Stuart Hoddinott
LightNews LightNews
banner
stuarthoddinott.bsky.social
Stuart Hoddinott
@stuarthoddinott.bsky.social
2.6K followers 530 following 540 posts
Associate Director in the public services team
@InstituteforGov. Interested in the NHS, adult social care, and local government. All views my own. He/him
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
stuarthoddinott.bsky.social
Stuart Hoddinott @stuarthoddinott.bsky.social · Oct 16
NEW REPORT: Local authorities have been struggling with pressures from austeirty for years, but there are signs that pressure is now particularly acute

As a result, they are having to make tough decisions about finances and services

🧵👇 on findings

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...
Performance Tracker 2025: Local government overview | Institute for Government
The government is making good progress towards rebalancing local government funding. But the sector shows signs of mounting financial distress.
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk
Reposted by Stuart Hoddinott
gemmatetlow.bsky.social
November 26, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Reposted by Stuart Hoddinott
njdavies.bsky.social
Proposed changes to spending controls are incredibly positive. As @instituteforgovernment.org.uk has previously noted, the cumulative complexity of controls muddies accountability, makes govt a worse customer, and wastes time and money. We asked govt to review and that's exactly what they've done
More governance can muddy accountability and reduce competition New policies and controls are typically introduced with good intentions – it is right that procurement decisions are properly scrutinised and reflect the changing priorities of the government. However, old policies and controls are often not scrapped when new ones are introduced, leading to layer upon layer of red tape – or, as one roundtable attendee put it, “terms and conditions on top of terms and conditions”. Governance alone, however, does not equal accountability. The cumulative complexity of controls and guidance can make lines of responsibility harder to trace, muddying the waters of accountability, as it can become less, not more, clear who is ultimately responsible for a decision (for example, the departmental commercial team leading a procurement or the central teams that have signed it off and set the guidance it complies with). Suppliers experience the proliferation of policies and controls through additional requirements in contracts. This can risk making the public sector a less attractive customer, putting off providers considering entering public sector markets and reducing market competition. Additional requirements at both tendering and contract management stages tend to impact SMEs, including charities and social enterprises, the greatest, since they usually have less capacity to meet them.
November 26, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Reposted by Stuart Hoddinott
instituteforgovernment.org.uk
"Either damaging cuts to unprotected services or fictitious spending numbers"

Read @stuarthoddinott.bsky.social verdict on today's budget and what it means for public services on our live blog www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/live-blog/au...
"The government’s spending plans beyond the end of this spending review period either imply damaging cuts to unprotected public services like local government and the criminal justice system or – more likely – represent a return to the previous government’s tendency to pencil in fictitious spending numbers to hit its fiscal target." A quote from Stuart Hoddinott, IfG Associate Director
November 26, 2025 at 4:09 PM
stuarthoddinott.bsky.social
Key chart for public services

Govt is back to pencilling in undeliverable plans to hit its fiscal rules

After taking out likely funding for protected areas, other departments will have to absorb 3.3% annual real terms cuts. That includes prisons, courts, and local govt, among others
November 26, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Reposted by Stuart Hoddinott
njdavies.bsky.social
The Public Services Performance Tracker is regularly described as ‘sobering’ but this is definitely the first time we’ve had ‘almost lyrical’

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
November 26, 2025 at 11:05 AM
stuarthoddinott.bsky.social
Great Guardian editorial that draws on our Performance Tracker findings for local government

And completely agree with the last line:

"True renewal will require the fiscal headroom to allow local govt to expand its gaze beyond crisis management"

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The Guardian view on renewing municipal England: the Tories’ malign legacy lives on | Editorial
Editorial: Labour is putting in place some laudable reforms. But councils need to be given financial sustainability and enabled to move beyond crisis management
www.theguardian.com
November 26, 2025 at 11:18 AM
Reposted by Stuart Hoddinott
pippacrerar.bsky.social
✂️One to watch - will Rachel Reeves promise unspecified spending cuts for back end of parliament, in what could be election year?
November 26, 2025 at 8:57 AM
Reposted by Stuart Hoddinott
timdurrant.bsky.social
It's Budget Day - follow my fantastic @instituteforgovernment.org.uk colleagues @gemmatetlow.bsky.social, @danhaile.bsky.social, @drbenpaxton.bsky.social, @philipnye.bsky.social, @stuarthoddinott.bsky.social and others for all the latest!

