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Charlotte Pickles

@charliepickles.bsky.social
3.5K followers 164 following 397 posts

Director @re-state.bsky.social; all things State and public services.

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Reposted by Charlotte Pickles
Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
As covered by the Telegraph this morning, today we have published a new report on how to fix the procurement market, with our own draft of the National Procurement Policy Statement - guidance which the government could issue to change how the public sector buys. re-state.co.uk/publications...
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Reposted by Charlotte Pickles
Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
As we publish our new draft of the National Procurement Policy Statement, our Director of Strategy @jo3hill.bsky.social has written about the case for our procurement reforms on the Re:State Substack.
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Reposted by Charlotte Pickles
Joe Hill @jo3hill.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I just can't be stopped from writing about how to reform procurement! But today we've gone one better - we've actually rewritten the statutory guidance (the NPPS) which would make 90% of the important changes the government needs to make. Read about it here. restate.substack.com/p/how-to-fix...
restate.substack.com
How to fix public procurement
One simple way to get better value for money.
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Reposted by Charlotte Pickles
Joe Hill @jo3hill.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Unbelievably excited to be publishing this report today, following a lot of thinking on fixing the structural problems in public procurement over the last few months. The £395 billion a year public procurement market makes up c.12% of GDP - it's essential the Government gets this right.
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Charlotte Pickles @charliepickles.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
All the chat about scrapping the triple lock in order to pay for social care is totally missing the fiscal point Ofc we need to scrap the triple lock (among other things)... to address the terrifyingly unsustainable fiscal trajectory Not to spend it elsewhere restate.substack.com/p/getting-se...
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Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
- Honestly my dear grandchildren, you’ll never believe how low rates were in the 2010s. - at least you built a load of infrastructure when borrowing costs were so low grandad? Right? Right?
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Alex Walker @alwalker.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Really pleased that today we've published "No Job for the Centre: the case for devolving employment support"! We argue that to be coherent, the devolution of employment support should include the services currently provided by DWP through Jobcentre Plus - and that JCP should be scrapped.
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Charlotte Pickles @charliepickles.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Britain is facing a participation crisis & we're relying on an outdated, distrusted institution to tackle it Times to abolish Jobcentre Plus... 🧵
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Alice Semark @alicesemark.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
It has been an epic week at @re-state.bsky.social towers! 📈On Tuesday, we launched a new welfare workstream with an incredibly compelling substack from Chief Exec @charliepickles.bsky.social on how "we broke the welfare state". It is well worth a read: restate.substack.com/p/how-we-bro...
restate.substack.com
How we broke the welfare state
Why a “revolutionary moment” is a “time for revolutions”
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Charlotte Pickles @charliepickles.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I've been wanting us to write this one for a while... One more sleep! 👀
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Reposted by Charlotte Pickles
Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Our Chief Executive, Charlotte Pickles @charliepickles.bsky.social, joined @watchinvert.bsky.social to discuss social care and our proposal for a Later Life Care Fund, set out in our report 'Beyond caring'. www.youtube.com/watch?v=6D_Y...
youtube.com
Welfare Expert: 1 In 4 Pensioners Is A Millionaire. You Can’t Afford A Flat.
YouTube video by Invert
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Charlotte Pickles @charliepickles.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
How should we reform welfare? Well, Britain is an outlier when it comes to disability-related benefits - eligibility & assessment is less strict - evidence requirements lower - incentives & conditionality weaker - support services poorer - extra costs payments higher 🧵
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Joe Hill @jo3hill.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
My absolute favourite event we hosted at last year's Labour Party Conference was with Kanishka Narayan on the future of UK AI policy. Couldn't be a better time to be getting him back again for round two in Liverpool, as part of @re-state.bsky.social 2026 Party Conference Programme!
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Reposted by Charlotte Pickles
Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Machinery of government changes rarely make headlines, but they shape how policy actually gets made. Our Director of Policy & Research @stkaye.bsky.social appeared in front of MPs today to talk about what the recent restructure actually means for technology policy and digital government.
