Will Labour’s Plan for Change deliver for the North West?
Laura Tilston, Research and Policy Manager
Milestones, missions, foundations…will Labour’s Plan for Change drive change for communities in the North West? Laura Tilston, our Research and Policy Manager, shares her insights.
On the 5th day of Christmas the new Labour Government gave to me, six milestones, five missions, three foundations, and a landmark plan for change.
Well, that didn’t sound as good as it did in my head. But you get the idea.
There has been much talk on the run up to the launch of Labour’s big “Plan for Change”, particularly with the new Government’s rocky start to it’s first year in power. The prime minister is adamant that the plan is not a reset in response to some of the more unpopular policy decisions it has made over the last few months, insisting instead that the plan “doubles down” on the national missions.
The key milestones
Whilst intending the plan to be a clear message, particularly for Whitehall, there is understandable confusion as to how all these milestones, missions and foundations link together, and how they will be achieved.
The six milestones, or targets (if we want to introduce more terminology), announced last week are the key ambitions (oops another term) that will hold the Labour government accountable to the public during their first term in power. These are:
Raising living standards – Delivering higher household disposable income
Building 1.5 million homes in England
92% of patients in England waiting no longer than 18 weeks for elective treatment
13,000 additional police officers, PCSO’s and special constables
75% of five year olds in England ready to learn when they start school
Putting the UK on track to deliver at least 95% clean power by 2030
The Government is committed to having a long-term outlook and recognises the strengths of working “in partnership with business and civil society” with “a new way of doing government that is more joined up” and pushing “power out to communities”.
Whilst we clearly welcome this devolved partnership approach, there are questions as to how the VCFSE sector fits in with the plan, and how some of the recent controversial policy announcements align with these milestones.
While it is important that patients are not waiting longer than necessary for non-urgent medical care, it is unclear how this milestone fits in with the Government’s desired shift towards prevention. Will resources shift to the community if the milestone the Government want to be measured against is very much NHS provider focused?
Tackling inequality in living standards
A focus on living standards rather than just GDP is very much welcomed, but we need to be mindful that measures of increased household disposable income may not be representative. There is a risk that increase in average disposable income could just be reflective of the rising wealth gap, the rich becoming richer and the poor becoming poorer. And where do wellbeing and regional disparities fit into this picture? Recently published ONS statistics on life expectancy show that people living in the North West will live three years less than those living in the South East. We need much stronger ambitions to tackle poverty.
We also need to contemplate how increases to employers national insurance contributions will impact the milestones. The VCFSE sector is not exempt from these rises. The VS6 Partnership have calculated that there will be a minimum £17.7 million black hole in sector finances in Liverpool City Region which the sector will either have to absorb (which it can’t and shouldn’t be expected to do) or make redundancies and hand back contracts, with the most vulnerable in our communities ultimately paying the price if we lose valuable staff and services.
So, will the milestones be achievable? Are they the best measurements that reflect the needs of our communities across the North West? I was at an event the other week ran by the Health Creation Alliance with Lord Gus O'Donnell who, in a discussion around how we should be measuring the wellbeing of the nation, suggested that “politicians will only measure things that they can control”.
Prioritising communities and wellbeing
At Christmas, a time traditionally associated with community, generosity, and togetherness, it feels especially fitting to reflect on the importance of placing communities and wellbeing at the heart of decision-making.
We will have to wait and see whether these milestones make a big impact on kickstarting economic growth and reducing inequalities. Big targets like these often distract us from the bigger picture. It is vital for the government to prioritise communities and wellbeing, ensuring that no one is left behind amidst a blizzard of policies, plans, and milestones, something VSNW will continue to advocate for across the North West.