Pivotal Public Policy Forum’s Post

Partnership between government and business is essential for Northern Ireland to fully realise its potential. Developing a shared understanding of the challenges we need to overcome and the strengths we can build on requires better coordination and decision making. Key issues including trade, economic development, climate change and childcare require strategic interventions from government and businesses across the UK. In #MissionBusinessGrowth, we’ve outlined why the next Westminster government should: ➡️Bring business expertise into policy development at an early stage ➡️Establish a forum for all devolved administrations to share innovative ideas and discuss mutual issues ➡️Improve co-ordination with a single point of direct business contact for all government departments ➡️Introduce key performance indicators for improved response times from departments and agencies ➡️Engage with the Executive and the other devolved administrations, alongside business through the East West Council to improve trade links between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK Read our proporsals for better working with governement in full: https://lnkd.in/d_D2VCdk #GeneralElection #GE2024 #NorthernIreland #BusinessManifesto David Crozier CBE Software NI Stuart Anderson Suzanne Wylie Stratagem

A summary of the policy work our Common Weal do, directed into the in-tray of each Minister in the new Cabinet. https://lnkd.in/er8j42ja

There are many positive proposals in the draft Programme for Government, but also a number of opportunities for a more strategic, cross-departmental approach to ensure better outcomes for our communities and economy. In its current form, the PfG maintains a largely siloed approach to the work of the Executive and fails to recognise that key priorities like growing the economy, reducing pressure on the health and social care system, creating safer communities and improving our public services require cross-departmental responses. Read the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland's response to the PfG consultation here: https://lnkd.in/eqn_adxC

"To create a new state organisation from a department, such as a Ministry of Regulation, a branch is usually snipped off and transplanted, sometimes with branches grafted from other organisations, then specialist organisational staff (e.g., HR, ICT etc.) added to meet perceived specific needs of the new organisation. In other words, a new Ministry is formed by snipping off a bundle of twigs from other organisations ... and fertilising it with organisational staff from the chief executive down. After 184 years of this process, Governor Hobson’s sapling state, housed in one building, has evolved into an ecosystem of nearly 3,000 symbiotic organisations spread across New Zealand. In fact, there are so many, the Public Service Commission is unsure of the total." https://lnkd.in/en7tmr66

The Scottish Parliament is inviting individuals and organisations to share their views on the Scottish Government's proposed National Outcomes, which will shape Scotland's future direction. By law, the Scottish Government must review the National Outcomes every five years, and the Parliament must be consulted on the proposed changes. The Government's report and consultation were published on 2 May 2024. The Finance and Public Administration Committee is leading the consideration of the proposed National Outcomes, with other committees also exploring evidence in their respective areas of interest. 📅 The deadline for submitting your views is 28 June 2024. 🔗 To respond to the consultation and have your say in shaping Scotland's future, visit: https://ow.ly/YbCB50RMZkr This is a crucial opportunity for everyone to contribute to the development of Scotland's National Outcomes, ensuring they reflect the aspirations and priorities of the nation. #NationalOutcomes #Consultation #HaveYourSay

🚨 NEW RESEARCH 🚨 Our new paper, out today, calls for the next government to break with the past and usher in a new era of “liberated public services”. Through our Future Public Services Taskforce, we’ve scrutinised the once-dominant approach to public services - inspired by “new public management” - which embraced market principles and private sector managerialism. However, if the next government is to successfully reform public services, it needs a vision which reflects the complexity and breadth of our public service crisis. A new era of “liberated public services” would better leverage local policy makers, citizens and communities in public service delivery, marking a significant break from the past. Drawing on local government case studies we’ve identified a post-new public management paradigm that’s already being implemented, such as Gateshead Council, where a liberated method is delivered through caseworkers who are given the autonomy to provide flexible, personalised support. We also draw on Barking and Dagenham Council’s ‘Community Solutions’, which was led by Chris Naylor, who sits on our Future Public Services Taskforce Advisory Board, and successfully broke down siloed service delivery. A “liberated” approach would also mean services are better placed to facilitate mission-led government, which features prominently in both the government’s approach to levelling up and the Labour party’s plan for government. Read our research in full 👇 https://lnkd.in/egc8xHvQ

Looking for a more energising vision for the reform of our Public Services? This new paper from the Future Public Services Taskforce highlights the 'liberated' approach - one that responds to the complexity and breadth of our public service crisis.

