The Week, 2 November 2018
REFORMER OF THE WEEK
HM TREASURY
The Budget promised that next year’s Spending Review would strongly promote reform. In particular, it will track “systemically” the “performance and outcomes achieved for the money invested in public services”, which is long overdue.
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
“austerity is coming to an end – but discipline will remain.”
Philip Hammond, Chancellor of the Exchequer, in his Budget speech on Monday.
"The Government said that austerity would mean that the deficit would close by 2015. Today the Chancellor has confirmed that it will still be there nine years later, in 2024."
Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the opposition, in response to Philip Hammond's Budget speech on Monday.
GOOD WEEK FOR
UNDERSTANDING THE VALUE OF PUBLIC SECTOR DATA
Also on Monday, HM Treasury published a report looking at how to generate greater public value from public sector knowledge assets, like the data held by the public sector.
NHS REFORM
The Budget announced that extra funding for the NHS would be conditional on five “financial tests”, for example reducing “the growth in demand for care through better integration and prevention”.
BAD WEEK FOR
GDP GROWTH
The Budget, predicted the GDP per capita growth rate would be flat for the next five years.
DEFICIT REDUCTION
As Jeremy Corbyn pointed out, the Budget abandoned the commitment to run a surplus on the public finances.
REFORM'S WEEK
Andrew Haldenby, Director at Reform, published his immediate reactions to the Budget on our website. Rose Lasko-Skinner, Researcher at Reform, also wrote an article for City A.M. arguing that this year's Budget was an opportune moment to bring focus back to the domestic agenda.
George Batchelor, Director and co-founder of Edge Health, authored a blog arguing that a combination of "data, time with frontline teams, and a degree of curiosity" can improve NHS services.
Reform continued to discuss the politics of technology in the public sector during a policy dinner on Wednesday.