All the Big Government Reforms the Media Hasn’t Been Telling You About

Because I’m such great fun, I often share announcements from various Government bodies on Bluesky and Threads, provided they sound vaguely intriguing.

One thing is always certain: the comments will be full of surprise from people who haven’t seen the news anywhere else. 

It’s debatable whether this is down to the state of Britain’s media, the Government’s poor communications game, or both – so we’ll come back to that. 

But in the spirit of goodwill, we’ve dug through various projects, policies, and plans from different government departments—largely over the past few weeks—that we think most people probably haven’t heard about.

This list is by no means conclusive, and it is up to you whether you think the news items are good or bad. However, they do offer a flavour of some of the things we could, and arguably should, all be talking about.

Anti-Corruption Unit

Last Thursday, the Government announced that the Home Office and City of London Police have established a new pilot ‘Domestic Corruption Unit’.

It has been warmly welcomed by transparency groups, as an “incredibly important and welcome tipping point”, according to the charity Spotlight on Corruption.

Security Minister Dan Jarvis made the announcement at the Economic Crime Congress in central London. Responding, Duncan Hames, Director of Policy and Programmes at Transparency International UK, said: “We know corruption is not just a phenomenon elsewhere, it is happening right here at home, but not enough is understood about the nature and scale of the problem.

“The Government is right to identify the challenges to investigating and prosecuting bribery and corruption taking place here in the UK, and the need for a dedicated response. We look forward to contributing to building a clearer intelligence picture of bribery and other forms of corruption in our country, and seeing police act on it.”

Boosting Criminal Legal Aid Funding 

The Ministry of Justice announced plans on Thursday night to increase criminal legal aid funding by 12% over this Parliament. 

Politico reports that a consultation on the new rates will start in the new year. The Law Society has called it a “welcome step forward…but only a step”.

This Tuesday, the Government announced an extra 2,000 Crown Court sitting days over the next year. Courts will sit for a total of 108,500 days – the highest figure in almost a decade, helping to tackle the court backlog, officials say.

Fees for criminal legal aid work in police stations and youth courts have been increased by £24 million. And the Government has also announced its ‘intention to consult’ on an increase to civil legal aid fees for housing and immigration cases. 

Major cuts to legal aid under the Conservatives have been blamed for preventing access to justice among some vulnerable groups. 

Councils in England Set for Above-Inflation Boost

This week the Government announced a £69 billion funding package for local councils in England. 

Local authorities across England will receive a real-terms – i.e. above inflation – increase of 3.5% in funding for 2024-25, following a real-terms cut in their spending power of around 40% since 2010.  

The new package includes a new £600 million Recovery Grant aimed at supporting councils most in need, and £3.7 billion specifically for social care services. Rural communities will see an average 5% increase in their core spending power, the Government says. 

In central Government, spending power looks set to be constrained. The Green Party has criticised the Chancellor’s call for Government departments to identify five per cent efficiency savings, with co-leader Adrian Ramsay describing it as “cuts to services” and arguing for increased taxation on the wealthy instead. 

Government Re-Nationalises Military Housing

The Government has announced a major deal this week to bring more than 36,000 military homes back into public ownership, in what ministers describe as an effort to address “chronic underinvestment” in armed forces accommodation.

The agreement, which covers 36,347 properties, aims to improve living conditions for military families and generate long-term savings for taxpayers. It marks a significant reversal of the 1996 privatisation of military housing under John Major’s Conservative Government. 

Recent reports have highlighted serious problems with military accommodation. A House of Commons Defence Committee report published this month found that two-thirds of Service Families Accommodation was “essentially no longer fit for purpose,” with widespread issues of damp and mould.

Government figures show that more than 9,000 incidents of damp and mould were reported across military housing in 2022-23, with complaints rising by 40% in a single year. There were also over 500 flooding incidents during the same period.

The poor state of military housing has been linked to falling morale and retention problems within the armed forces. Recent surveys show that only 40% of personnel are satisfied with service life, down from 60% in 2010. Nearly one-third of service personnel cited housing conditions as increasing their intention to leave the forces.

The National Audit Office estimated it cost taxpayers between £2.2 billion and £4.2 billion more in the first 21 years of prioritisation than if the properties had remained in public ownership.

