Institute for Government

As part of our ongoing series of events on the future of devolution across the UK, the Institute for Government was delighted to welcome Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and leader of the West Midlands Combined Authority. Six months after his re-election to a second term in office, Andy Street – who was in conversation with Akash Paun, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government – discussed his role as a ‘metro mayor’, the constraints he faces in the role, and how metro mayors can help deliver the government’s levelling up and net zero objectives. Andy Street started his career at the John Lewis Partnership in 1985 as a trainee at Brent Cross and rose to become the managing director in 2007. He resigned in order to stand for election, and was successfully elected in May 2017 as the Conservative Mayor of the West Midlands. He was subsequently re-elected to this position in May 2021. #IfGDevo

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 24th 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: Harry Lee, Deputy Director, Data Protection and Data Rights at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, on the government's 'Data: a new direction' consultation. Selvin Brown MBE, Senior Responsible Officer – Net Zero Building Delivery at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and Alastair Vetch, Client Service Partner at Slalom, on establishing a culture of data-led policy delivery Brhmie Balaram, Head of AI Research & Ethics at NHSX AI Lab, on the work of the AI Ethics Initiative and the ethical questions it is addressing about the use of AI in health and care Toby Jolly, Grants Reporting and Analysis Lead at the Cabinet Office, on using automation to make government grantmaking more transparent. The event was chaired by Gavin Freeguard, Associate at the Institute for Government. We took questions virtually during the event via the integrated event chat.

In the past year, the public appointments process has been in the public eye with allegations of politicisation. The process is much misunderstood and there is widespread uncertainty about the balance between the principles of fair and open competition and decision making by ministers. Is that balance now under threat? And what other roles should be formally regulated? What are the barriers to expanding the range of people serving on the boards of arms-length bodies? In the closing speech of our conference, Peter Riddell, who was the Commissioner for Public Appointments until September 2021, gave his thoughts on how the appointment process can be improved. Dr Matthew Gill, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government, responded to Peter’s speech. This event was chaired by Dr Catherine Haddon, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government. #IfGstandards

The UK government has faced criticism over its approach to standards, but it is not the only government around the world – or even within the UK – grappling with these questions. With other governments taking different approaches to setting and upholding rules for standards in public life, this panel discussion will explore what the UK can learn about upholding standards from governments across the world, what role parliaments play in this process and whether standards need a stronger legislative basis. We were joined by: Mario Dion, Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner of the Canadian Parliament Duncan Hames, Director of Policy Transparency International UK Dr Melissa McCullough, Commissioner for Standards at the Northern Ireland assembly This event was chaired by Tim Durrant, Associate Director at the Institute for Government. #IfGstandards

Various codes of conduct and constitutional guides – including the ministerial code – set standards for those in public life. However, events throughout 2021 have raised questions about whether the rules, and the various bodies that enforce them, are robust enough to uphold expected standards of behaviour. So how can the various standards watchdogs hold ministers, officials and others to account for their behaviour in public life? Are current sanction sufficient? Should these bodies have greater legal powers and more independence from government? To discuss all this and we were joined by: Chris Bryant MP, Chair of the Committee on Standards and Privileges Dame Shirley Pearce DBE, Member of the Committee on Standards in Public Life Lord Pickles, Chair of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA) This event was chaired by Dr Hannah White, Deputy Director at the Institute for Government. #IfGstandards

The Committee on Standards in Public Life (CSPL) is an independent body which advises the prime minister on arrangements for upholding ethical standards of conduct across public life. The committee’s latest review, Standards Matter 2, has been examining the institutions, processes and structures in place to support high standards of conduct. Following the publication of the review’s final report, Upholding Standards in Public Life, on 1 November, Lord Evans, Chair of the CSPL, set out the committee’s suggestions for improving standards in government in an opening keynote. This event was chaired by Bronwen Maddox, Director of the Institute for Government. #IfGstandards

The Conservative Party’s 2019 manifesto promised an ambitious plan for connecting towns and cities by road and rail and supporting electric vehicles, cycling and walking. But what evidence will the government use to shape its transport strategy and how can it ensure the system is customer-focused? How has England’s transport network held up under the dual pressures of Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic? And how can a transport strategy support net zero goals? Following recent research from the Institute for Government and the Gatsby Foundation, which analysed the use of evidence in transport policy in the UK and compared it to four other countries, the IfG was delighted to bring together an expert panel to discuss whether England needs a single transport strategy, the challenges involved in putting such a strategy in place, and how the system can be resilient to shocks and crises whilst reducing carbon emissions and keeping the focus on user experience. On our panel to discuss these issues were: Lord Adonis, former Secretary of State for Transport Sue Kershaw, Managing Director for Transportation at Costain and APM President Bridget Rosewell CBE, Commissioner on the National Infrastructure Commission Martin Tugwell, Chief Executive at Transport for the North The event was chaired by Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. We would like to thank Costain for kindly supporting this event.

From targeted social media campaigns during elections to the introduction of the Covid-19 test and trace app, questions about our data – and how it is used – are at the heart of political decision making and debate. With Elizabeth Denham’s five-year term as information commissioner ending on 31 October, this Institute for Government event looked back at her time in post – and looked ahead to future challenges, and opportunities, for data use and protection. In conversation with Bronwen Maddox, Director of the Institute of Government, Elizabeth Denham discussed the questions of freedom of information and transparency raised during the pandemic, how data can be shared responsibly and lead to digital transformation of public services, and how countries around the world can work together to meet digital threats. Elizabeth Denham was appointed UK Information Commissioner in July 2016, having previously held the position of Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia, Canada and Assistant Privacy Commissioner of Canada. She was awarded Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in Queen's New Year's Honours list in 2018.

To listen to the full conversation visit https://soundcloud.com/institute-for-government/david-nabarro

To listen to the full conversation visit https://soundcloud.com/institute-for-government/david-nabarro