The Welsh government appears complacent as school performance continues to deteriorate. Ministers need to think radically and should start by introducing some competition into the education system Read more
Local government has had to dance to Whitehall’s tune for far too long. It’s time for a more mature relationship enforced by a statutory code that protects councils’ rights and provides greater financial autonomy Read more
Scotland has developed a number of radical policies in recent years, but has its financial scrutiny process been left behind? It could learn a lot from the system introduced in Wales Read more
The Welsh Government will be able to vary income tax rates from the end of the decade if today’s Silk Commission proposals are implemented. But there are risks and hurdles involved, not least winning the public’s support in a referendum Read more
Vested interests are likely to prevent Wales from following England’s lead in abolishing GCSEs. But, as a result, Welsh pupils could find it harder to gain employment or university places Read more
The health service is in need of a radical overhaul. But for this to happen there needs to be a political consensus that the status quo cannot continue and that urgent reform is essential Read more
Wales and England should learn from each other’s approach to public services rather than argue over ideology Read more
The Health and Social Care Bill officially only covers England, but its removal of the private income cap will impact on both Scotland and Wales through the Barnett Formula Read more
There are some curious elements to the proposed financial settlement for Wales. The first minister seems to see tax devolution as a way of securing economic levers rather than sources of revenue to fund public services Read more...
Structural reform is on the agenda for Welsh town halls, but we would be better off focusing on how to make existing arrangements work better through improvements in culture and management effectiveness Read more
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