IfG public services conference

Welcome

• Professor Marc Stears, Director of the UCL Policy Lab and UCL Pro-Provost (Policy Engagement)
• Dr Hannah White OBE, Director and CEO of the Institute for Government

In conversation with Rt Hon Michael Gove

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• Rt Hon Michael Gove, Editor of the The Spectator and former Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
• Dr Hannah White OBE, Director and CEO of the Institute for Government

Read highlights from the discussion on X.

Photos from this event are available on our Flickr. 

The IfG Expert Briefing: What next for public services?

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The IfG team presented new analysis on the likely impact of the budget on public services performance. They also discussed the key questions facing the government ahead of the spending review, including widespread poor performance and record backlogs, tight funding settlements, industrial disputes, crumbling buildings, recruitment and retention problems, and resilience for future crises. 

• Stuart Hoddinott, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government
• Philip Nye, Senior Data Scientist at the Institute for Government
• Cassia Rowland, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government

This session was chaired by Emma Norris, Deputy Director of the Institute for Government.

Read highlights from the discussion on X.

Photos from this event are available on our Flickr. 

Reform or repair? What next for health and social care? 

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How can NHS backlogs be tackled and waiting times improved? What are the prospects for adult social care reform in this parliament? How can government ensure health and care services have sufficient workforces? Do health and care services have sufficient funding and is existing funding used effectively? To what extent can and should health services focus more on prevention? And to what extent do the government’s proposals address these challenges?

• Dr Becks Fisher, Director of Research and Policy at Nuffield Trust
• Professor Naomi Fulop, Professor of Health Care Organisation and Management at the UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care 
• Preet Gill MP, former Shadow Minister for Primary Care and Public Health
• Dame Una O'Brien, former Permanent Secretary in the Department of Health 

This session was chaired by Stuart Hoddinott, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government.

Read highlights from the discussion on X.

Photos from this event are available on our Flickr. 

The criminal justice system: Is there a way to fix it?

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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.

Read highlights from the discussion on X.

Photos from this event are available on our Flickr. 

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

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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.

Read highlights from the discussion on X.

Photos from this event are available on our Flickr. 

Funding public services: What do spending plans mean for performance?

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On 30 October, the new government announced spending plans for 2025/26, with a spending review covering 2025/26 to 2027/28 due to be published in the spring. What are the implications of these spending plans for public service performance in 2025/26? What options should the spending review consider for raising revenue and boosting productivity? How can the government improve public services when funding is tight?

• Rupert Harrison, former Chief of Staff to George Osborne and Chair of the UK’s Council of Economic Advisors (2010–15)
• Paul Johnson, Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies
• Professor Henrietta Moore, Founder and Director of the UCL Institute for Global Prosperity
• Rachel Sylvester, political columnist at The Times and Chair of the Times Health Commission 

This session will be chaired by Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.

Read highlights from the discussion on X.

Photos from this event are available on our Flickr. 

In conversation with Lord Blunkett

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• Lord Blunkett, former Home Secretary and Secretary of State for Education and Employment
• Emma Norris, Deputy Director of the Institute for Government.

Read highlights from the discussion on X.

Photos from this event are available on our Flickr. 

We would like to thank University College London for kindly supporting this event.