Nick Davies
@njdavies.bsky.social
š¤ 8747
š„ 809
š 613
Programme Director at
@instituteforgovernment.org.uk
working on public services
pinned post!
NEW:
@instituteforgovernment.org.uk
have published pt1 of Public Services Performance Tracker 2025 covering local government finances and overall performance, adult social care, children's social care and homelessness Incredible work by
@stuarthoddinott.bsky.social
&
@amberdellar.bsky.social
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Public Services Performance Tracker 2025 | Institute for Government
Labourās public service plans are less than the sum of their parts.
https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/public-services-performance-tracker-2025
about 1 month ago
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Starmer is giving strong Emery vibes. Takes over from a tired administration that had started boldly but become a punch line. History of success in previous job but loses the dressing room and becomes historically unpopular due to bizarre decisions. UK needs an Arteta with clear vision + priorities
about 8 hours ago
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Giles Wilkes
about 11 hours ago
Massive move in gilts on open. Looks like giving up almost half the gains from the last month. Terrible
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Cassia Rowland
1 day ago
Gov to abolish police & crime commissioners. I'm not sold on this yet: yes, where there are mayors, it makes sense for them to hold these powers and turnout in PCC elections is low. But policing boards aren't necessarily a better option and the convening power of PCCs can be v valuable
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Police and crime commissioners to be scrapped in England and Wales
The government says it will save £100m over this Parliament and less than 20% of voters can name their PCC.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c93d4dd3l3lo
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Alice Lilly
1 day ago
Worth noting here as well that- unlike in the Commons, where the Speaker selects which amendments are debated- in the Lords, any peer can insist on having their amendment debated and voted on (although there aren't *usually* lots of amendments pushed to a vote)
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Amber Dellar
1 day ago
'Cornwall council offered suppliers Ā£6m to staff illegal childrenās homes' This might be a new low in terms of normalising children living in unlawful settings, but unfortunately, it really shouldn't come as a surprise
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Cornwall council offered suppliers Ā£6m to staff illegal childrenāsā¦
Regulators intervene after UK local authority accused of normalising unlawful placements
https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025-11-13/cornwall-council-offered-suppliers-6m-to-run-illegal-childrens-homes
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Completely agree that Labourās public service reform plans are patchy. Starmer isnāt a reformer but even a PM who was would have struggled to deliver serious improvements to public services in this parliament without raising taxes. The spending plans inherited from Sunak/Hunt didnāt add up
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3 days ago
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Gemma Tetlow
8 days ago
For too long, growth-enhancing tax reforms have been prevented by the intense political heat that surrounds any such changes. This new report should help create space for this and future governments to make much-needed improvements
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/cros...
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Cross-party agreement can create political space for tax reform | Institute for Government
It is time to take the political heat out of attempts to reform the tax system.
https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/cross-party-agreement-tax-reform
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Great write up in the FT by
@laurahughesft.bsky.social
of
@amberdellar.bsky.social
's new schools report. It's striking how quickly pupil numbers are falling (particularly in London) but how slowly school capacity is adapting. That's left 600k places unfilled and put huge pressure on school finances
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Number of unfilled primary school places in England hits record high
IfG report shows London has been disproportionately affected by drop in pupil numbers
https://www.ft.com/content/9be6a075-ef7d-4a66-9a2b-2f97373f4d63
8 days ago
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Amazing work by Amber! This is part of
@instituteforgovernment.org.uk
's Public Services Performance Tracker 2025. We've published chapters on local govt, criminal justice + schools. NHS + cross-service analysis chapters will be out in next 2 weeks
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...
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8 days ago
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Amber Dellar
8 days ago
NEW REPORT Labour is struggling to meet its education priorities. It has big ambitions to improve schools, but a budget that falls short of matching them. And with no clear plans to reform the SEND system or tackle workforce shortages, children are being left without the support they need.
