In 2024, Demos delivered the Future Public Services Taskforce, making the case for a new ‘liberated’ model of public services. The work was enthusiastically received by reformers in government. Key initiatives – from ‘Test, Learn and Grow’ pilots to the latest Spending Review – already share its core principles: preventative, empowered, joined-up and innovative services, centred around people.
But while there is growing alignment around this vision – with enthusiasm building in parts of government and in local areas – there remains hesitation elsewhere. Some question how affordable, achievable or scalable this model of reform can realistically be – or whether it is politically saleable. In some cases, there are signs of a return to older, ‘New Public Management’ models of running public services, favouring market mechanisms such as league tables and payment-by-results over relationships and professional judgement.
And as ever, delivering reform is far harder than agreeing a vision – especially when that vision runs up against some of Whitehall’s strongest instincts: centralisation, risk aversion, siloed working and short-termism. Too often, central government acts as a brake – rather than an enabler – of progress. The hardest task ahead isn’t a question of policy design, but about shifting behaviours, assumptions and incentives at the heart of the system.
In the next phase, Demos wants to tackle those barriers head-on. Plenty of work has identified the reasons why reform is so hard; too little has asked why Whitehall behaves this way – and the changes needed – institutional and psychological – to unlock a different future.
We are delighted to launch Demos’ new programme, Powering Public Service Reform, where we will do just that. Read more about the work in our launch briefing. And to get in touch about the programme, please contact Anna Garrod, Director of Policy and Impact, or Amy Gandon, Demos Fellow.
