Institute for Government

The new unified Probation Service combined the previously outsourced management of medium- and low-risk offenders with the public sector National Probation Service, which managed high-risk offenders. Launched by the government on 26 June 2021, it was the fourth major restructuring of probation services in 20 years. This involved hundreds of thousands of cases, thousands of staff across hundreds of sites, six companies and scores of sub-contractors – all with different ways of working. One year on, how well has the transition worked? What more needs to be done to improve the running of probation services? And what opportunities – and challenges – could the next year bring? To discuss these questions and more, the IfG was delighted to bring together an expert panel including: Jim Barton, Executive Director for the Probation Reform Programme at the Ministry of Justice Suki Binning, Chief Social Worker at Seetec and Executive Director at the Interventions Alliance Linda Neimantas, Head of Probation Inspection Programme at HM Inspectorate of Probation. The event was chaired by Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. #IfGprobation

The role of the Lord Chancellor is to protect and uphold the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary. Yet the position is held by a cabinet minister: the secretary of state for justice. This overlap between the independent judiciary and the political world, and the balance of power between parliament, government and the judiciary, is the source of much debate – and disagreement. So what powers, if any, should a Lord Chancellor have over judicial appointments? Should the role go to someone with a legal background? What makes a good Lord Chancellor? Sir Robert Buckland, who served as Lord Chancellor and secretary of state for justice until September 2021, opened this event with a short speech on his experiences in post and his proposals for how it can be reformed. Responding to Sir Robert Buckland and joining the discussion: Baroness Butler-Sloss, former judge and first female Lord Justice of Appeal Sir Jonathan Jones, former treasury solicitor and head of the government legal department The event was chaired by Emma Norris, Director of Research at the Institute for Government. #IfGLordChancellor

Devolution, levelling up and local leadership As part of a special series of events on devolution and levelling up, featuring local leaders from across England, the Institute for Government was delighted to be joined by Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester. First elected in May 2017 and re-elected for a second term in May 2021, Andy Burnham discussed his role and priorities, the challenges of working with the UK government to level up the Greater Manchester region and what further powers he would like to see devolved in the promised 'Trailblazer' devolution deal being negotiated between Whitehall and local leaders in Greater Manchester. Andy Burnham was in conversation with Akash Paun, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government and head of the Institute's devolution research programme. This event was broadcast live from Manchester. Andy Burnham was the MP for Leigh from 2001-17 and held a series of ministerial posts including Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and Secretary of State for Health. In opposition after 2010, he served as shadow education, health and home secretary, before resigning his seat to become Mayor of Greater Manchester in 2017. #IfGdevo This event is kindly supported by Policy@Manchester, the University of Manchester's sector-leading policy engagement unit.

How much influence does the public have on the decisions made by government? Should they have more? And how should that work? People want a greater say in the decisions that affect them and their lives, with polling by UCL’s Constitution Unit finding that 77% of people felt they had too little influence over how the UK is governed. There is often a disconnect between the public and the UK’s representative institutions. So what needs to be done to bridge this gap between citizens and the state? This event, part of the Institute for Government and Bennett Institute for Public Policy’s Review of the UK constitution, explored ambitious ideas for reinvigorating democracy in the UK. From new digital technologies, tools for allowing people most affected by policies to help design them, and citizens’ assembles on the most important policy challenges facing the country, our panel will pitch their proposals to improve the UK constitution and bring decision making closer to the people. Sarah Castell, CEO of Involve Miriam Levin, Programme Director at Engage Britain Professor Jane Suiter, Director of Dublin City University’s Institute for Future Media, Democracy and Society Oli Whittington, Senior Researcher at the Centre for Collective Intelligence Design, Nesta The event was chaired by Jess Sargeant, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government #IfGBennettInst

The government wants to phase out petrol and diesel cars from 2030. So how can this ambitious target – which has been brought forward by a decade – be delivered? Key policy issues, such as the treatment of hybrid vehicles, are still to be settled, but the government will also have to address a series of complex questions. What can it do to encourage consumers to switch vehicles? What needs to done to roll out charging infrastructure? And what will this mean for the distribution and supply of electricity? On our panel to discuss the challenges involved in the electric vehicle switchover were: Professor David Bailey, Professor of Business Economics at Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham and Senior Fellow at UK in a Changing Europe Philip New, Chair of the EV Energy Taskforce and former CEO of Energy Systems Catapult Dr Aruna Sivakumar, Director of the Urban Systems Lab at Imperial College London Jeremy Yapp, Head of Flexible Energy Systems at BEAMA The event was chaired by Tom Sasse, Associate Director at the Institute for Government.