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Performance Tracker 2025: Schools | Institute for Government
It will be extremely difficult for the government to meet its education priorities within the budget it has set for the coming parliament.
https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/performance-tracker-2025/schools
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Institute for Government
10 days ago
WEBINAR | Autumn budget 2025: What is Rachel Reevesā plan for the economy? Our IfG team will share their instant and analysis of the chancellorās plans
@jillongovt.bsky.social
@gilesyb.bsky.social
@njdavies.bsky.social
@danhaile.bsky.social
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/online...
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Alex Thomas
15 days ago
Some thoughts on the Kruger press conference on reforming government, and Reform in government
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/dann...
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I absolute love the idea of a 'Medium Term Planning Framework' being the most ambitous anything. Really hope they try to better this with 'Short Term Guidance Note puts Beveridge in the shade'
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15 days ago
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Russell Webster
16 days ago
How well are the police performing? Cassia Rowland from the
@instituteforgovernment.org.uk
sums up their new Public Services Performance Tracker on policing in the first in a new guest blog series
www.russellwebster.com/how-well-are...
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How well are the police performing?
Cassia Rowland from the Institute for Government sums up their new Public Services Performance Tracker on policing.
https://www.russellwebster.com/how-well-are-the-police-performing/
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Worth noting that in Nov 24 the govt wrote to South Cambridgeshire to say that voters were best placed to decide on council effectiveness and that Labour would bring an āend to micromanagingā Iād like to see the full text of this latest letter to see what has changed
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16 days ago
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Cassia Rowland
17 days ago
New comment from me on the mistaken release of Hadush Kebatu: this error reflects much broader problems within prisons and across the criminal justice system
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/pris...
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The mistaken release of Hadush Kebatu is a symptom of a failing system | Institute for Government
The problems in criminal justice run far deeper than one high-profile error.
https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/prison-release-error-symptom-criminal-justice-system
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Rebecca McKee
18 days ago
New
@instituteforgovernment.org.uk
comment from me The chaos surrounding the grooming gangs inquiry last week highlights much deeper problems with the way the government sets up public inquiries
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/groo...
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The government must explain and defend its grooming gang inquiry decisions | Institute for Government
Some disagreement when setting up an inquiry isnāt necessarily bad ā but how it is handled matters.
https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/grooming-inquiry-disagreements
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Tim Durrant
18 days ago
Really looking forward to this discussion in a few weeks - as the PM tries to build his case for digital ID, we'll be discussing what it is for, who it helps and what some of the challenges might be. A great panel to discuss this with - do come along!
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The justice minister is right to be 'absolutely terrified' of prisons running out of space. As
@cassiarowland.bsky.social
's report showed last week, prison capacity will be on a knife edge for the next two years unless the govt takes further action to free up space
18 days ago
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Cassia Rowland
20 days ago
Well this is a particularly depressing illustration of what a collapsing justice system looks like. 262 people were released from prison by mistake in 2024/25 ā more than twice the previous year and almost 4.5x 2014/15
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
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Iām extremely taken with Jackās suggestion of a Hamiltonian rap battle about the Public Services Performance Tracker. Thereās a worryingly high chance that I attempt to rap in the Monday morning team meetingā¦
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21 days ago
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Tim Durrant
22 days ago
Niche post: the government has announced that the Cabinet Office, rather than the Govt Digital Service (part of the Dept for Science and Tech, DSIT), will run the Digital ID programme When Labour came in they moved much of govt's central digital capability to DSIT...
www.gov.uk/government/n...
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Machinery of government: digital ID
The government has announced a machinery of government change
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/machinery-of-government-digital-id
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Alex Thomas
22 days ago
Some - cautious - good news on the govtās civil service gagging rules Nick Thomas-Symonds has written to us rowing back on the worst aspects: āit is important for civil servants to speak in public about matters for which they have responsibilityā
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/welc...
