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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 07/04/2025

I think there are small pockets that show that - with the right political buy-in - it’s possible to flex pay and certain aspects of culture/branding (relevant section of report below). But agreed, question is then how you scale this against enormous resistance to breaking current, uniform approach.

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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 07/04/2025

This is also the right approach: insourcing decision-making relies on building subject specific expertise within departments. The real prize is taking talent *and* accountability in Whitehall much more seriously - see, e.g., the AI Safety Institute, which remains within DSIT.

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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 07/04/2025

Exactly the logic we @reformthinktank.bsky.social set out as the right justification for arm’s length bodies in our report Quangocracy, last month👇 More thoughts to follow from the team…

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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 26/03/2025

Petition to bring back serious budget covers

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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 24/03/2025

Had a great time working on this with @floconway.bsky.social and discovering so many incredible examples of primary care innovation already underway Tomorrow we publish 'Designing a Neighbourhood Health Service' - setting out key design principles and lessons to take away

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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

Worth reading in full! Below, a full set of recommendations from both papers👇

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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

A big day in @reformthinktank.bsky.social towers yday as the pipeline from research to visible impact suddenly became very short As ever, announcing is much easier than implementing. So I wanted to re-share the reports that detail our thinking, to help w/ next steps🧵

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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 13/03/2025

Today's Civil Service reforms could be the most significant in at least a decade We know some of what will be announced: on AI, quangos and performance But what are the other big wins for modernisation?🧵

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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 12/03/2025

Brilliant to see the PM going big on quangos this week. And to have our report cited in The Times splash about his speech. Public bodies are responsible for 60% of day-to-day spending. Fixing how they’re held accountable & overseen by depts is vital for effective delivery👇

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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

Finally, the numbers question. This is less 'bonfire of the quangos' and more: how do you focus limited resource on public bodies that need the most oversight. It's why we recommend classifying public bodies based on which need independence, at arm's-length, to perform their function:

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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

3️⃣Parliamentary accountability. This isn't just about Whitehall process. Parliament must step up & take an interest. E.g. It's rare for select committees to dedicate inquiries to public bodies' performance and reviews don't trigger parliamentary scrutiny. We recommend:

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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

2️⃣ Public body reviews These could be a valuable way of getting insight into performance. Unfortunately, they cover a narrow sweep of the landscape (<10% a year) & vary hugely in quality. Since review teams are provided by depts, we also heard of serious conflicts of interest:

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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

Moreover, these staff are generally very junior and lack specialist skills to support oversight. An excerpt from @thetimes.com coverage of the report:

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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

1️⃣Sponsorship There are only about 250 officials in sponsorship teams responsible for facilitating the accountability and performance of bodies that spend billions of £s and together employ 390,000 staff.

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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

Where next? Despite a lack of clarity around when public bodies should be created & when they add value, government is committed to the creation of new bodies. From Skills England to a National Wealth Fund, they're banking on them to help achieve their five missions.

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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

Isn't there a process to stop this? Yes and no. The Cabinet Office has three 'tests' for new public bodies (which officials told us are "meaningless" in practice). Departments regularly retrofit the tests around decisions that have already been taken to set up new bodies👇

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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

Civil service reform has a tendency to focus on policy & a proportionately small number employed in SW1. If the PM is serious about rewiring the State, he must also focus on the 60% of day-to-day spending through public bodies. A quick🧵on our report Quangocracy, from last week

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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 26/02/2025

Very excited for this to be out tomorrow 👀🔥

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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 27/01/2025

The new Cab Sec is committed to "rewiring the State" This is a much broader Q than what happens in SW1 & how policy is made We @reformthinktank.bsky.social are interested in improving the notoriously complex ALB landscape, e.g. below If you're a public servant, we want to hear from you!👇

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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 12/12/2024

Great to have my report Efficiency Mindset quoted in @theguardian.com morning briefing yesterday. Efficiency will never be optimised in a single fiscal event or through a blanket % target across depts. It must be intentionally embedded in the incentives and structures of Whitehall.

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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 05/12/2024

Feels a bit like trying to ride two horses at once. As we argued earlier this year, for missions to succeed, they shouldn't shy away from setting unusually ambitious targets & taking risks 👇

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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 04/12/2024

3️⃣Hard skills We heard that the taught component of the Fast Stream focuses too much on abstract management competencies over hard-edged skills. There should be a core curriculum - that sets a high bar for expertise - & is required to graduate from each scheme. Described below

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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 04/12/2024

2️⃣Mentorship Post-Fast Stream support is pretty thin. Yet we know that tailored career guidance, advice & managed moves are a key way people reach the top in Whitehall (per excellent work of @samfriedman.bsky.social). There should be a formal mentorship offer, with SCS sponsorship👇

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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 04/12/2024

1️⃣Placements Interviewees told us these vary wildly, almost by chance. And that many do not involve the high-responsibility experiences needed to build leadership ability. There be more hands-on curation of placements from the centre. Examples from my @civilserviceworld.bsky.social op-ed below

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