From rare bees to miners’ pensions, money is now no object in parliament Opinion Miners' pensions, indigenous rights, the shrill carder bee - parliament and the public have lost touch with the reality of public spending.
Government AI pushed stalled by old tech Tech The UK public sector is facing a digital crisis, with pressure mounting to roll out AI-driven services, enhance citizen engagement, and modernise remote working. But the sector is being dragged back by legacy systems, disconnected platforms, and chronic budget constraints. A new report from CX platform provider 8×8 and Cavell Group analysts has revealed that [...]
If the ONS can’t measure productivity, how are we meant to improve it? Opinion The ONS's shortcomings are far from trivial, its bad maths is holding back the UK economy, writes Paul Ormerod.
Ministers could cut the number of official bodies that get a say on planning March 10, 2025 Ministers could slash the number of official bodies that get a say in planning decisions in a drive to cut red tape. Officials will consult on removing sport England, the theatres trust and the garden history society from the list of “statutory consultees”, while the scope of others who get to give input is set [...]
Old tech driving NHS and public sector inefficiencies February 26, 2025 According to a recent report, inefficiencies in manual tech processes are adding an extra 30.6m hours of work every week across the UK’s public sector. New research from Appian found that on average, public sector workers lose five hours a week due to delays and inefficiencies, hindering the 6.12m -strong workforce. A survey of 1,000 [...]
Public sector tackles inefficiency with new AI tools January 21, 2025 The government has launched a new digital strategy to modernise public services, using a series of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to fix government inefficiency. The science and technology secretary Peter Kyle announced the initiative following a review which revealed various efficiencies within the government. Daily, HMRC was dealing with over 100,000 phone calls, while DVLA [...]
Capita revenue plunges as outsourcing giant hit by contract losses December 17, 2024 Outsourcing firm Capita saw its adjusted revenue drop eight per cent in the first 11 months of the year, as the firm struggled to replace a host of lost contracts. In a trading update, the company revealed that the drop came largely from its experience arm, which fell a whopping 16.3 per cent over the [...]
Office for Value for Money: Can more bureaucracy really improve productivity? November 13, 2024 Public sector productivity has remained the same for 25 years. Can more bureaucracy help it, Paul Ormerod asks.
High-tax, high-spend and little reform: Reeves’ plan is tried and failed September 24, 2024 Reeves says the UK public can trust Labour with its money, but her plan is just a reheated version of one we've already tried over and over again, writes Elliot Keck.
Grenfell-linked firms awarded £350m in public sector contracts since fire September 17, 2024 Companies linked to the Grenfell fire have been awarded over £350m in public sector contracts since the building tragically caught fire seven years ago, a new analysis of public sector contracts has revealed. Figures shared with City A.M. showed that Saint-Gobain, Rydon and Kingspan – which all had connections to the fire – have between [...]