CPP has launched a major new piece of work on public sector reform with Core Cities UK and Metro Dynamics.

Download the report - Future Preventative Public Services – here.

Our report argues that public service reform that drives prevention and local solutions lies at the heart of helping the state meet the ever more complex needs of our citizens.

Without reform, the UK risks passing a tipping point, moving from stagnation to collapse. With reform, we can move to a virtuous circle of faster growth, better services and rising wellbeing in all parts of the country.

The new government has placed growth at the forefront of its five missions for the country. In the medium term, growth and improved public services are inseparable: without healthy, well-educated communities, well connected to businesses, which are in turn enabled by the state, our growth ambitions will continue to fall short.

This means we need to act now on public service reform as well as growth – especially as some of the fruits of prevention will not be seen for years. And we must learn to reform in a new, more complicated landscape, with a more mature devolution settlement across the UK’s four nations.

Its recommendations include:

• Introducing new 10-year Local Prevention Plans – to be rolled out alongside Local Growth Plans and led by local councils, with a supporting role for Mayoral Combined Authorities.
• Prevention Deals for public service reform agreed between government and each Core City.
• Giving local councils the funding flexibilities to turn the tide now, particularly in immediate high cost areas like temporary accommodation and children's social care placements.