The Labour government has a huge majority in parliament – but Keir Starmer’s administration is also facing an incredibly complex set of policy challenges. So ho...
What lessons can government learn from the insourcing of probation services?
The new public sector Probation Service was created in 2021 to unify the outsourced management of low- and medium-risk offenders with the public sector management of high-risk offenders.
While the initial transition went well, four years on probation still faces deep structural challenges – as do other public services. The government is committed to public service reform and a ‘mission-driven’ approach, but it is not yet clear what this will look like.
So what can the government learn about improving public service reform from probation insourcing? What are the implications for Labour’s strategic review of probation governance? And what comes next for the probation service?
To discuss these questions and more, we were joined by an expert panel including:
Professor Harry Annison, Co-Investigator of Rehabilitating Probation Research Project, and Professor of Criminal Justice at Southampton Law School
Helen Berresford, Director of External Engagement at Nacro
Sam Freedman, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government
Martin Jones CBE, HM Chief Inspector of Probation
The event was chaired by Cassia Rowland, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government.
This event was kindly supported by Rehabilitating Probation.
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1:01:04
The state of the civil service: location, grade, pay and morale
Whitehall Monitor 2025 – the Institute for Government’s flagship annual report on the civil service – found that high staff turnover, confused workforce planning, slipping morale and uncompetitive pay will hinder its ability to deliver Labour’s missions, even with an increased headcount and a relentless pressure for greater efficiency and productivity
Keir Starmer and Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden have shown a welcome enthusiasm for Whitehall reform – including a commitment to a “test and learn” mindset and “mission boards” – but little will change until long-running civil service challenges, like excessive staff turnover and falling morale, are resolved.
This webinar – the third in a three-part series focusing on the report’s findings – examined the relationship between civil service pay and the shift in grade structure since 2010, as well as trends in officials’ morale.
The webinar featured:
Teodor Grama, Research Assistant at the Institute for Government
Hannah Keenan, Associate Director at the Institute for Government
Jack Worlidge, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government and lead author of Whitehall Monitor 2025
The event was chaired by Emma Norris, Deputy Director of the Institute for Government.
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45:21
IWD & Modernising Parliament: Lucy Powell in conversation with Hannah White
This special event to mark International Women’s Day, saw Lucy Powell, Leader of the House of Commons, discuss the modernisation of Parliament and how the Modernisation Committee can help make the House more accessible, effective and inclusive.
Lucy Powell has served as the MP for Manchester Central since 2012 and became Leader of the House after the 2024 election. In this role, she represents the government in Parliament and Parliament in government. She is also a member of the House of Commons Commission, which oversees the administration of the House, and chairs the Modernisation Committee.
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48:38
The state of the civil service: recruitment and turnover
Whitehall Monitor 2025 – the Institute for Government’s flagship annual report on the civil service – found that high staff turnover, confused workforce planning, slipping morale and uncompetitive pay will hinder its ability to deliver Labour’s missions, even with an increasing headcount and a relentless pressure for greater efficiency and productivity
Keir Starmer and Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden have shown a welcome enthusiasm for Whitehall reform – including a commitment to a “test and learn” mindset and “mission boards” – but little will change until long-running civil service challenges, like excessive staff turnover and falling morale, are resolved.
This webinar – the second in a three-part series focusing on the report’s findings – examined civil service recruitment practices and discuss what is driving the staff turnover levels across Whitehall.
The webinar featured:
Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government
Liz Tolcher, Workforce Transformation Expert at PA Consulting
Jack Worlidge, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government and lead author of Whitehall Monitor 2025
The event was chaired by Emma Norris, Deputy Director of the Institute for Government.
We would like to thank PA Consulting for supporting both this event and Whitehall Monitor 2025.
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47:31
How can the government support mayoral combined authorities to deliver economic growth?
The Labour government wants mayoral combined authorities (MCAs) to play a leading role in delivering faster economic growth – so what can ministers do to help MCAs achieve success in this mission?
With an expanding set of devolved transport, skills, housing and planning powers, MCAs are well-placed to drive regional growth – but success is not a given. To capitalise on their potential, MCAs need effective decision-making structures, sufficient institutional capacity, and strong accountability mechanisms.
The government’s devolution white paper sets out proposals to reform the capacity, accountability, and decision-making processes of MCAs, but do these reforms go far enough? What are the potential risks? And what more can the government do to support MCAs to succeed?
To answer these questions, we were joined by:
Amy Harhoff, Chief Executive of the East Midlands Combined County Authority
Rebecca McKee, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government
Jim McMahon MP, Minister for Local Government and English Devolution
Laura Shoaf, Chief Executive of the West Midlands Combined Authority
This event was chaired by Akash Paun, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.
Introductory remarks were also be delivered by Robert Breedon, Partner and Co-leader of Government Sector at Gowling WLG.
We would like to thank Gowling WLG for kindly supporting this event.
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The Labour government has a huge majority in parliament – but Keir Starmer’s administration is also facing an incredibly complex set of policy challenges. So how can the prime minister and his team turn around public service performance? What can chancellor Rachel Reeves do to get the economy growing again? What will mission-driven government actually mean in practice? Who should be making the key decisions in Westminster – and beyond? And what will the appointment of a new cabinet secretary mean for the future direction of the civil service?
From reforming how the centre of government works to the battle for the future of the civil service, from making a success of levelling up to achieve net zero goals, IfG EVENTS stimulate fresh thinking and share ideas about how government works – and how it could work better.
UK