IfG Events

Improving productivity is at the heart of the government’s plans for public services, underpins the ‘strategic and agile state’ and is a critical enabler for many of its ambitions for the future.

The Chief Secretary to the Treasury has been drawing on experience from the public and private sector to make sure the 2027 spending review consolidates and furthers the government’s productivity drive.

This builds on the work already underway within the government through the Office for Value for Money and its departmental target of 2% productivity, efficiencies and savings.

But what has the government achieved so far? How is HM Treasury supporting productivity improvements across government and monitoring departmental efficiency plans? What is the Chief Secretary doing to push this agenda on?

To explore these questions and to discuss his priorities and approach, the Institute for Government was pleased to be hosting Rt Hon James Murray MP, Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

Professor Andy Westwood, Policy Director at The Productivity Institute made opening remarks. James Murray was then in conversation with Dr Hannah White, Director and CEO of the Institute for Government.

This event was kindly supported by The Productivity Institute (TPI).
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The second webinar in our three-part series focusing on the findings of Whitehall Monitor 2026.

The webinar featured:


Heloise Dunlop, Researcher at the Institute for Government and co-author of Whitehall Monitor 2026


Becky Noble, Public Services AI Lead at PA Consulting 


Jack Worlidge, Senior Researcher at the IfG and co-author of Whitehall Monitor 2026

The event was chaired by Hannah Keenan, Associate Director at the IfG and lead author of Whitehall Monitor 2026.

Whitehall Monitor 2026, the IfG’s annual data-led assessment of the size, shape and performance of the civil service, examines how the workforce changed in 2025.

We would like to thank PA Consulting for kindly supporting this event.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our first webinar in a three-part series focused on the findings of Whitehall Monitor 2026.

The first Whitehall Monitor webinar – kicking off a three-part series exploring the IfG’s annual flagship report on the civil service – looked at the context in which much needed strategic workforce planning should be taking place: how the size and shape of the civil service has changed in the past year, against a backdrop of multiple exit schemes and a complex recruitment landscape.

The webinar featured:

Heloise Dunlop, Researcher at the Institute for Government and co-author of Whitehall Monitor 2026

Daniel Howes, Research Assistant at the IfG and co-author of Whitehall Monitor 2026

Liz Tolcher, Associate Partner – Skills & Workforce Transformation Expert at PA Consulting

The event was chaired by Hannah Keenan, Associate Director at the IfG and lead author of Whitehall Monitor 2026.

Whitehall Monitor 2026, the IfG’s annual data-led assessment of the size, shape and performance of the civil service, examines how the workforce changed in 2025.

We would like to thank PA Consulting for kindly supporting this event.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With just a few weeks remaining before May’s Scottish parliament election, Malcolm Offord, Leader of Reform UK in Scotland, joined us to discuss the state of devolution, Scotland’s economy and public services, and the future of Scotland.

With Reform UK predicted to win a sizeable number of seats in Scotland for the first time, this webinar saw Malcolm Offord set out his policies and plans for Scotland, and discussed how Reform UK would govern if in a position of power at Holyrood. He was in conversation with Institute for Government Programme Director Akash Paun, and answered questions submitted by the online audience.

This event is part of a series the Institute for Government is holding with political leaders from Scotland and Wales.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The IfG DevoLab is dedicated to exploring the innovations enabled by devolution, learning from the results, and sharing the lessons so that places can take better decisions about how to use devolved powers and budgets.

On 25 February, in Manchester, we held our fourth IfG DevoLab event, where three speakers set out how the powers and profile of mayors are being used to increase the supply of affordable homes within their regions.

The three case studies presented at IfG DevoLab #4 were:

‘Increasing the supply of affordable homes in the West of England’, by Stephen Peacock, Chief Executive of the West of England Combined Authority

‘From housing growth to good growth - experiences delivering housing growth in Greater Manchester’, by Andrew McIntosh, Director of Sustainable Growth & Infrastructure at Greater Manchester Combined Authority

‘Supporting regions to increase the supply of affordable homes’, by Jackie Rigby, Assistant Director - Place, Partnerships and Capacity at Homes England

The three speakers were joined by Ben Denton, Head of Strategic Growth – Affordable Housing at L&G, for a broader discussion of the benefits of devolution and mayoral leadership for this agenda, how mayors can support the government make progress toward its challenging house-building targets, and how further devolution could help accelerate the supply of affordable homes.

This event was chaired by Akash Paun, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.

Insights from this discussion will inform a published policy briefing containing the three case studies and a synthesis of key lessons.

The Institute for Government would like to thank L&G for its support of this event and for its wider support of the IfG DevoLab series.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices