Re:State

Re:State (formerly Reform) is a leading Westminster think tank for public service reform. We believe that the State has a fundamental role to play in enabling individuals, families and communities to thrive. But our vision is one in which the State delivers only the services that it is best placed to deliver and that both decision-making and delivery is devolved to the most appropriate level.

We believe the State should act in the long-term interests of the nation, ensuring services and programmes are outcomes-driven and sustainable, and based on a fair funding settlement for current and future generations. We are committed to sound public finances and ensuring taxpayer money is spent wisely.    

We are determinedly independent and strictly non-party in our approach. This is reflected in our cross-party Advisory Board and our events programme which seeks to convene likeminded reformers from across the political spectrum.


Latest reports

Beyond caring: a new funding model for later-life social care

This report from UK think tank Re-State calls for a new Later Life Care Fund to replace England's failing model for funding for older people's social care. New research from Re:State sets out the case for a fundamental overhaul of how later-life social care is funded in England, arguing that the current model is unfair,...

Read more

The law of rule: fixing how Britain regulates

This report from UK think tank Re:State recommends that regulation is used more sparingly and only where it is appropriate. Britain’s regulatory system grows by default. Rules are easy to create, rarely reviewed, and almost never removed. The problem is compounded by weak scrutiny of new regulation, which too often fails to ensure that the...

Read more

Capital at risk: rebooting London’s governance for a new era

This report from UK think tank Re:State explores rebooting London's governance for a new era. London’s governance settlement is now more than 25 years old, designed for the capital as it was a quarter-century ago. While devolution has accelerated across England, London's governance has fossilised. City Hall is underpowered compared to its international peers and...

Read more

Hospital of the future: the last word

This report from UK think tank Re:State distills the key themes and recommendations from across all three reports. The past year, Re:State has been working on a landmark programme titled ‘Hospital of the Future’. This was predicated on the idea that the 'upstream' shift to prevention alone will not remediate the existential crisis hospitals are...

Read more

Procure and simple: a proportionate approach to public procurement

This report from UK think tank Re:State reveals a procurement system which has become too focused on compliance with complex rules and bureaucracy. The Government spends £400 billion a year procuring goods and services, but regularly fails to secure value for the taxpayer from that spending. Public procurement is rife with projects which are late,...

Read more

Operation automation: how to achieve productivity gains in the healthcare system

This report from UK think tank Re:State explores how to achieve productivity gains in the healthcare system. As clinical demand grows both in volume and complexity, health systems worldwide are searching for efficiency quick-wins. Automation is one such innovation. From pharmacy to pathology, its potential is transformative, yet often overlooked. Its benefits are multidimensional. For...

Read more

New house rules

This report from UK think tank Re:State sets out the case for a radical restructure of the Government’s housing and regeneration system. Housebuilding is at the heart of the Government’s agenda. For decades, England’s efforts to develop, build, and regenerate have stagnated, creating a national housing shortage. Efforts to reboot economic growth hinge upon a...

Read more

Go big or go home: governing England’s polycentric regions

This report from UK think tank Re:State sets out a radical but practical plan to introduce a new tier of regional government: provinces. England’s devolution project is expanding fast, but its next phase risks failing vast areas of the country. New Strategic Authorities are being rolled out nationwide, aimed at boosting local growth and reforming...

Read more

Hospital of the future: hospital as a service, not a building

This report from UK think tank Re:State outlines a model that fundamentally changes the configuration of the modern hospital. As outlined in Hospital of the Future: A framing paper, hospitals are experiencing a fundamental crisis. Rising costs, falling productivity and performance, declining access and deteriorating patient satisfaction are all symptoms of a profound problem. The...

Read more

Close enough to care: a new structure for the English health and care system

This report from UK think tank Re:State argues that an overly centralised healthcare system is impeding the transition to a more preventative model of care. In Reimagining Health: a framing paper, Reform set out the case for a radical new approach to health. Close enough to care is the first of a series of papers...

Read more

Local, actually: establishing hyperlocal governance in England

This report from UK think tank Re:State sets out policy ideas for a new kind of hyperlocal governance: a universal, capable, and empowered tier of Neighbourhood Councils. A wave of local government reorganisation and regional devolution is sweeping across England, fundamentally changing the face of the local State. And as this happens, the gap at...

Read more

Everythingism

This event from UK think tank Re:State makes the case for a government which is radically focused on the key policies to delivering its agenda. The State has become paralysed by a powerful force: Everythingism. Everythingism is the belief that every proposal, project or policy is a means for promoting every national objective, all at...

Read more

Designing a neighbourhood health service

This report from UK think tank Re:State identifies examples of best practice from across the UK that should inform the government’s approach. The Government have been clear on the need to shift care decisively out of hospitals and into communities, facilitated by the creation of a new NHS – what they call a Neighbourhood Health...

Read more

Metromentum: taking strategic authorities from patchwork to powerhouse

This report from UK think tank Re:State sets out a practical roadmap for realising the full potential of Strategic Authorities by evolving them to become more decisive, accountable, and capable. England’s devolution agenda is at a turning point. A new generation of Strategic Authorities is being rolled out across the country. They are intended to...

Read more

Quangocracy

This report from UK think tank Re:State looks at the quality of public body oversight and sets out recommendations to strengthen government’s grip on what they deliver. Public bodies now account for around 60 per cent of day-to-day government spending, providing some of the most important and high-risk services. Despite this, departments are unclear on...

Read more