A view from the opposition: What should the Conservative Party’s vision for public services be?

The government’s devolution white paper – published on 16 December – sets out the detail of Labour’s promised ‘devolution revolution’. Ministers plan to further empower England’s existing 12 metro mayors, to extend devolution to the whole of England, and to reorganise local government.    But what exactly will the white paper commit the government to do? Which powers will be devolved, to where? How will mayors be involved in delivering the government’s growth, energy and public service missions? How will the proposed reforms to local government work? And what challenges lie ahead for the government in implementing this ambitious agenda?   The Institute for Government’s online expert briefing on 18 December discussed the answers to these questions and more.   The panel: Matthew Fright, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government Rebecca McKee, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government Akash Paun, Programme Director at the Institute for Government Thomas Pope, Deputy Chief Economist at the Institute for Government Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The government has set out its intention to support the civil service with the necessary tools to deliver for the public. As the IfG has argued, reforms to improve the capability of the civil service are needed – particularly in a tight fiscal situation where efficient and effective government is essential. We believe there are a variety of areas for attention. These include reducing staff churn, improving external recruitment, and seizing the opportunities of new technology.   How is the civil service planning to address these questions while supporting the government’s agenda and delivering the prime minister’s promise to build a ‘government of service’? How can issues, like pay and lower morale, be addressed? And what will the civil service look like in 2030?   We were delighted to host Cat Little, Civil Service Chief Operating Officer and Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary, to discuss these questions and more. She was in conversation with IfG Director and CEO Dr Hannah White.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thirty years ago, following a series of high-profile political scandals, John Major set up the Committee on Standards in Public Life (CSPL) to advise him – and future prime ministers – on ethics and behaviour. So has the CSPL been a success – and what might come next for standards in public life? Over the last three decades the committee has been an influential voice on the standards expected of people in public office, including setting out the seven principles of public life that apply to politicians, public officials and frontline staff and the establishment of standards regulators including the parliamentary commissioner and the Electoral Commission. However, recent scandals like ‘partygate’ and controversies over the acceptance of gifts, alongside reports from the infected blood and Grenfell inquiries, demonstrate that work on embedding transparency and ethical behaviour remains unfinished. How can the committee respond to challenges posed by increased use of AI in the public sector? What more could be done to build greater trust in politicians and public services? And what difference could the Labour government’s planned Ethics and Integrity Commission make? To answer these questions, and more, we were joined by: • Doug Chalmers CB DSO OBE, Chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life • Pippa Crerar, Political Editor at The Guardian • Daniel Greenberg CB, Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards • Dame Glenys Stacey, Chair of the Office for Environmental Protection The event was chaired by Tim Durrant, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Institute for Government was pleased to welcome Kate Forbes MSP, Deputy First Minister (DFM) of Scotland and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic, for an 'in conversation' event on 18 November 2024. The DFM reflected on the 10th anniversary of the Scottish independence referendum and the 25th anniversary of Scottish devolution. She also discussed the state of Scotland's economy and public services in light of the UK budget, and the Scottish government's policy and legislative agenda. The DFM was in conversation with Akash Paun, Programme Director for Devolution, which was followed by Q&A with the live and online audience. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The new government has put prevention at the heart of public service reform plans. So what difference could this approach make? By intervening sooner, problems may not escalate, become embedded, or arise in the first place – meaning preventative services could be a major contributor to public sector productivity.   With spending likely to be tight over the coming years, the theory behind an "invest to save" scheme is clear – but in practice it has been hard to implement, and cashable savings have often proved elusive.   This event brought together a panel of experts to discuss:   Is it realistic to expect preventative programmes to deliver cashable savings? How quickly could a shift towards a more preventative approach improve public service productivity? What are the respective roles of the centre of government, departments, and frontline services in delivering this shift and realising productivity improvements? How can additional investments be made in prevention when acute demand is high and spending tight?   To discuss these questions and more, our panel included:   Dr Thomas Waite, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Cllr Gillian Ford, Deputy Leader of Havering Council, Cabinet Member for Adults and Health Daniel Sperrin, Partner at Newton Moira Wallace, former Permanent Secretary   The event was chaired by Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.   We would like to thank Newton for kindly supporting this event. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Labour government has inherited an NHS in crisis. Pre-existing challenges of growing demand, an ageing population, and high levels of staff vacancies have been exacerbated by the pandemic, resulting in record backlogs and waiting times.   With substantial increases in hospital funding and staffing failing to turn performance round, the new government must help the NHS through the immediate crisis, set it on a sustainable long-term footing and consider the need for more fundamental reform.   Should the NHS focus more on preventing, rather than treating, illness? Could the NHS become more local? Are the new Integrated Care Systems working or should they be reformed? How successful have past NHS reforms been?   To answer these questions and more we were joined by an expert panel, including: Paul Corrigan, Expert adviser at the Department of Health and Social Care Penny Dash, Chair of NHS North West London Integrated Care Board Rachel Wolf, Founding Partner at Public First Thomas Cawston, Corporate Affairs Lead at Novartis UK   The event was chaired by Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.   This event was kindly supported by Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

David Blunkett was one of the most reforming ministers of the New Labour government. The former home secretary, education secretary and work and pensions secretary has led major government departments, attempted to drive through public service reform, and seen what prime ministers need to do to drive through change. So what does he make of Keir Starmer’s plans for reform? How does he rate this Labour government’s efforts so far? And what are his lessons – and warnings – for the prime ministers and his team?   Lord Blunkett explored all these questions and more in a fascinating ‘in conversation’ event with Emma Norris, Deputy Director of the Institute for Government. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Dissatisfaction with public services was a key reason for the Conservative defeat in the general election. How can the new party leader and frontbench regain public trust for running public services? What are the key elements of a distinctive Conservative vision for public services? How should the Conservative Party balance demands for higher public service spending and lower taxation?  Steve Brine, former Chair of Health and Social Care Committee Rt Hon David Gauke, former Secretary of State for Justice Rt Hon Baroness Nicky Morgan, former Secretary of State for Education This session was chaired by Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The new government faces an extremely challenging inheritance in the criminal justice system. How can trust in the police and charging rates be improved? How can criminal court backlogs be tackled? How can government improve conditions and capacity in prisons? How can individual criminal justice services work together more effectively? And does the new government have a plan to address these challenges?   Dr Karen Schucan Bird, Associate Professor at the UCL Social Research Institute Penelope Gibbs, Director of Transform Justice  Lord Timpson OBE, Minister of State for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending   This session was chaired by Cassia Rowland, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices