Challenges in Public Service Funding

A daunting public services to-do list awaits Keir Starmer and his newly elected Labour government. Most services are performing worse than on the eve of the pandemic and substantially worse than in 2010, but future funding is set to be tight. Ministers will need to make best use of existing budgets and carefully choose targets for any additional investment.

So what are the most pressing public services issues facing the new government? What will happen to service performance if Labour sticks to existing spending plans? How can services be improved without substantial spending increases? And where should any extra funding be prioritised?

To discuss these questions, and a new Institute for Government and Nuffield Foundation report on the topic, this event brought together an expert panel featuring:

• Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government
• Sam Freedman, Author of Failed State: Why Nothing Works and How We Fix It
• Patricia Hewitt, Chair of Norfolk & Waveney NHS and former Secretary of State for Health

The event was chaired by Gemma Tetlow, Chief Economist at the Institute for Government.

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