What should the next government’s public service priorities be?

A daunting public services to-do list awaits the winner of the general election. Most services are performing worse than on the eve of the pandemic and substantially worse than in 2010, but future funding is set to be tight. Ministers will need to make best use of existing budgets and carefully choose targets for any additional investment. 

So what are the most pressing public services issues facing the next government? What will happen to service performance if that government sticks to existing spending plans? How can services be improved without substantial spending increases? And where should any extra funding be prioritised?

To discuss these questions, and a new Institute for Government and Nuffield Foundation report on the topic, this event will bring together an expert panel featuring:

• Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government
• Sam Freedman, Author of Failed State: Why Nothing Works and How We Fix It
• Patricia Hewitt, Chair of Norfolk & Waveney NHS and former Secretary of State for Health

The event will be chaired by Emma Norris, Deputy Director at the Institute for Government.