Compensation for LGBT+ Veterans

LGBT+ veterans who were dismissed from the Armed Forces due to their sexual orientation or gender identity will receive up to £70,000 each in compensation. 

The Government has increased the total funding available to £75 million, with a base payment of £50,000 and additional payments of up to £20,000 for those affected by the discriminatory ban between 1967 and 2000.

New Hospice Cash

On Thursday (it was a big day for buried announcements), the Government announced £100 million in extra hospice funding over the next two years in England, covering buildings, equipment and accommodation.

Only a third of hospice funding comes from the public purse, while the rest comes from fundraising. 

Foreign Policy and Defence

The Government has launched a new campaign against dirty money with fresh sanctions targeting Russia‘s ‘shadow fleet’ of oil vessels. 

A landmark UK-Germany defence pact has been signed. Military personnel received their largest pay increase in decades.

Relatedly, military veterans will now get prioritised access to social housing. Another £3.5 million has been allocated for homeless veterans’ support. 

Housing

On housing safety, the Government has just set new targets for removing dangerous cladding, promising that all high-rise buildings in Government-funded schemes will be fixed by the end of 2029. 

Developers have committed to doubling their repair rates, with work on all their buildings set to begin by summer 2027.

An emergency £10 million fund was launched to protect rough sleepers during the winter.

And ministers have launched 32 new ‘Homebuilding Skills Hubs’ around the country to create 5,000 construction apprenticeships.

Education 

The School Support Staff Negotiating Body, which the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition Government abolished in 2010, has been reinstated to support school staff and boost their wages by involving unions.

Not in central Government, but in London, Mayor Sadiq Khan has launched a £2 million Greener Schools pilot programme, aimed at helping schools become more energy efficient. Schools implementing measures such as insulation, solar panels, and heat pumps could save up to £18,000 annually on energy bills, the Greater London Authority says. 

And this one’s from September, but we think it slipped through the cracks. A new ‘Music Opportunities’ pilot scheme will offer singing and music lessons to disadvantaged children. 

Law and Justice

The Ministry of Justice has announced plans to create 14,000 new prison places by 2031, to deal with the prisons crisis. Current projections suggest the prison population could reach 105,200 by March 2029. (The Howard League for Penal Reform has criticised the strategy, arguing the funds would be better spent on probation services and crime prevention.)

Legal aid has been increased to support vulnerable citizens who need legal support. A new Women’s Justice Board has been established. Fresh police reforms include a new Police Performance Unit and a National Centre of Policing. Laws against intimate image abuse have been strengthened.

And over 100,000 former mineworkers have received pension increases, as the Government says it is reversing a “historic injustice” of low pensions. Recipients will see an average £29 extra to their weekly payment.

Business and Spending

A new Business Growth Service for small businesses will be launched by ministers in the first half of 2025, designed to streamline support services. The initiative aims to address low engagement rates with small and medium sized businesses with growth support schemes, as only 26% of UK SME employers sought external advice in 2023. 

Business rates have been cut for small businesses on the high street. 

The Government has introduced new controls in public bodies and departments, to save £1.2 billion on external consultancy spending by 2026. 

Environment and Climate

The Government’s new Clean Power Plan, a vision for getting to a 95% renewably-powered electricity grid, was warmly welcomed by environmental groups.

Caroline Simpson, from energy campaigners Warm this Winter, said: “We desperately need long term solutions to stop the vicious cycle of high energy bills which has led to 6.5 million people in the UK living in fuel poverty. That’s why we welcome the Government’s announcement to get billpayers off volatile oil and gas prices by ramping up its ambitious clean power plan. 

“The latest forecast price cap rise means energy bills will be 70% above what they were in winter 2020/21 which is why permanent solutions are a must for households…That’s why we are pleased to see the Government getting on with the job of permanently lowering bills for all.”

The Prime Minister launched a ‘Global Clean Power Alliance’ at the G20 in November to accelerate the clean energy transition world-wide.

A £88 million joint industry-Government fund has also been created for zero-emission vehicle technology.

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Josiah Mortimer also writes the On the Ground column, exclusive to the print edition of Byline Times.

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