Thomas Pope
Deputy Chief Economist
Capital spending in public services
Crumbling schools, hospitals and prisons need a new capital spending plan to turn performance around.
Funding local growth in England
The next government must end "begging bowl culture" of local growth funding.
How the next government should complete the job of English devolution
The next government must extend devolution to 85% of England to deliver meaningful and balanced economic growth.
Where next for levelling up?
This short paper highlights five key challenges that any government seeking to reduce regional inequalities will need to address.
A Labour government would need to take big decisions to deliver on its devolution agenda
Do Keir Starmer’s and Angela Rayner’s devolution plans add up?
All work
Conservative and Labour fiscal rules would shake off the spending straitjacket
While the winner of the next election will adopt a looser fiscal stance, any increases in capital spending must be carefully managed.
Performance Tracker 2019
Performance Tracker 2019 projects the demand and spending on nine public services for the next five years.
Government outsourcing
Which services have been outsourced successfully and which need reform
Tory leadership tax and spend pledges are detached from reality of difficult fiscal choices
Fiscal headroom doesn’t mean that Jeremy Hunt and Boris Johnson can make straightforward public spending promises.
Budgets
Governments require parliament’s approval to spend money, as well as to raise revenue in the form of taxes.