You can read Emily's reform proposals (with @bethgardiner-smith.bsky.social), plus thoughts from other great contributors - inc. @sundersays.bsky.social & @anneliesedoddsmp.bsky.social - in our 2025 essay collection 'The Future of Asylum'
www.futuregovernanceforum.co.uk/resource/the...
Terrific piece here by my @futuregovforum.bsky.social colleague @emilyagraham.bsky.social as the Home Secretary announces a(nother) tough line on asylum.
Emily points out why this is a gamble; and that there are progressive alternatives available...
futuregovforum.substack.com/p/the-home-s...
As a Shropshire man I enjoyed seeing our stronger sense of attachment to the county than any of our immediate neighbours...
Now that the revised Green Book is here, how’s it looking? Dan has written for @civilserviceworld.bsky.social and argues it is an encouraging start.
But it will still be *political will* more than anything that determines whether investment materialises: www.civilserviceworld.com/news/article...
These changes are something we at FGF have argued are necessary (but not sufficient) to see investment spread right across the UK as part of the govt's growth agenda
Our Chief Economist @danrcorry.bsky.social set out the arguments back in December: www.futuregovernanceforum.co.uk/resource/cha...
There's been a lot going on of late, so you'd be forgiven for missing the fact that earlier this month the Treasury issued an updated version of its 'Green Book' - which could have a significant impact on how public money is invested beyond London and the South East
www.gov.uk/government/n...
Thanks Sam - hard agree on not overloading the centre any further.
I think you need a strong and purposeful centre of govt that is confident to do the things only it can, and then move much more away to more local level.
Don't think a new Dept for the PM has to do more than now (it shouldn't!)
Ben says the question isn't whether a revolution is coming or not, it's "whether Labour or a triumphant Nigel Farage will lead it".
We called it a choice between 'disrupt and deliver' or 'disrupt and destroy'. At FGF we're making the case for the former, and setting out how govt can get there.
'In Power 01', led by FGF director @yeowell.bsky.social and chair (and former Deputy Cab Sec) Helen MacNamara, was the result of over 100 interviews with experts and argued for a new centre of govt structured around strategy & politics; policy & delivery; diplomatic & security; and private office.
His main recommendation - "we need to go Australian with a Department of the Prime Minister" - is the same conclusion we reached at @futuregovforum.bsky.social after our in-depth look at how Downing Street functions last year
www.futuregovernanceforum.co.uk/resource/in-...
"Slow, secretive and sclerotic, the government machinery itself is jammed. Our good intentions, in a busted system, are not enough. You need scepticism, a plan and some history."
Thoughtful piece from @benjudah.bsky.social on the problems with the British state
www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
The @nytimes.com article links to a blog by our Deputy Director @adamterryfgf.bsky.social ahead of last year's Budget, arguing that the government needs to show it is serious about fixing our crumbling public realm 🔽
futuregovforum.substack.com/p/the-budget...
‘In Britain it will cost at least 300billion pounds ($410billion) to upgrade infrastructure over the next decade according to Future Governance Forum’
@nytimes.com story by @patcohen.bsky.social illustrates the scale of the infrastructure challenge facing the UK 🔽
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/b...
I'm fortunate to sit on the advisory board of @persuasionuk.bsky.social, the excellent public opinion outfit headed up by @steveakehurst.bsky.social.
They're currently recruiting for a new communications lead - a great opportunity: careers.meliorefoundation.org/postings/a92...
See you on 24 Feb! We're determined to improve our place by taking a systematic approach to community power—organising people with energy and ideas, building their collective ability to realise change. They can’t go it alone—we must actively draw everyone into the community of place: bit.ly/3M2PM34
You can read Phil's full report, which came out last month for @futuregovforum.bsky.social, here: www.futuregovernanceforum.co.uk/resource/pow...
This by @philtinline.bsky.social for @renewaljournal.bsky.social gives the central argument of his recent report 'Power Failure': how what begin as solutions to overconcentrations of power in time become problems, disempowering and frustrating the public: renewal.org.uk/blog/disempo...
Thought-provoking piece here from Etaine Lamy, who's just finished an internship at Form Ventures and reflects on the UK's innovation ecosystem having now seen it from all sides: regulator, adviser, founder and investor...
formventures.substack.com/p/why-cant-r...
@leoringer.bsky.social
In just over an hour, Hamida will be joined by Ben Lucas, Essex's Tom Walker, Sussex's Mark Rogers and London Councils' Yolande Burgess to discuss all this and more:
www.futuregovernanceforum.co.uk/event/stewar...
These are important changes to benefit the 28m people who already live under what will become 'strategic authorities', and the many more who will do soon as English devolution widens.
@hamidaali.bsky.social has written for the Local Government Chronicle on this: www.lgcplus.com/politics/dev...
5. Alongside all of that, strategic authorities need to be more publicly accountable, to citizens and communities as well as Whitehall - including via new regional Public Accounts Committees
3. Integrated funding settlements are a good start, but we should move to 'Total Place settlements', with greater flex and pooling public service budgets
4. Strategcic authorities need greater fiscal devolution if they are to deliver growth for their regions (and contribute to national growth)
1. Strategic authorities should act as 'stewards' for their regions, connecting national/regional/local layers as well as infrastructure, industrial strategy and housing
2. They will need specialist capacity and capability to deliver for their regions (e.g. land assembly; compulsory purchase)
Written by FGF's @hamidaali.bsky.social and Metro Dynamics' Ben Lucas, Lizi Hopkins and Ilina Sen - and generously supported by London Councils - the report makes 5 recommendations for strengthening the foundations of strategic authorities
Latest @futuregovforum.bsky.social report out today, looking at the new 'strategic authorities' established by the English Devolution & Community Empowerment Bill.
'Stewards of the Regional System' explores how to set these bodies up for success.
www.futuregovernanceforum.co.uk/resource/imp...
Darren Jones wants govt to 'move fast and fix things'.
For @futuregovforum.bsky.social Josie Cluer says up the ambition: move faster; fix more things.
Means learning lessons of crisis response in 'peacetime' & embracing digital revolution.
futuregovforum.substack.com/p/move-even-...
This report by @philtinline.bsky.social is brilliant on how power in Britain is both too centralised and too dispersed and what a progressive response looks like: reasserting the democratic state. www.futuregovernanceforum.co.uk/resource/pow...
✍️ Last chance to sign up ✍️
Join FGF, Metro Dynamics and an expert panel to discuss how we set a new generation of strategic authorities up for success 🚀
📅 Tomorrow (Thurs 29)
🕧 12.30-1.30pm
💻 Stream live, via Zoom
Sign up now:
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/stewards-o...
The Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister is right to want to move fast and fix things; for the public’s sake, he should move even faster to fix even more, writes Josie Cluer, FGF Policy Advisory Group member & Partner at EY.
Read Josie's article here 🔽
futuregovforum.substack.com/p/move-even-...
