This report from UK think tank Reform sets out a new model for funding digital services in government. The Government has vowed to make the State “more like a start up”, investing in teams which will use a “test and learn” culture to improve public services. And with an ambitious set of Missions to deliver,...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government outlines what powers are available to metro mayors to drive regeneration. The regeneration of disused, deprived and deindustrialised urban areas across England will be crucial to the government’s ability to achieve its economic growth targets. It will also bring other benefits, like reducing regional inequality...

This report from UK think tank Reform argues that only a whole-system approach can deliver a sustainable path forward. Local authorities are not just administrators of public services. They are crucial agents of social and economic stability within their communities. However, their ability to fulfil this role has been severely compromised. Local government in England...

This report from UK think tank Localis examines the critical challenges facing local authorities in the South East and advocates for targeted strategies that align with the region’s unique needs. The South East of England, often perceived as a beacon of affluence and economic success, presents a paradoxical challenge to policymakers. Beneath its reputation as...

This report from UK think tank Reform proposes a new model for the Fast Stream, founded on more rigorous entrance exams and a new 'Executive Leadership Scheme'. The Fast Stream was set up to recruit the brightest and best for public service. And as government grapples with era-defining challenges, including how to build a resilient...

This report from UK think tank Centre for Cities investigates whether the current planning system has seen private housebuilding reach rates high enough to meet the new national target. Using newly available data on English housebuilding by local authority since 1946, digitised by Centre for Cities, this report investigates whether the current planning system has...

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 Civitas diagnoses what has gone wrong with the Church of England in recent years, and makes the case for returning to what works. The parish church has been a foundational part of cultural life in England for hundreds of years. England’s 12,500 parish churches are ‘treasure houses’ of national...

This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation outlines the benefits the civil service and public sector can reap by further integrating AI and automation into its user-facing workstreams. Artificial intelligence and automation are ideally suited to do many of the tasks that public servants in user-facing roles currently spend hours managing. This...

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 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 Bright Blue examines ways in which further devolution of powers and resources to Integrated Care Boards will help improve NHS efficiency. The NHS in England is failing to deliver. Public satisfaction is at an all-time low, there are long waiting lists for elective and primary care, and access to...

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 the Centre for Policy Studies discusses the age of the super-state. New analysis from the Centre for Policy Studies shows that, as a result of changes announced in this week’s Budget, state spending is set to increase to an astonishing £1.5 trillion by 2029/30. The briefing paper argues that...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government focuses on the five key priorities for the incoming cabinet secretary. Cabinet secretary is a unique job. The postholder must be at once totally loyal to the government of the day while representing the continuity of the state beyond any single administration. They must warn...

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...