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Reposted by Charlotte Pickles
Louise Murphy @louisemurphy.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
DWP has just published a flurry of new data on how PIP and UC-Health assessments are carried out (face-to-face or via phone, video or paper) and whether this impacts who gets awarded health-related benefits. Five takeaways 🧵
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Reposted by Charlotte Pickles
Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
🎉Our new 'Re:Imagining Welfare' workstream has launched🎉 We like to focus on the most thorny, important and consequential policy problems, so welfare certainly meets our criteria. The workstream launches with a call-to-arms essay from Chief Exec @charliepickles.bsky.social. Read it below👇
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Reposted by Charlotte Pickles
Joe Hill @jo3hill.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Nobody wins in the welfare system. Today we're launching @re-state.bsky.social new 'Re:Imagining Welfare' programme with an essay from @charliepickles.bsky.social arguing that we broke it ourselves, through a series of bad choices. Essay linked below, more to come in the next few days. Standby.
restate.substack.com
How we broke the welfare state
Why a “revolutionary moment” is a “time for revolutions”
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Charlotte Pickles @charliepickles.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
'How we broke the welfare state' Today @re-state.bsky.social is launching it's latest workstream - 'Re:imagining Welfare' and I've written an essay to set out our stall I think the system is failing almost everyone. I think Beveridge would be appalled. restate.substack.com/p/how-we-bro...
restate.substack.com
How we broke the welfare state
Why a “revolutionary moment” is a “time for revolutions”
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Reposted by Charlotte Pickles
Alex Walker @alwalker.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Great that the overnight visitor levy is moving forward - and that the govt is going for a max flexibility approach, as we recommended in our report on fiscal devolution. Mayors & local leaders can decide whether to use the power & what rate. An important first step! www.gov.uk/government/n...
gov.uk
Local leaders handed powers to drive investment in communities
Mayors and local leaders will be given new powers with a levy on overnight stays as part of a devolution drive to shift power out of Westminster.
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Stephen Evans @stephenevans.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
In June we found that Connect to Work (Govt's flagship programme to help disabled people into work) had only achieved 50% of what it's business case expected so far. In July the business case was reprofiled. But new stats today show delivery is short again! What's going on?!
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Reposted by Charlotte Pickles
Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Today we're publishing 'Prescribing place', A new Re:State Scholars paper. The NHS wants to become more preventative, more rooted in neighbourhoods and better connected to the communities it serves. It also wants to retain and develop its Resident Doctors. How? Short 🧵👇
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
🟡 We're looking forward to talking about 'Powering UK prosperity: a plan for growth' with Daisy Cooper MP at the Liberal Democrats Party Conference.
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Joe Hill @jo3hill.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
It’s that time of the year when the Re:State team go on the road to the party conferences with a huge programme. With Reform down last week, we’re at: 🟡Liberal Democrats Conference 20th-21st 🔴 Labour Conference 27th-29th 🔵Conservative Conference 4th-6th l
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Great to see our latest report, which sets out a draft performance management policy for the Civil Service, covered by @civilserviceworld.bsky.social today. www.civilserviceworld.com/professions/...
civilserviceworld.com
Whitehall's worst-kept secret: How can Andy Burnham address the civil service's performance management crisis?
Civil service performance reform is long overdue. Here's how Burnham can make it stick
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Charlotte Pickles @charliepickles.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Failing to address poor performers in Whitehall is failing to serve the public When we published 'Making the grade' 2 years ago, arguing Whitehall largely ignores poor performance, we had an outpouring from civil servants of 'thank god someone is saying this' 🧵
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Joe Hill @jo3hill.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Whitehall’s worst-kept secret is its institutional aversion to doing anything to performance manage its staff. Great to see our @re-state.bsky.social policy paper on this today in the Telegraph! You can read the full policy here re-state.co.uk/publications...
re-state.co.uk
A New Civil Service Performance Management Policy - Re:State
The Civil Service should be characterised by a culture of excellence. The work undertaken by civil servants is some of the most complex, challenging and high stakes in the country. The results of thei...
