The Labour government has a huge majority in parliament – but Keir Starmer’s administration is also facing an incredibly complex set of policy challenges. So ho...
The state of the civil service: recruitment and turnover
Whitehall Monitor 2025 – the Institute for Government’s flagship annual report on the civil service – found that high staff turnover, confused workforce planning, slipping morale and uncompetitive pay will hinder its ability to deliver Labour’s missions, even with an increasing headcount and a relentless pressure for greater efficiency and productivity
Keir Starmer and Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden have shown a welcome enthusiasm for Whitehall reform – including a commitment to a “test and learn” mindset and “mission boards” – but little will change until long-running civil service challenges, like excessive staff turnover and falling morale, are resolved.
This webinar – the second in a three-part series focusing on the report’s findings – examined civil service recruitment practices and discuss what is driving the staff turnover levels across Whitehall.
The webinar featured:
Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government
Liz Tolcher, Workforce Transformation Expert at PA Consulting
Jack Worlidge, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government and lead author of Whitehall Monitor 2025
The event was chaired by Emma Norris, Deputy Director of the Institute for Government.
We would like to thank PA Consulting for supporting both this event and Whitehall Monitor 2025.
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47:31
How can the government support mayoral combined authorities to deliver economic growth?
The Labour government wants mayoral combined authorities (MCAs) to play a leading role in delivering faster economic growth – so what can ministers do to help MCAs achieve success in this mission?
With an expanding set of devolved transport, skills, housing and planning powers, MCAs are well-placed to drive regional growth – but success is not a given. To capitalise on their potential, MCAs need effective decision-making structures, sufficient institutional capacity, and strong accountability mechanisms.
The government’s devolution white paper sets out proposals to reform the capacity, accountability, and decision-making processes of MCAs, but do these reforms go far enough? What are the potential risks? And what more can the government do to support MCAs to succeed?
To answer these questions, we were joined by:
Amy Harhoff, Chief Executive of the East Midlands Combined County Authority
Rebecca McKee, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government
Jim McMahon MP, Minister for Local Government and English Devolution
Laura Shoaf, Chief Executive of the West Midlands Combined Authority
This event was chaired by Akash Paun, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.
Introductory remarks were also be delivered by Robert Breedon, Partner and Co-leader of Government Sector at Gowling WLG.
We would like to thank Gowling WLG for kindly supporting this event.
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1:02:17
The state of the civil service: size and shape
Whitehall Monitor 2025 – the Institute for Government’s flagship annual report on the civil service – found that high staff turnover, confused workforce planning, slipping morale and uncompetitive pay will hinder its ability to deliver Labour’s missions, even with an increased headcount and a relentless pressure for greater efficiency and productivity
Keir Starmer and Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden have shown a welcome enthusiasm for Whitehall reform – including a commitment to a “test and learn” mindset and “mission boards” – but little will change until long-running civil service challenges, like excessive staff turnover and falling morale, are resolved.
This webinar – the first in a three-part series focusing on Whitehall Monitor’s findings – examined the size and shape of the civil service, including the growth of Whitehall departments since 2016 and the changing structure and composition of the workforce.
The webinar featured:
Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government
Liz Tolcher, Workforce Transformation Expert at PA Consulting
Jack Worlidge, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government and lead author of Whitehall Monitor 2025
The event was chaired by Emma Norris, Deputy Director of the Institute for Government.
We would like to thank PA Consulting for supporting both this event and Whitehall Monitor 2025.
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49:39
How can the government help boost growth in the science-based industries?
As part of its mission to make the UK the fastest-growing economy in the G7, the government has embarked upon a new industrial strategy. Science and innovation feature prominently, with life sciences identified as holding “enormous potential to drive economic growth and productivity” in the decades ahead. So how can this potential be fulfilled?
The next few months present a window of opportunity for the business sector, expert organisations and government to work together to devise a long-lasting industrial approach. The Institute for Government is convening a panel of experts to discuss how the government can deliver on its science and industrial strategy objectives.
So what can be done to ensure the new industrial strategy can endure when others have not? Where has science and technology helped drive UK economic growth? What should be the balance between directing science and technology explicitly towards driving UK economic growth versus other objectives like boosting health? And what can the UK learn from other countries?
We were joined by:
Johan Kahlström, President & Managing Director UK & Ireland at Novartis Pharmaceuticals
Lord Vallance, Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation
Giles Wilkes, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government
Amanda Wolthuizen, Vice-President (Strategic Engagement) and Chief of Staff to the President at Imperial College London
The event was chaired by Thomas Pope, Deputy Chief Economist at the Institute for Government.
This event was kindly supported by Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK.
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58:16
How to make a success of local government reorganisation
With an aim of delivering ‘simpler, more sustainable local government structures, alongside a transfer of power out of Westminster through devolution’, the government has formally invited proposals for local government reorganisation from all two-tier and small neighbouring unitary authorities in England.
Delivering this ambitious agenda will be complex, time-consuming and challenging as local authorities continue to deliver services against a backdrop of financial sustainability and workforce pressures.
So what are the benefits and risks of moving from two-tier to unitary local government? What does past experience teach us about how to successfully reorganise local government? What level of support from the government is needed to aid areas undergoing change? And how might reorganisation help to achieve the government’s devolution ambitions?
To answer these questions and more, this IfG event brought together an expert panel, including:
Eve Roodhouse, Director of Strategy and Policy at the Local Government Association
Becky Shaw, Chief Executive of East Sussex County Council
Adrian Smith, Chief Executive of Nottinghamshire County Council
Phillip Woolley, Partner, Head of Public Sector Consulting at Grant Thornton UK LLP
The event was chaired by Dr Matthew Fright, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government.
We would like to thank Grant Thornton UK LLP for kindly supporting this event.
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The Labour government has a huge majority in parliament – but Keir Starmer’s administration is also facing an incredibly complex set of policy challenges. So how can the prime minister and his team turn around public service performance? What can chancellor Rachel Reeves do to get the economy growing again? What will mission-driven government actually mean in practice? Who should be making the key decisions in Westminster – and beyond? And what will the appointment of a new cabinet secretary mean for the future direction of the civil service?
From reforming how the centre of government works to the battle for the future of the civil service, from making a success of levelling up to achieve net zero goals, IfG EVENTS stimulate fresh thinking and share ideas about how government works – and how it could work better.
Ireland