Episodios
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With an aim of delivering ‘simpler, more sustainable local government structures, alongside a transfer of power out of Westminster through devolution’, the government has formally invited proposals for local government reorganisation from all two-tier and small neighbouring unitary authorities in England.
Delivering this ambitious agenda will be complex, time-consuming and challenging as local authorities continue to deliver services against a backdrop of financial sustainability and workforce pressures.
So what are the benefits and risks of moving from two-tier to unitary local government? What does past experience teach us about how to successfully reorganise local government? What level of support from the government is needed to aid areas undergoing change? And how might reorganisation help to achieve the government’s devolution ambitions?
To answer these questions and more, this IfG event brought together an expert panel, including:
Eve Roodhouse, Director of Strategy and Policy at the Local Government Association
Becky Shaw, Chief Executive of East Sussex County Council
Adrian Smith, Chief Executive of Nottinghamshire County Council
Phillip Woolley, Partner, Head of Public Sector Consulting at Grant Thornton UK LLP
The event was chaired by Dr Matthew Fright, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government.
We would like to thank Grant Thornton UK LLP for kindly supporting this event.
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Keir Starmer has promised to introduce legislation to parliament – before this April’s anniversary of the Hillsborough football stadium disaster – that would extend a statutory duty of candour to public authorities and officials.
Starmer hopes that the new Hillsborough law, which will require government organisations and officials to be truthful and to proactively co-operate with investigations and inquiries, will “address the unacceptable defensive culture prevalent across too much of the public sector” exposed in the Infected Blood, Post Office Horizon and too many other inquiries.
But how widely will the duty be applied? How can it work alongside other statutory duties such as in the civil service code? What lessons can be taken from the legal duty of candour that has existed, with mixed effect, in the NHS for over 10 years?
To discuss these outstanding questions about the scope and remit of the proposed legislation, and explore how this new duty of candour could help embed a culture of transparency from SW1 to the frontline, we were joined by an expert panel:
Sir Robert Francis KC, Interim Chair of the Infected Blood Compensation Authority
Liz Gardiner, CEO of Protect
Pete Weatherby KC, Director of Hillsborough Law Now Campaign
The event was chaired by Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.
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Tamara Finkelstein, Permanent Secretary at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and Head of the UK Civil Service Policy Profession, is clear that generalist skills are essential but questions whether it is time to move away from generalists as roles sitting outside of professions.
Tamara set out current plans for the Policy Profession, which provides a professional home and career anchor for former generalists, and how it is providing a framework for building and improving skills. This was followed by a discussion about how to build the skills they need and how to embed professional expertise in the policy-making process.
For this discussion we were delighted to be joined by:
Tamara Finkelstein, Permanent Secretary at Defra and Head of the Civil Service Policy Profession
Aaron Maniam, Fellow of Practice and Director, Digital Transformation Education at the Blavatnik School of Government
Lord Vallance, Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation
The panel was chaired by Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.
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Decarbonising the power system by 2030 and accelerating to net zero is one of Labour's five key missions. But this extremely ambitious target means moving much faster than the previous government managed. So how much progress has the Labour government already made, and what more could it do to speed up delivery?
The government’s first weeks in office saw it remove restrictions on onshore wind farms and put GB Energy and the National Wealth Fund into motion. So what impact have these actions had? What other steps could the government take to accelerate its missions?
And with controversial announcements such as a third runway at Heathrow, what are the potential pitfalls to look out for, both to achieving the clean power mission and then accelerating to net zero?
To answer these questions and more, this IfG event brought together an expert panel, including:
Rosa Hodgkin, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government
Fintan Slye, CEO of the National Energy System Operator
Chris Stark, Head of Mission Control for Clean Power 2030
Dhara Vyas, CEO of Energy UK
The event was chaired by Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government.
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As Sir Chris Wormald starts his new job as cabinet secretary, two panels – one from Singapore – brought together civil service leaders from other countries to explore how they approached the job and what the UK could learn from their experiences.
Speaking at the IfG:
Pamela Dow, Chief Operating Officer at Civic Future and a former UK civil servant
Leslie Evans, Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government 2015-2021
Martin Fraser, Ambassador of Ireland to the UK, Secretary General of the Department of the Taoiseach 2011–22
Chaired by Alex Thomas, IfG programme director
And with an expert panel at the Global Government Summit in Singapore:
Heather Baggott, Deputy Public Service Commissioner, Public Service Commission, New Zealand
Siobhan Benita, Global Government Forum Chair
Lord Gus O’Donnell, UK Cabinet Secretary 2005-2011
Taimar Peterkop, Secretary of State, Government Office, Estonia
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Two of England’s elected mayors join an expert panel to explore how well mayors are working with central government – and what powers they need.
Ben Houchen, Mayor of Tees Valley
Claire Ward, Mayor of the East Midlands
Chaired by Akash Paun, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.
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Local government has faced huge financial pressures, leaving residents across England struggling to access services. Featuring presentations from council leaders, this panel explored what can be done to turn around performance.
Presentations from:
Jenny Rowlands, Chief Executive of Camden Council
Claire Taylor, Chief Operating Officer, Sheffield City Council
Panel:
Hilary Cottam, author, innovator and change maker and Honorary Professor at the Institute of Innovation and Public Purpose at UCL
Florence Eshalomi MP, Chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee
Jim McMahon MP, Minister of State (Minister for Local Government and English Devolution)
Chaired by Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.
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As the spending review approaches, IfG experts – along with senior fellow Sam Freedman – explored how the government can best use its missions – and milestones – to shape its spending choices.
Nehal Davison, Programme Director at the Institute for Government
Cassia Rowland, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government
Giles Wilkes, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government
Chaired by Gemma Tetlow, Chief Economist at the Institute for Government.
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No other party leader enjoyed themselves as much as Ed Davey did during the 2024 general election campaign. Rollercoasters, paddleboards, slides – the list goes on.
And then general election night was full of cheer for the Lib Dems too – with the party winning a record number of seats and reclaiming its status as Westminster’s third biggest party.
But how can those 72 MPs actually have an impact on a government with a huge majority? And how can the Lib Dems use parliament to scrutinise legislation and shape policy?
Deputy Lib Dem leader Daisy Cooper’s speech was followed by a Q&A with IfG deputy director Emma Norris
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How have the Conservative party adapted to opposition? What lessons has it taken from its 14 years in power – and its big defeat at the general election? And what is it thinking about the way government should work – and could work better? Shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Alex Burghart was in conversation with Hannah White.
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An exclusive poll for the IfG has revealed just how people are thinking about this Labour government, how optimistic they are about Keir Starmer’s policies working, and what issues are giving them most concern. So what does this all say about how the government has performed since taking office and what challenges and opportunities might the year ahead hold?
Joe Twyman, Director of Deltapoll
Claire Ainsley, Director of the Project on Center-Left Renewal at the Progressive Policy Institute
Anushka Asthana, Deputy Political Editor at ITV News
Dr Danny Sriskandarajah, Chief Executive of the New Economics Foundation
Chaired by IfG deputy director Emma Norris
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The world was watching as Donald Trump returned to the White House. So what clues did his inauguration speech give us about his plans for the presidency? How should Keir Starmer handle this most unpredictable of leaders? And how might British politics be shaped decisions and statemens made in Washington?
Mark Landler (New York Times’ London Bureau Chief)
Dr Leslie Vinjamuri (Director of the US and Americas programme at Chatham House)
Chaired by IfG programme director Catherine Haddon
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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