions.
How can I get the latest updates from the MRP?
An MRP online learning network was launched in October 2024 and has been created to share regular updates, insights, and publications from the programme. The network also facilitates ongoing discussions, peer learning, and collaboration among Mayoral Regions colleagues across key health and inequality-related policy areas.
You can sign up to the Health Equity Network via this link: Request to join | The Health Equity Network
And then request to join the MRP group here: https://healthequitynetwork.co.uk/topics/46794/feed
Meet the MRP team