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A welcome clarification on the rules āgaggingā civil servants | Institute for Government
New guidance on civil servants speaking in public is a welcome return to common sense.
https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/welcome-clarification-rules-gagging-civil-servants
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Alice Lilly
22 days ago
To explain this a bit: as the Speaker says- and as is set out in Erskine May- "unless the discussion is based upon a substantive motion, drawn in proper terms, reflections must not be cast in debate upon the conduct of the Sovereign, the heir to the throne, or other members of the royal family"
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Great thread from Maria looking into what's going on with productivity in the criminal courts
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22 days ago
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Sam Macrory
23 days ago
Great
@mattdathan.bsky.social
@thetimes.com
write up of todayās fantastic new
@instituteforgovernment.org.uk
report by
@cassiarowland.bsky.social
on the state of the criminal justice system. Which is again/still in a state of āslow-motion collapseā
www.thetimes.com/article/3319...
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Criminal justice system in state of āslow-motion collapseā
Labour faces pressure for more early releases after a report warns that prisons are at breaking point and court backlogs are soaring
https://www.thetimes.com/article/33194f1e-32e5-457e-a629-bfedc77e4d70?shareToken=a2cd3185828340ad02fed105bceeafb3
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Cassia Rowland
23 days ago
NEW REPORT Criminal justice is coming apart at the seams. Police, criminal courts & prisons canāt cope with the level of demand and performance keeps spiralling downwards. Early positive steps from the government won't be enough to turn things around
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...
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Performance Tracker 2025: Criminal justice system | Institute for Government
The government must act to avoid the justice system returning to the crisis point seen when Labour entered office, or worse.
https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/performance-tracker-2025/criminal-justice/overview
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Contract management is incredibly important and something that
@instituteforgovernment.org.uk
has talked about extensively in our work on procurement. But this is the first time I can remember that contract management has been part of a populist policy platform!
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23 days ago
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Labour inherited public services in crisis. How successfully have they addressed these problems since the election? Join
@stuarthoddinott.bsky.social
,
@cassiarowland.bsky.social
,
@amberdellar.bsky.social
&
@stephenkb.bsky.social
on 19/11 to find out
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/labour...
23 days ago
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Stuart Hoddinott
24 days ago
NEW REPORT: adult social care is putting immense pressure on local authorities' budgets, but there's no real evidence of improved access Since 2016/17, spending on long-term care: ā¬ļø25% People receiving LT care: ā¬ļø1% What's going on? Findings from our new report on adult social careš§µš
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Rebecca McKee
25 days ago
Whatever form the inquiry takes, it's clear we have a serious problem with learning lessons and implementing recommendations from previous inquests, reviews, inquiries etc. We are seeing similar, repeated failings happening again and again. It's the bit of the system that needs serious thought.
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Stuart Hoddinott
25 days ago
NEW COMMENT: Alarm bells are ringing in local govt and a rising proportion of spending goes on very few services That should worry Labour. Rising council tax and worsening service performance fosters the sense that govt wastes money More from me š
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/fail...
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Failing to fix local government could hurt Labourās re-election chances | Institute for Government
There are signs of severe financial distress in local government.
https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/failing-fix-local-government-labour-re-election
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Cassia Rowland
25 days ago
This is a really undervalued point! Yvette Cooper announced there would be āmajor reformsā to policing and a forthcoming white paperā¦last November, and not a single thing has been heard about it since.
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Councils are increasingly focussed on acute services (social care, homelessness) used by few people. All the median voter sees is that pot holes arent fixed + libraries are closed.
@stuarthoddinott.bsky.social
argues that Labour's reelection chances will be harmed if they don't fix council finances
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Failing to fix local government could hurt Labourās re-election chances | Institute for Government
There are signs of severe financial distress in local government.
https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/failing-fix-local-government-labour-re-election
25 days ago
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Maria Laura La Corte
28 days ago
Kicking off this yearās Performance Tracker 2025, Part 1 from the
@instituteforgovernment.org.uk
looks at how local government, social care and homelessness services are performing. Great job
@stuarthoddinott.bsky.social
&
@amberdellar.bsky.social
!
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Tim Durrant
28 days ago
This is a fantastic, in-depth look at how local authorities are performing, and the impact of austerity on local public services. One thing particularly stood out to me from the report - the benefit of stable, long-term political leadership in local authorities for maintaining performance...