And check out their live blog here for in-depth analysis:
LIVE BLOG | Autumn budget 2025: Rachel Reeves prepares to announce tax measures | Institute for Government
IfG experts analyse Reeves' budget and explore what the chancellor's plans for the economy, tax and spending mean.
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk
November 26, 2025 at 8:35 AM
Reposted by Stuart Hoddinott
cathhaddon.bsky.social
It feels like budget has been going for weeks but a good live-blog starts the day before. Lots from @instituteforgovernment.org.uk before the big day

▪️What has govt already announced?
▪️Will they change fiscal strategy?
▪️What to look out for on tax?

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/live-blog/au...
LIVE BLOG | Autumn budget 2025: Rachel Reeves prepares to announce tax measures | Institute for Government
IfG experts analyse Reeves' budget and explore what the chancellor's plans for the economy, tax and spending mean.
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk
November 25, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Reposted by Stuart Hoddinott
gemmatetlow.bsky.social
In a new departure, we @instituteforgovernment.org.uk are going to be live blogging the Budget all through tomorrow. The live blog is now live and we will be sharing our pre-Budget thoughts there, followed by responses once we hear the CX's speech www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/live-blog/au...
LIVE BLOG | Autumn budget 2025: Rachel Reeves prepares to announce tax measures | Institute for Government
IfG experts analyse Reeves' budget and explore what the chancellor's plans for the economy, tax and spending mean.
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk
November 25, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Reposted by Stuart Hoddinott
njdavies.bsky.social
Another great edition of @hpiandycowper.bsky.social's newsletter. This week it features the Covid inquiry, @instituteforgovernment.org.uk analysis of the NHS, and the brutal PAC report on reducing elective waiting times

www.healthpolicyinsight.com/cowpers-cut-...
IfG report finds health is in a mess The Institute For Government’s annual ‘Public Services Tracker’ has become another key part of the public sector landscape. Its sections on health, linked at the top in the R&RR list below, tell us things about the English NHS with which ‘Cut’ readers are wearily familiar. That doesn’t make them less valuable, of course. The IfG’s considerable reputation makes these things much harder to ignore. Its review describes the ‘triple shift’ ambitions as being “admirable aims. But they are also reforms that previous governments have attempted and largely failed to deliver. Streeting will need to overcome substantial institutional, financial, and political barriers to deliver his promises”. It is fair on the government’s record since the 2024 general election, calling it “mixed. There have been minor performance improvements in hospitals, a fall in hospital staff turnover, and a substantial uptick in the number of salaried GPs. “At the same time, there is evidence of increasing financial pressure in hospital trusts, industrial action by resident doctors is once again dampening activity, and the government has forced the service to focus time and money on abolishing NHS England (NHSE), reorganising integrated care boards and making redundancies, at the expense of a focus on improving performance.”
November 25, 2025 at 11:38 AM
Reposted by Stuart Hoddinott
theguardian.com
Reform UK claim to have saved £331m at English councils – but do the numbers stack up?
Reform UK claim to have saved £331m at English councils – but do the numbers stack up?
Experts say councils face limits on cuts as Reform’s savings on IT deals, office moves and EV projects are disputed
www.theguardian.com
November 24, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Reposted by Stuart Hoddinott
sebrees1.bsky.social
Roemer's law in action? Or simply evidence that we need more beds?
stuarthoddinott.bsky.social Stuart Hoddinott @stuarthoddinott.bsky.social · 2d
One of my favourite charts from this year's Performance Tracker

Each dot shows a trust's bed occupancy in a given month

What's notable is how little variation there is across the country and across time

Go into any hospital in any month and you will find almost every bed is occupied
November 24, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Reposted by Stuart Hoddinott
shaina-sangha.bsky.social
New paper, 'Ministers reflect on the Treasury' from @paddy-mcalary.bsky.social and me for @instituteforgovernment.org.uk. Pre-budget, we've compiled insights from 10 years of Ministers Reflect interviews, plus rex from the IfG catalogue on HMT. Favourite quotes to follow! 1/🧵 tinyurl.com/38anhkc7
Quote graphic with “#Ministers Reflect” and a statement about the chancellor’s power over money, attributed to Jeremy Hunt — Chancellor of the Exchequer (2022–24), whose portrait appears to the right of the quote. The quote reads: "I think most of your power does revolve around the decisions you can make over money [...as chancellor] that puts you in a very different position to every other cabinet minister, including the prime minister." The Institute for Government logo is in the corner of the image.
November 24, 2025 at 1:31 PM
stuarthoddinott.bsky.social
One of my favourite charts from this year's Performance Tracker