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Charlotte Pickles @charliepickles.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Reform published a major paper on reforming welfare yesterday, I read it so you don't have to! Here's my take aways... Spoiler: agree or disagree, I think it's a way more serious contribution than you might expect Whether it's politically do-able tho... www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-r...
linkedin.com
What are Reform UK proposing on welfare and how plausible is it?
Having worked for the last big welfare reformer, IDS, during the Coalition years, here's my initial thoughts on yesterday's Reform UK welfare paper. Firstly, and assuming the numbers are correct (I ex...
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Reposted by Charlotte Pickles
Joe Hill @jo3hill.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Metapolicy. There’s something rotten in the State. It behaves in increasingly strange and unpredictable ways. We don’t have good theories to explain the degradation in state capacity, and how to rebuild it. I've written about the new field we need to study this restate.substack.com/p/why-we-nee...
restate.substack.com
Why we need metapolicy
What the state capacity field can learn from metascience
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Joe Hill @jo3hill.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
As the dust settles on the procurement reforms the Government published this morning, I've written a post on why I think the policy doesn't go far enough, and makes a big mistake in increasing the social value weighting for big contracts. restate.substack.com/p/why-procur...
restate.substack.com
Why procurement shouldn’t be based on social value
Analysing the Government’s procurement policy changes
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Reposted by Charlotte Pickles
Pete Miles @petermiles.eurosky.social · 04/08/2026
A carefully considered proposal for funding adult social care, introduced here by @charliepickles.bsky.social of @re-state.bsky.social You probably won't like it, but that comes with the territory. And there's a prompt here to offer improvements or alternatives. open.substack.com/pub/restate/...
open.substack.com
Getting serious about social care
Three reasons why a Later Life Care Fund is the right answer
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Charlotte Pickles @charliepickles.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Our social care proposals made the headlines, but it seems maybe some people didn't go & read the (78 page) report behind them (😮) So I thought I'd clear up some misunderstandings & challenge some of the more unserious takes Do disagree, but do so on the facts restate.substack.com/p/getting-se...
restate.substack.com
Getting serious about social care
Three reasons why a Later Life Care Fund is the right answer
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Reposted by Charlotte Pickles
Pete Miles @petermiles.eurosky.social · 02/08/2026
Given recent events in UK politics this is worth a read (or re-read, it's 2 years old but part of the proposed roadmap has already happened and it doesn't seem at all dated.) HT @ardernkate.bsky.social re-state.co.uk/publications...
re-state.co.uk
Close enough to care: A new structure for the English health and care system - Re:State
In Reimagining Health: a framing paper, Re:State set out the case for a radical new approach to health. Close enough to care is the first of a series of papers setting out root and branch reform of th...
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Charlotte Pickles @charliepickles.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
What might Burnham's fiscal devo mean for current strategic authorities? We worked out what assigning 1p, 2p and 2.5p in each pound of basic rate income tax would mean in revenue terms 🧵
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Reposted by Charlotte Pickles
Joe Hill @jo3hill.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Absolute BLITZ of press for @re-state.bsky.social work this morning ahead of the PM’s fiscal devolution announcements, in line with our plan to replace grants from HMT with 2.5p of the basic rate of income tax. BBC, Politico, the i and the Guardian.
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Re:State Chief Executive, Charlotte Pickles @charliepickles.bsky.social , appeared on BBC Radio 4's The World Tonight to discuss our proposal of a new funding model for adult social care. Listen to the full conversation here: youtube.com/watch?v=BOGGIgyvBBU&feature=youtu.be
youtube.com
Charlotte Pickles, Chief Executive, The World Tonight July 2026
YouTube video by Re:State
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Kate Ardern@KateAlvanley @ardernkate.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Definitely worth a listen to @charliepickles.bsky.social 👇
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
💥The Times covering two areas of our research today: 1. Our proposal to fund social care costs through a new social insurance model. 2. Proposals for fiscal devolution ahead of Andy Burnham's speech, and the move towards retained income tax where @alwalker.bsky.social is quoted.
