Can collective imagination spark a public services revolution?

It has been argued that we are facing a deficit of social imagination: the ability to imagine a better society a generation or more into the future.

Collective imagination suggests the best way to respond to this challenge is for people across diverse backgrounds, experiences, expertise, and mindsets to collaborate and participate to change something that affects their own lives and places.

This Demos Public Services 2030 Network event, co-curated with Network Co-Founder the Centre for Public Impact, will discuss how we can use collective imagination to reimagine our public services and tap into the strengths of our communities.

Speakers:

• Immy Kaur, Co-Founder & Director, Civic Square
• Sophia Parker, Director of Emerging Futures, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
• Professor Donna Hall CBE, Former Chief Executive, Wigan Council
• Ben Glover, Head of Social Policy, Demos (co-chair)
• Ruth Ball, Programme Manager – Europe, Centre for Public Impact (co-chair)

Doors will open from 17:30, with the panel beginning at 18:00.

This event will also be livestreamed so please indicate if you will be joining us online and we will send you a link nearer to the event.

Use this link to register

The Public Services 2030 Network

Public services are in crisis. Backlogs are everywhere, from NHS waiting lists to undecided asylum applications. Frontline staff, managers and civil servants alike are doing their best to respond, and often performing heroically.

But the fundamentals of the situation are beyond individual heroism, short term fixes or limited cash injections to resolve. The United Kingdom needs a rethink on public services: what do we want, what are we willing to pay for, and who will do the work and how will there be change?

There is no shortage of bold and innovative ideas. From pioneering councils to charities experimenting to new approaches to service design and thinkers across the political spectrum, we have been inspired by the wealth of work happening right across the country.

Now is the time to connect these voices to create a new era of public service reform. The Public Services 2030 Network is a movement of organisations, hosted by Demos, committed to rebuilding and reforming our public services so they are fit for the next decade.

Network founding partners:

• Centre for Public Impact
• CIPFA
• More Than a Provider
• Policy@Manchester, The University of Manchester
• Reed in Partnership

Network knowledge partners:

• The Institute of Employability Professionals
• The WEA