Each dot shows a trust's bed occupancy in a given month

What's notable is how little variation there is across the country and across time

Go into any hospital in any month and you will find almost every bed is occupied
November 24, 2025 at 11:56 AM
Reposted by Stuart Hoddinott
iandunt.bsky.social
This is a clown-car government elected on a seriousness ticket iandunt.substack.com/p/a-clown-go...
November 21, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Reposted by Stuart Hoddinott
rebeccamckee.bsky.social
New comment: Five things we learned from the UK Covid-19 Inquiry report on Module II - from myself and other @instituteforgovernment.org.uk colleagues

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/covi...
Five things we learned from the UK Covid-19 Inquiry report on Module II | Institute for Government
What does the report tell us about governance and decision making by ministers and the civil service during the pandemic?
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk
November 21, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Reposted by Stuart Hoddinott
gemmatetlow.bsky.social
Hot on the heels of yesterday's Covid inquiry report on decision making, @shaina-sangha.bsky.social and I have a new report out today looking at how combined epidemiological-economic modelling could help government better prepare for future pandemics www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...
Combined epidemiological and economic modelling | Institute for Government
The pandemic showed the need for government to improve its use of modelling.
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk
November 21, 2025 at 9:33 AM
Reposted by Stuart Hoddinott
shaina-sangha.bsky.social
As the covid inquiry gears up for Module 9 on economic policy, @gemmatetlow.bsky.social and I have a new @ukri.org-funded @instituteforgovernment.org.uk report out on Epi-econ modelling for pandemics. We set out why govt needs to invest now 1/🧵
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...
Combined epidemiological and economic modelling | Institute for Government
The pandemic showed the need for government to improve its use of modelling.
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk
November 21, 2025 at 9:38 AM
Reposted by Stuart Hoddinott
amberdellar.bsky.social
New data shows 40% of 19 to 21 year-old care leavers were not in employment, education or training in March this year (15,000 young people).

For all 19 to 21 year-olds, that figure is estimated at 15%.
A column chart from the Institute for Government of 19 to 21 year-old care leavers by activity, 2025 showing that 40% were not in education, training or employment.
November 20, 2025 at 11:14 AM
stuarthoddinott.bsky.social
A chart that surprised me: NHS staff absences for mental health reasons are at record highs, above pandemic levels

Absences for that reason have grown far faster than the combination of other reasons since 2016

Staff were absent for 1.4% of all working days for mental health reasons in YE May 2025
November 20, 2025 at 9:34 AM
stuarthoddinott.bsky.social
With a week to go until the budget, here is the IfG's view on what to watch

On public services, we'll be looking to see:
- How the inflation forecast changes real terms spending
- More details on govt's reform agenda
- Further efficiency drives

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/rach...
Rachel Reeves’s budget 2025: The IfG’s six things to look out for | Institute for Government
What can we expect from the chancellor’s second budget?
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk
November 19, 2025 at 4:35 PM
stuarthoddinott.bsky.social
I think I can safely describe Reform's NHS policies from last year's manifesto as "light at best"

Most of it is nonsense though. A campaign of "pharmacy first, GP second, A&E last" will do nothing for A&E performance

Ditto cutting managers

And the independent sector is only good for some activity
November 19, 2025 at 3:14 PM
stuarthoddinott.bsky.social
NEW REPORT: performance in hospitals in England declined to record lows under the last govt

Labour won the election promising to turn the NHS around

How are they doing?

🧵👇

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...
Performance Tracker 2025: Hospitals | Institute for Government
Hospital performance is trending gently upwards. But tight finances in hospital trusts will constrain further efforts.
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk
November 19, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Reposted by Stuart Hoddinott
peterwalker99.bsky.social
On Monday, Reform held a press conference to say the councils it runs had identified £330m in savings, and that it had a list setting out the details. Since then I have asked Reform several times to see the list, and have been told repeatedly it will be sent. It has still not been sent.
November 19, 2025 at 2:20 PM