Regional leaders and mayors from 30 European countries are to be equipped to fight the rise of right-wing populism on the continent in a new $50m project with a leading British university.
Former New York mayor and media magnate Mike Bloomberg is teaming up with the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) with the first ever professional leadership and management course of its kind aimed at municipal leaders.
It is understood that the rise of nationalism is a concern for Bloomberg and helping regional elected leaders tackle the new politics on the continent including Nigel Farage’s Reform in the UK.
The projects view cities as the laboratories of democracy—pragmatic, problem-solving, and closest to citizens’ needs which makes the politicians who run them an essential bulwark to the rise of parties like Reform.
They are also viewed as the next generation of progressive leaders and this initiative raises their game, equipping them with the skills, strategies, resources, and collective power to shape the future of Europe.
With Gert Wilders leading the biggest party in the Netherlands, Marine Le Pen’s French National Assembly on the ascendency and Farage’s Reform UK 13 points ahead of Labour in the polls, regional leaders are now seen as a vital line of defence against populism.
The programme will provide mayors and top local government officials from cities across Europe with pioneering expertise to help tackle problems, modernise services, strengthen operations, and bid to improve people’s lives.
The inaugural class includes 30 mayors and 60 senior officials from 17 countries, representing over 21 million residents.
“We continue to expand our municipal leadership programs globally, because we’ve seen how well they work – and we want more cities to benefit,” said Mr Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg L.P. and Bloomberg Philanthropies and 108th mayor of New York City. “As Europe increasingly looks to local governments to lead, we’re glad to join forces with the London School of Economics and Political Science and the Hertie School on this new initiative. Together, we can bring mayors and senior officials the tools, training, and peer networks they need to take on their biggest challenges – and succeed.”
“Cities are where our most complex, urgent challenges show up first, and so where real solutions often start,” said Professor Larry Kramer, President and Vice Chancellor of LSE. “Mayors across Europe are looking to lead—but to address the unique problems they face and deliver on new opportunities that emerge, they need sharp management, strong teams, and the skills to innovate.”
The architects of the initiative believe that national and global policies increasingly require local progress – and in recent years, Europe’s municipalities have served as intermediaries for infrastructure, resilience, and more
Recent data reveals that 86 per cent of mayors surveyed by Eurocities report that their city will have to innovate to overcome a lack of resources to deliver on their priorities—and two thirds rank leadership and commitment from mayors and senior municipal officers as the most important factors to achieve this.
This potentially opens the door for populists to capitalise on grievance politics, it is claimed.
The Bloomberg LSE European City Leadership Initiative will equip these urban leaders with the strategies, skills, and networks to meet the moment. Through the nine-month intensive classroom, field-based, and capacity-building training, they will learn evidence-backed strategies from world-class faculty, researchers, and policy leaders on how to drive performance, work across departments, mobilize collaborations, and marshal solutions that deliver tangible results for citizens.
West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin, who will be on the course, said: “Across the UK and Europe, mayors are getting things done – rebuilding trust, hope and opportunity, and delivering real change. The Bloomberg LSE European City Leadership Initiative will help us go even further, helping us to raise ambitions, learn from each other, and lead with confidence.”