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Alice Lilly
29 days ago
And yet a reasonable chance that those 24 years will prove to have been faster than the current restoration and renewal process
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Institute for Government
29 days ago
Our first instalment of our Public Services Performance Tracker 2025 looks at the state of local government finances and overall performance in adult social care, children's social care and homelessness. Read the report to find out more šš
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...
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Stuart Hoddinott
29 days ago
NEW REPORT: Local authorities have been struggling with pressures from austeirty for years, but there are signs that pressure is now particularly acute As a result, they are having to make tough decisions about finances and services š§µš on findings
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...
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Performance Tracker 2025: Local government overview | Institute for Government
The government is making good progress towards rebalancing local government funding. But the sector shows signs of mounting financial distress.
https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/performance-tracker-2025/local-services/overview
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Amber Dellar
29 days ago
4 patterns we're seeing in adult social care, children's social care and homelessness services (with graphs) And what govt should do about it A thread from
@instituteforgovernment.org.uk
's NEW jumbo report (read 1 get 3 free) on the state of local government services and finance š
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Public Services Performance Tracker 2025 | Institute for Government
Labourās public service plans are less than the sum of their parts.
https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/public-services-performance-tracker-2025
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Really looking forward to chairing this next week. Weāve got some fantastic case studies from
@local.gov.uk
and
@foundationsww.bsky.social
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29 days ago
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Becca Dove
29 days ago
As ever, this is sobering but nonetheless required reading on where public services find themselves in 2025 (and beyond) and why. Top notch work from the
@instituteforgovernment.org.uk
team.
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NEW:
@instituteforgovernment.org.uk
have published pt1 of Public Services Performance Tracker 2025 covering local government finances and overall performance, adult social care, children's social care and homelessness Incredible work by
@stuarthoddinott.bsky.social
&
@amberdellar.bsky.social
loading . . .
Public Services Performance Tracker 2025 | Institute for Government
Labourās public service plans are less than the sum of their parts.
https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/public-services-performance-tracker-2025
about 1 month ago
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reposted by
Nick Davies
Institute for Government
about 1 month ago
[NEW] How does the quality of local government services vary across the country ā and what is driving performance? The first instalment of our Public Services Performance Tracker 2025 with
@nuffieldfoundation.org
is out nowšØš
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...
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Rebecca McKee
about 1 month ago
On Monday the government announced updates to the ministerial code š One change is the Cabinet Office will now advise the PM before any decision to establish a public inquiry is taken, and before the ToRs are agreed
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The point of a multi-year spending review and regular SR cycle is to provide stability. That stability allows frontline public services to make long-term decisions that will deliver better outcomes and VfM. It's a big failure of policymaking if spending decisions are being reopened 4 months later
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Chancellor admits tax rises and spending cuts considered for budget
Speaking exclusively to Sky's deputy political editor Sam Coates, Rachel Reeves says Brexit, austerity, and the Liz Truss mini-budget have all played a role in damaging Britain's economy - as she prep...
https://news.sky.com/story/chancellor-admits-tax-rises-and-spending-cuts-considered-for-budget-13450207
about 1 month ago
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Looking forward to this. I will be talking about procurement, drawing on a recent
@instituteforgovernment.org.uk
report co-authored with
@drbenpaxton.bsky.social
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...
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about 1 month ago
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Nick Davies
Institute for Government
about 1 month ago
Productivity Pitches #8: Spreading innovation across public services By highlighting outstanding examples of innovation across public services, the event aims to share and support ways to improve performance levels.
@njdavies.bsky.social
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/produc...
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On Tuesday
@instituteforgovernment.org.uk
will publish the first part of Performance Tracker 2025, our flagship annual stocktake of the state of public services Weāre doing things slightly differently this year, so I thought Iād do a quick thread explaining some of the changes š§µ
about 1 month ago
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Nick Davies
Institute for Government
about 1 month ago
EVENT | Productivity Pitches #8: Spreading innovation across public services š Tuesday 21 October, 12:30-13:45 Join us for the eighth edition of
#ProductivityPitches
with Foundations, the What Works Centre and
@local.gov.uk
. Register to attend
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/produc...
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