A total and utter hero

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Great to kick off our Meetings with Mayors series earlier today with @stkaye.bsky.social and East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward!

Last chance to sign up to our first 'Meeting with Mayors' webinars kicking off at 11.30 this morning! We'll be joined by Claire Ward, Mayor of the East Midlands. Sign up here 👇👇👇 us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

I have writers' block, so instead I worked out how long the HBO Harry Potter series would run if it had as lengthy a production as modern HBO shows. At 'True Detective' pace it would take ten years to get to 'Goblet of Fire' At House of the Dragon pace it would take eight years.

Lots of coverage today of the NHS England CEO stepping down This is a good thing *if* it's the starting gun on dismantling the model That is *not* a comment on Amanda Pritchard, but the mistake of creating NHS England, which has ballooned in size & remit, & is now a barrier to reform 🧵

NEW REPORT: A helping hand: robotics in surgery. Robotic assisted surgery (RAS) is one of the most prolific innovations in surgery in recent decades. Today we publish a briefing note exploring the range of benefits they offer, and what prevents their rollout.

The Govt announced the members of its initial Devolution Priority Programme a few weeks ago and is publishing consultations around the changes being proposed in each place. Policy Director @stkaye.bsky.social reflects on some of the tensions which have made devolution so hard to roll out

"Scale is not a side-show, it is the whole rationale for devolution" 👏👏👏

New blog from me and Tom on how Council Tax is increasingly resembling the Poll Tax ⬇️

Government is red Opposition is blue Public services need reform We're reimagining them for you @reformthinktank.bsky.social

Tune in to @charliepickles.bsky.social appearing in front of the HCLG Select Committee talking about funding and sustainability of local gov finance 💰📺👉 parliamentlive.tv/event/index/...

1/ Today is a big day for @reformthinktank.bsky.social publishes my essay on 'Rebooting Regionalism'. It sets out the case for very large 'provinces' for parts of England, with directly elected Governors. It's also a think-piece about the fundamental differences from place to place in England.

The focus of devolution is currently absorbed by the new strategic authorities and consolidation of local authorities. While this is undoubtedly important, there is a huge gap growing at the community level. In the blog this week, I discuss. And there is more to come...

We hosted 4 roundtables w/ senior figures leading AI adoption in govt, informing this paper by @seaneke.bsky.social @jo3hill.bsky.social It sets out policy ideas for enabling the cultural transformation, and identifies four cross-cutting opportunities: mindset, people, process and plumbing 💡👏

Please share with anyone you know who works in a hospital! 🚑🧑‍⚕️

But to effectively implement and scale them, actions need to be taken:

Social care is one of the biggest challenges facing the health system & local gov 💡Fortunately there are some incredible tech innovations happening in the sector, providing some win-win-wins @floconway.bsky.social & @rosiebeacon.bsky.social set out practical actions to be taken in this space👉

🚨 What research do you want to see on Whitehall & the civil service? We're planning our 2025 programme, and wanted to give YOU a chance to weigh in. Our team had a massive year last year, and want to 10x it this year. 🔗👇 to send ideas anonymously.

There's no 'one way' to be leading in the life sciences. We'll also have to make informed bets, which play to the UK's strengths. It's been a privilege to chair roundtables with leading sector experts & officials exploring future UK strategy. Some thoughts👇

Today’s post tells the stories of two playgrounds, but it’s really about the imminent collapse of local government.

This was such a great discussion. Some really good work being done by NHS England - particularly positive to hear data improvements. Brilliant to hear the creativity of Camden's DPH. 💉 @floconway.bsky.social has helpfully written a short blog with her 3 key takeaways! reform.uk/comment/the-...

@floconway.bsky.social with a v. sharp summary of our event yday, on lessons for boosting vaccine uptake: reform.uk/comment/the-...

Kicking off now! Our first panel of 2025: The power of prevention: boosting vaccine uptake💉 We're thrilled to be joined by Chris Hopson, Steve Race MP, Caroline Temmink and Kirsten Watters for what will be a very valuable discussion Follow along to hear what's being said...

