The future of UK public services

Create coherence and alignment through national missions, focused on outcomes for people and communities, that are meaningful for their daily lives. These should then inform and drive mission and purpose at different levels: city-regions, places and neighbourhoods. 

Devolve power, decision making and money – including control over spending decisions, capital investment, priorities and planning to local partnerships.

Welcome cultures and service models that work with people and build their agency to manage their own goals and outcomes. Replace paternalism with structures that give communities greater voice, and say in how services are designed and delivered. 

Move away from rationing demand by raising thresholds to working with people before their needs escalate, reach crisis or greater complexity, prioritising early intervention and prevention. 

Develop a more plural research and development system not monopolised by government, that invests in both short term improvement and long term experimentation and innovation. 

Regulate to cap profits, prevent rent seeking, improve pay and conditions, compete on quality rather than price, improve local governance, promote diversity on the supply side, and encourage innovation. 

Incentivise mergers, networks and partnership. These should be driven by local leaders not designed and imposed by top down reorganisation from Whitehall.