The Centre for Public Impact (CPI) Podcast Centre for Public Impact

Nadine Smith spoke to BBC Radio 4's Westminster Hour about ministerial plans to reform the UK Civil Service by moving it out of London, warning that one-off measures won't be enough to bridge the gap between citizens and government.

Over the past 18 months, we have looked at how young people feel about their power to change what government thinks of them and their power or desire to be ‘one of them’ - diversity in government is something we have found is important for legitimacy.

The UK has a particularly tricky time letting young people into mainstream debates and young people have a hard time communicating back with power they know little about, not even how it truly impacts their own lives and communities. This is a tragedy and it is having profound consequences.

We recently spoke to an inspiring group of young women about their relationship with government.

Listen to what they told us.

What do you get if you bring together 700 people from 43 countries into one room, organise a whole day of sessions, including yoga and Lego, and then you let them all decide who they want to talk to and when? Well, One Team Gov Global did exactly that and the outcome was truly amazing.

Listen to our latest podcast, recorded live at #OneTeamGovGlobal, where we talk with a host of attendees on how the One Team Gov movement is building momentum in public service.

What do you get if you bring together 700 people from 43 countries into one room, organise a whole day of sessions, including yoga and Lego, and then you let them all decide who they want to talk to and when? Well, One Team Gov Global did exactly that and the outcome was truly amazing.

Listen to our latest podcast, recorded live at #OneTeamGovGlobal, where we talk with Kit Collingwood, co-founder of One Team Gov, and a host of attendees on how the One Team Gov movement is building momentum in public service.

Tony Blair served as Prime Minister in the UK from 1997 - 2007, the only Labour leader in the party’s 100-year history to win three consecutive elections. Like many of his predecessors, Blair’s time as Prime Minister was not without its challenges. Under his leadership, 'New Labour’ aimed to implement reforms to reduce poverty, health waiting times and unemployment, while focusing on improving living standards. However, a key challenge was how government itself was run. His time in government is equally recognised for his bold reforms to the way the centre of government worked with departments to transform and manage public services several of which (e.g. Delivery Units) have been replicated around the world.

In our latest podcast, Adrian Brown sits down with Tony Blair, now Executive Chairman of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, to discuss the challenges and reflections of his time as Prime Minister.

They also discuss 'The Future of Government' a topic we're researching at CPI and we hear Tony Blair’s thoughts on how government needs to adapt to reflect societies changing needs.

Enjoy the recording and let us know what you think. Do you agree with him?

How can public sector organisations transform themselves while ensuring that the business of government continues unabated? This is just one of the questions tackled in the latest CPI Podcast.

Our guest is Agnès Audier, whose career has taken her to the top of the public and private sectors in France. A physicist by training, she began her career as a product engineer for a chemistry group and later a top strategist with Vivendi, the Paris-based global Advertising and Entertainment Company. In government, meanwhile, she has served as technical advisor to Simone Veil, the then Minister of Social Affairs and Health, as well as as principal private secretary to Jean-Pierre Raffarin, who at the time was minister of small business, trade and craft industries.

Here, she sits down with CPI's Margot Gagliani to discuss how governments can best embark on transformation projects, whether it is harder for the public sector than in business and much more.