In this week's blog, Senior Researcher @patrickking.bsky.social makes the case for all rounders in Whitehall reform.uk/comment/in-d...

"Scale is a rare commodity in government innovation" Gov loves a pilot. But a pilot is only valuable if you learn from failure or scale success So great to see scale as a key plank of yday's AI Plan (& recomms we called for) 👏 Sean Eke has the detail in his snap blog 👇 reform.uk/comment/all-...

Read on below 👇👇👇 reform.uk/the-week/the...

1/ It's just not Christmas until we've been inundated with vitally important last minute local gov announcements! On the heels of Monday's English Devo White Paper, today we have the draft financial settlement for next year, AND a note on local audit reform. Quick thoughts ⬇️

Reform blog wrapped is out! @floconway.bsky.social 🎁💻

What a year! 🤩 Read our round up to find out Reform's view of the best and worst policies from 2024 ⚖️ 🫅We also crowned our Reformer and Reactionary of the year🫅 And took the opportunity to show off what a MASSIVE year it's been at reform towers 🗼🎀👏

Yesterday, @stkaye.bsky.social and I dove into all 118 pages that make up the English Devolution White Paper. We pulled out the highlights - the good, bad, mixed and missing. 🕵️‍♀️ Read on for our analysis 👉

England's local government is on the brink of collapse. Read my piece urging Govt to act decisively and NOW to rescue local finances and, in turn, public services. In our report, 'Back from the brink' we outline recommendations for how exactly we escape this crisis - see link in article. 📖🤓

New from me in the Local Government Chronicle on why plans for reorganisation - whatever their other pros and cons - are not the answer to the financial crisis gripping councils. www.lgcplus.com/politics/dev...

Everyone in the sector and beyond knows that local gov finance is in crisis - addressing this should have been done yesterday. Our paper, published today, addresses the crisis in 1) local services and 2) local revenues A quick 🧵on the crisis in local services 👉

1/ 🚨 Chuffed to publish this today! Quick thread - - Huge service demands, chronic underfunding, and inadequate fiscal autonomy has created a local gov financial crisis that threatens essential public services. This govt has big plans for devolution. None of it will work if local gov is drowning.

Senior Researcher, @patrickking.bsky.social, writes about the big idea in Pat McFadden's speech that could transform the British State. reform.uk/comment/pat-...

Today Reform's health team launches the first in a series which will fundamentally reimagine hospitals 🏥 The framing paper, published today, sets out a clear diagnosis of the issues at hand 👉

"Yet, if the work has been done, it would be a community I would like to live in – one where our lives are intertwined in what we share." @joshwesterling.bsky.social on his vision for stronger and more interconnected communities, and how government can help make it a reality. bit.ly/3Ot2k15

Phew! What a fantastic conference - full of ideas and devolutionary ferment! We'll be uploading the videos from our day in Sheffield as soon as possible. And meanwhile, the work of our programme continues! Thanks to all our speakers, sponsors, and participants today.

Kate's point about taking brave decisions sums up a key theme from what we've heard today - local government is well-positioned & keen to be brave/ bold in the face of challenging times, but needs the freedom & resource to do so. We need to make it easier for local gov to follow that instinct.

🏬 Sign up for our @powertochange.bsky.social online report launch --- Department stories: How communities are reimagining a national institution 🏬

The Week is out! Research Manager @rosiebeacon.bsky.social discusses the review of Physicians Associates and the destructive debate that has existed ever since their introduction. Read it here👇 reform.uk/the-week/the...

We're just a week away from our second major Reimagining the Local State conference - can't wait to get back to Sheffield! I'm told we're totally sold out but do get in touch if you are based locally and keen to attend and I will see what I can do...

🚨 NEW REPORT 🚨 With the public finances under pressure, it is essential that every pound of public spending is used efficiently. The Treasury's new Office for Value for Money will help, and today's report 'The price of everything' sets out a plan of action for them.