On 23 January 2025, the ACE-PCF Secretariat were delighted to host a leadership seminar for members focused on what a mission-driven Government mean for public bodies and how to support its delivery.
Over the past years, the delivery and public perception of public services have changed considerably, impacting on governance, public trust and on public bodies’ perceived efficiency. Following the election of a new Labour administration in Government, ACE and PCF welcomed a discussion on the Plan for Change, its meaning for public bodies and on how leaders of public bodies can support Government in delivering change and meeting the ambitious targets and milestones that have now been set for a mission-driven government. This joint hybrid seminar explored what the mission-driven Labour government’s positioning means for our members. Examining delivery-focused cross-cutting collaboration, our panel of experts also discussed how public bodies could showcase their work to create a more positive public opinion.
With special thanks to our guest speakers:
- Georgia Gould MP, Parliamentary Secretary, responsible for Public Sector Reform, Cabinet Office
- Nathan Bransden, Director for Strategy and Advisory, Ipsos UK
- Daniel Cameron, Research Director, Ipsos UK
- Nick Davies, Programme Director, Institute for Government
- Tom Taylor, Chair, NHS Counter Fraud Authority
and our hosts:
- Keith Fraser, Chair of the Public Chairs Forum and Youth Justice Board
- Adrian Smith OBE, Chair of the Association of Chief Executives and Chief Executive, Reclaim Fund Ltd
A crisis in confidence in public services
Latest research from Ipsos suggests that the general public’s confidence in public services has been decreasing significantly in the past year. The deterioration of public services is largely attributed to government policies, inflation, and inadequate public sector management. Reflecting on the impact of public bodies, members and delegates explored strategies to understand the public and effectively communicate with the community on the role, successes and challenges they have a s frontliners.
Working together differently to deliver change
Speaking on the potential in the government’s plan to take a mission-led approach to the next spending review, Nick Davies, Institute for Government shared some of the Institute’s latest insight on how the government could use the time before the spending review to deliver on its public services vision.
Engaging with our membership for the first time after having been elected, Minister Georgia Gould, Parliamentary Secretary, responsible for Public Sector Reform, Cabinet Office emphasised the importance of missions as opportunities to work differently together. Highlighting the importance of leadership and from both the centre and bottom-up to foster innovation in communities, the Minister called for a people-centric approach to support a vision across departments. Expressing commitment towards ensuring that administrative structures represent enablers and not barriers to change, she spoke on the “test and learn” approach to transform controls and funding distribution.
In light of the call for more collaborative service delivery, delegates had the pleasure to hear also hear from Tom Taylor, Chair, NHS Counter Fraud Authority, who reflected on effective strategies to make connections and meet diverse community needs effectively in aligning with the government’s priorities, sharing his experience with navigating partnerships across the public sector.
What’s next?
As a key takeaway, we know that public bodies are well placed to support government to deliver on mission, enhance public trust in public institutions, and encourage greater system thinking.
ACE and PCF members interested in continuing the conversation on what can be done across ALBs to work together on missions’ deliver and on how different bodies can contribute are invited to send their suggestions to the secretariat at secretariat@associationofchiefexecutives.org.uk.
To continue to grow and develop ACE and PCF, the Secretariat are keen to ensure that members are getting the most out of their membership experience and are supported with professional development, learning and networking opportunities that meet your changing needs.
Supported by Ipsos, the Secretariat will be running the annual membership survey during April-May. Please do take a few minutes to complete the survey and tell us what you think your strategic challenges are so the Secretariat can do our best to support you and your organisation.
ACE and PCF will continue to ensure we are reflecting the full diversity of today’s public service talent as speakers and hosts in the upcoming member programme. ACE and PCF are also committed to amplifying ACE and PCF member voices.
View the programme for 2025/26 here.
If you have recommendations for new and inspiring voices, email ACE and PCF secretariat at secretariat@associationofchiefexecutives.org.uk
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