By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter The think tanks are starting to set out their stalls in the run-up to Wednesday's autumn. Today, we have a paper from James Zuccollo of Reform on Long-Term Fiscal Sustainability. He says that – Fiscal rules must not allow for creative accounting that keeps some government expenses out of […]
Patrick Nolan is the Chief Economist at the pro-market think tank Reform. Its report, “Reformers not spenders,” is available here. In a foreword to Reform’s alternative Budget in June 2010 Paul Martin, the former Canadian Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, argued that Canada’s successful fiscal consolidation in the 1990s was based on clear fiscal […]
Paul Goodman recently called for a 'Lower Spending Commission' to help the Chancellor deliver his deficit goals and finance job-creating tax relief. Throughout this week think tanks will be rising to the challenge with suggestions for saving money. The Reform think tank kicks off the series. Andrew Haldenby is director of the independent think tank […]
Nick Seddon is Deputy Director of the independent think tank Reform. Tim Montgomerie’s idea that scrapping the enfeebled Health Bill and sacking Andrew Lansley will make the problem go away is simply wrong. The three Cabinet Ministers he cites are equally wrong. Today’s task is to pass the Bill. This will clear the way so that the Government can get […]
David Cameron famously claimed his three priorities for Government could be summed in three letters: N-H-S. However, the Coalition could never have neutralised the NHS as a political issue. As today’s Health Select Committee report rightly points out, improving value for money without reducing the quality of care is one of key public policy challenges […]
Dr Eamonn Butler, Director of the Adam Smith Institute: “A £40bn business loan scheme, mortgage guarantees, £5bn of infrastructure spending, 'youth contract' apprenticeships, start-up tax reliefs, new R&D tax credits, extending free child care – these are all Gordon Brown-style tinkering measures that look good in the papers but end up being bureaucratic and wasteful. […]
Andrew Haldenby is director of the independent think tank Reform Reform today publishes new research on the UK’s bleak public finance position over the long term. The lead author, Patrick Nolan, describes the research in today’s Telegraph and the report is available here. Suffice to say that the big increase in older population – the […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter As the BBC reports today, the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, has written to George Osborne to ask him to consider the plan for re-privatising the public holding of shares in Lloyds and RBS by distributing shares to all British taxpayers – a policy created by the Centre for Policy […]
By Matthew Barrett The Reform think-tank today launched a new report highlighting cases of successful private sector involvement in public services. These include: The Valencia region in Spain, where 20% of health services are provided by private sector organisations, who have to deliver at a cost 25% lower than the public sector. In Germany, a […]
Andrew Haldenby is Director of the independent think tank Reform. Today Reform held a seminar under the Chatham House Rule with Sally Collier, Executive Director of Policy and Capability at the Efficiency and Reform Group. That is, the group within the Cabinet Office working under Francis Maude to drive better value in public spending. The discussion […]
Will Tanner is a Researcher at Reform. The Government is pursuing widespread reform of the education system in order to, among other things, improve school accountability to pupils, parents and government for educational outcomes and financial management. The Schools White Paper, The Importance of Teaching, argued that “it is vital that schools should be accountable […]
Will Tanner is a Researcher at Reform. Since taking power in May last year, the Government has rightly attempted to increase transparency in government and devolve power and scrutiny to local communities and individuals. In June last year, the Secretary of State for Local Government urged local councils to disclose details of all spending over […]
Andrew Haldenby is the director of the independent think tank Reform. Today Reform publishes a scorecard on how each of the big spending departments, plus the Cabinet Office and the Treasury, is shaping up against the Government’s own principles of reform. In my view the Prime Minister has been absolutely right to say that its […]
Dale Bassett is Research Director of Reform. There has been much debate in the media this week over the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) – a cash payment of up to £30 a week made to poor 16-18 year olds for staying in education. The Government wants to scrap it, arguing that the £560 million annual […]
Dale Bassett is Research Director at the independent think tank Reform. and co-author of its new report, Every teacher matters, which is published today. Michael Gove has big plans for the English school system. He knows that the current performance of schools just isn’t good enough. England continues to slip down the international education league […]