🤔 "Know your place" was the title and theme of our autumn party conference fringes and roundtables on local public financial reform this year with Norse Group & CIPFA - so good to see Public Finance running it as title of excellent Calum Rutter deep-dive into place policy and how it might deliver for communities. My thoughts from Localis perspective: There’s been an observable shift in the language around place in the past few years. 🗺️New Labour towards end of tenure had some reforms based on the idea of ‘total place’. 🤷♀️Although the coalition government paid lip service to carrying those ideas on through 'whole place/community budgets' their heart wasn’t really in it. 🪙The levelling-up white paper recognised the crucial interdependent link between the quality of public services and the quality of local placemaking – that they’re two sides of the same coin. 🤔 All eyes on the English devolution white paper - and devolution to what end? 🧵We need to untwine genuine devolution, which involves transfer of power and resources to the local level, from simple decentralisation, through which local government is treated as a mere delivery arm for national policy. 💖 As with our work 'Heart of the matter' looking at future of place in new parliament [IMPOWER Consulting] the promise of genuine, full-blooded devolution is that by transferring powers and responsibility for services we get better outcomes, not because Whitehall is inherently bad but because local institutions have far more at stake in making their promises and budgets realistic in terms of trust and accountability.

"Rather than a zero-sum wrangle between tiers, we need to ensure empowered, confident governing institutions emerge and evolve to face out to communities – rather than being expected to primarily operate upwards in a governance hierarchy. "In an era of declining trust in our institutions, how the regional and local state is resourced and required to draw in the participation and insight of communities at all levels – from strategic to hyper local – is not a “nice to have”: it is essential for the health of our democracy and society." There is an important opportunity to combine short-term, pragmatic necessity with longer term vision and ambition, says Jessica Studdert. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/e48-XSja Local Government Chronicle #TotalPlace #PublicServiceReform #Devolution #CommunityPower

What does Northern Ireland's draft Programme for Government mean for local councils? Given the length of time since the last PfG, and the severity of challenges facing NI's public services, today’s draft PfG is a welcome first step in recognising the need to move towards a proactive and preventative model of service delivery which prioritises wellbeing and places an emphasis on transformation and innovation. In our on-the-day LGIU briefing, we explore the ramifications of today's draft PfG on local government which can be viewed below. 👉 https://lnkd.in/ee4iXYDF However, there is a wider question over the recognition of the local government's role in the PfG. No devolved government can really succeed without clear recognition of, and trust in, local government to deliver and innovate. For the LGIU going forward, three central questions going forward will be: 1) Ambition on prevention - do the objectives and goals of the PfG balance ambition and realism in delivering long-term public service transformation? 2) Success - how is success defined and by who? A well-being dashboard is a welcome step, but across the 88 pages the key will be defining objectives which translate into performance reporting frameworks that drive change. 3) Partnership - What role should local government play in delivering the PfG, and how can we ensure they are supported? An outcomes-based approach is only realistic if there are tangible action plans and clear lines of accountability between different public sector partners. As Alison Allen commented last year in an LGIU article on empowering local government, "Local governments’ track record of delivery with agility, flexibility, and high levels of accountability and democratic oversight should be an inspiration to the rest of public service, and if given our place as valued partners, we can provide solutions to some of the challenges we collectively face." Going forward, as a key partner in government, councils supported by Northern Ireland Local Government Association will be critical in shaping the Programme for Government. At LGIU, we will ensure councillors and officers across the 11 councils are empowered and able to access the latest insights, international practice and analysis across the various policy spheres from the PfG. Northern Ireland Local Government Association Mark Maher Karen Smyth Karen Ireland Beatrice Makeig Greg Stride Sean O'Riordan Carnegie UK