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Reposted by Charlotte Pickles
Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
How to buy British Politicians want procurement to be used to give more contracts to British businesses. They're right to want this, but wrong to use mandates. @jo3hill.bsky.social has written a Re:Act on the Chancellor's plans to "buy British". restate.substack.com/p/how-to-buy...
restate.substack.com
How to buy British
The Governments plans for procurement reform
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Charlotte Pickles @charliepickles.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Social care - the third rail of British politics Great to see Burnham acting on, rather than just talking about, the social care crisis But there is a real risk that the choices he makes could actually make things worse... 🧵
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Joe Hill @jo3hill.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Huge day for the @re-state.bsky.social team today in Politico, with coverage that the Government are looking at the plans for a social insurance model for funding care from our paper 'Beyond caring', and that we have a new report out with @jacktshaw.bsky.social on fiscal devolution.
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
The Re:View is out! This week, Senior Researcher, Alex Walker (@alwalker.bsky.social), argues that No 10 North must be more than just a regional outpost of Whitehall. Instead, it should be an engine for devolution and regional growth. Read Alex's Re:View here: open.substack.com/pub/restate/...
open.substack.com
The Re:View 24 July 2026
This week, the UK got a new Prime Minister – its seventh in a decade. He is, he says, committed to “the remaking of the British state”. It’s a good line: our strapline here at Re:State is “bold ideas ...
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Charlotte Pickles @charliepickles.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Whitehall has a people problem Talent is not taken seriously enough; the Civil Service is bad at deploying & rewarding it. It's also very bad at dealing with poor performers (a source of deep source of frustration for talented officials) Whitehall needs to fix it's talent problem 🧵
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Your country needs you 🫵 Talented people often want a change of career for more meaningful work. Government can be a great fit, but civil service hiring can feel closed off. @jo3hill.bsky.social has written about how our Mid-Career Fast Stream solves that. restate.substack.com/p/your-count...
restate.substack.com
Your country needs you
Why you should join the Mid-Career Fast Stream
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Joe Hill @jo3hill.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
No10 North could be great for changing how power works in Westminster, but the rest of the machinery of government changes yesterday feel like just another rebranding exercise. Where's the real plan for reform? Great to read @charliepickles.bsky.social on this in The Times this morning.
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Excellent to see our latest report, Building No 10 North, featured in a BBC News article covering the first details to emerge of the Government's new Northern branch of Downing Street. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Whitehall officials offered move to No 10 North in Manchester
London-based civil servants willing to move north have been told they will be offered relocation packages, the BBC understands.
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Joe Sarling @joesarling.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
This long read by @stkaye.bsky.social is great (HT @oldtrotter.bsky.social) I'd add/emphasise: - institution building needs clear remit *and* org culture - 'doing things differently' demands new faces with new ideas/approaches - needs deep policy experts alongside outstanding system leaders
restate.substack.com
Building No 10 North
A plan to ensure that this is something more than a slice of Whitehall with a Manchester postcode
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Kate Ardern@KateAlvanley @ardernkate.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Brilliant Must read thread and blog on No 10 North from @charliepickles.bsky.social @stkaye.bsky.social @re-state.bsky.social .. 👇Hope the PM, Lou Haigh and Angie Rayner take note.
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Charlotte Pickles @charliepickles.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
How do you build No 10 North? PM Burnham has promised to create a new, powerful entity in Manchester to help drive his devo agenda & rebalance power in the country But what should it actually *do* & *how* can Burnham build it? 🧵
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Alice Semark @alicesemark.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
🚨Last day of @re-state.bsky.social's Alternative People Survey 2026🚨 If you're a civil servant, please fill in our survey today. Don't miss the chance to give your opinion on the things which impact your work! It's completely anonymous and takes 5-10mins. 👉 survey.alchemer.eu/s3/91132417/...
survey.alchemer.eu
PF1568_20260608_UK_CivServs
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
📢NEW REPORT📢 Adult social care is a vital public service, frequently overlooked. The quality and availability of adult social care depend on its vast workforce. But, the workforce is struggling. Today's report lays out our solution. Read it here: re-state.co.uk/publications...
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