This report from UK think tank City-REDI explores the utilisation of funding. There is considerable interest in how funding is allocated to local stakeholders to address spatial inequalities and in the amount of funding that is available. However, funding comes with rules on how, when, where and what it can be spent. The focus of...

This report from UK think tank the National Institute of Economic and Social Research Private Finance explores the use and impact of PFI. Initiative (PFI) continues to have a legacy in the public sector, with repayment costs being 3.3 times larger on average than the value of the infrastructure they built. The report explores the...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government puts forward recommendations to help the government set a clear direction and a coherent asylum strategy. The government must exert its authority over the whole asylum system and avoid short-sighted measures aimed at conjuring an illusion of control. This report puts forward recommendations to help...

This report from UK think tank the Centre for Policy Studies finds that there is still a viable electoral coalition available to the Conservatives. How can the Conservative Party recover from electoral catastrophe? A new report from the Centre for Policy Studies, built around an extensive programme of quantitative and qualitative research led by James...

This report from UK think tank Localis assesses the current state of local government financial governance and sustainability to ask what the case for reform might be. In English local government, the ‘golden triangle ‘of chief executive, monitoring officer and chief finance officer – who exercise their leadership responsibilities to own and champion good governance...

This report from UK think tank Power to Change explores community cohesion, empowerment and growth in response to the riots across the UK this summer. Torn social fabric lay behind disorder this summer. The government’s communities policy must move from responding to crisis to consistency. We know community cohesion is back on the agenda for...

This report from UK think tank Localis explores funding local government in this Parliament and beyond. The financial problems facing local government in England are well rehearsed. The deteriorating impact of shrinking budgets on public services and the state of the public realm formed an important part of the Labour Party’s platform of ‘change’ in...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government sets out how government can set up public bodies better. As government priorities change, particularly after a general election, there is often a need to set up new institutions to deliver on those priorities. Public bodies can be well placed to do this. If set...

This report from UK think tank Green Alliance offers lessons on how the government can avoid mistakes of the past. The government was elected in 2024 on a hopeful message of change, with a manifesto promise to create a circular economy, which was swiftly backed up with the announcement of a taskforce to develop a...

This report from UK think tank Reform examines a comprehensive model of political support. Unlike in high-performing organisations in other sectors, and indeed governments of comparable countries, Britain’s politicians are significantly limited in their ability to shape the teams they have around them, and to appoint outside experts and aides to help deliver their priorities....

This report from UK think tank Pro Bono Economics investigates the feasibility of creating a satellite account for civil society in the UK. Civil society organisations and the individuals who work and volunteer for them play a critical role in society, fulfilling many functions from service delivery to community building and campaigning. In doing so,...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government examines the impact of Labour's first budget on public services. The outgoing Conservative government left public services in a precarious state. Waiting lists in the NHS are stubbornly high, councils are on the verge of bankruptcy, backlogs in the criminal courts are at record levels...

This report from UK think tank Centre for Cities states that an economic geography approach to English devolution would be the most pragmatic. The forthcoming English Devolution White Paper will be an important milestone for economic growth and public service reform. The Government is correct to see devolution within England as a priority, and the...

This report from UK think tank the Resolution Foundation puts the autumn budget 2024 decisions on tax, spending and borrowing into context. This has been the most anticipated Budget of modern times. It had to wrestle with profound – and sometimes conflicting – challenges: fixing the strained public services; repairing failing public services; and breaking...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government recommends a range of steps that government can take to make youth work more accessible and sustainable. Youth work is proven to have positive outcomes for young people in the short term – including improved mental health, educational attainment, and reduced crime and antisocial behaviour....

Digital government services must be made truly accessible to reduce inequalities By Josh Abel (Fabian Society) The pandemic has brought the digital divide to the forefront of public policy debate. During lockdown, far too many children were unable to learn from home because they could not access the internet and millions of households faced social isolation because they were...