Better use of data is key to more effective government. Across government, teams are doing fascinating work with data. But those projects don’t get the attention they deserve. At this month's event, the 30th in our series, the speakers presented their work in an exciting, quickfire format. Each speaker had eight minutes, followed by eight minutes of questions from the audience. This month's speakers were: Alannah Keogh, Data Analyst, Social Investment Business, on using data to improve grant decision making Richard Oakley, Director of Data Science and AI at Methods Analytics, on 'Data science and AI in Government – more accessible than you think' Andrew Banks, Lead Data Scientist at the ONS Data Science Campus, on experimental analysis showing how the lowest priced everyday grocery items have changed in price Mark Thompson, Professor in Digital Economy at the University of Exeter, on the challenges of getting the foundations right for embracing public sector innovation. The event was chaired by Gavin Freeguard, Associate at the Institute for Government.

The Conservative Party’s 2019 manifesto promised to level up “every part” of the UK, but there is unlikely to be enough money to radically improve economic prospects across the country. Will the government need to ‘pick winners’ or are there other ways of ensuring that money is spent where it can have the biggest impact? The sheer breadth of the levelling up agenda – and the missions that the government has set out – means almost any area can be seen as a priority. So how will the government’s levelling up missions shape its spending priorities? Can ministers avoid the impression – as has happened with the Towns Fund – that party politics motivates their choices? And is it possible to level up without ‘levelling down’ leading areas such as London and the South East? Speakers on the panel were: Andrew McPhillips, Chief Economist of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership Selaine Saxby MP for North Devon and member of the Work and Pension Committee Paul Swinney, Director of Policy and Research at the Centre for Cities The event was chaired by Thomas Pope, Deputy Chief Economist at the Institute for Government. This event was kindly supported by Lloyds Banking Group.

The Institute for Government was delighted to welcome Wes Streeting MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. With the Covid-19 pandemic continuing to place the NHS under huge strain, Wes Streeting discussed with Bronwen Maddox, Director of the Institute for Government, how Labour would tackle waiting list backlogs, address workforce problems and reform the social care system. He also examined the lessons the NHS should learn from the pandemic. Wes Streeting has been the Member of Parliament for Ilford North since May 2015. He has served as Shadow Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, Shadow Minister for Schools, Shadow Secretary of State for Child Poverty and, since November 2021, in his current position as Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.

COP26 was one of the biggest diplomatic events any UK government has hosted in recent decades, with a huge amount of diplomacy, logistical preparations and careful planning required both ahead of and during the conference. So what lessons should the government take from the experience of hosting a major international summit, and can they play a part in its wider global ambitions? It is now half a year since world leaders met in Glasgow, but there are still six months remaining in the UK’s COP presidency. What should the government be looking to achieve? How has the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis changed the energy landscape? And what is the outlook for international cooperation on net zero? On our panel to discuss these issues will be: Camilla Born, Deputy Director, International Climate Finance in the COP26 Unit, Cabinet Office Greg Bourne, Councillor at the Climate Council of Australia Sepi Golzari-Munro, Deputy Director of the Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit Professor Mary Ryan, Interim Vice-Provost (Research and Enterprise) at Imperial College London The event was chaired by Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government.

WhatsApp is Westminster’s favourite way of communicating. Widely used across government , it is quick, convenient and easy to use. But WhatsApp also brings problems – it can lead to bad decision making, poor record-keeping and a lack of transparency. So how should ministers, special adviser and officials use WhatsApp to ensure that the benefits outweigh the risks? How can the government prevent crucial messages going undocumented? And when is WhatsApp not appropriate for use in government? Following the IfG’s report on WhatsApp in Government, an expert panel discuss how to get the best out of WhatsApp in Westminster: Lord Bethell, former parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Department for Health and Social Care Hugo Rifkind, columnist and leader writer for The Times Dr Catherine Haddon, senior fellow, Institute for Government The event was chaired by Tim Durrant, associate director at the Institute for Government. #IfGWhatsApp