When it comes to the 'state of the state' the people of the North East have their top three issues that should be tackled by the Government. Ed Roddis, Deloitte's Director of Public Sector Research, talks through the findings of the firm's latest State of the State report, through a North East lens.
Tackling climate change should be a top priority for the Government after addressing the cost-of-living crisis and NHS waiting lists, according to the firm’s latest State of the State report. This annual publication on attitudes to government and public services is co-authored by Deloitte and Reform, the independent think tank, and includes a survey by Ipsos UK of 5,813 UK adults aged 16-75.
When asked which issues should be priorities for the UK over the next few years, most respondents said the focus should be on tackling the immediate cost-of-living crisis (81%) and NHS waiting lists (66%), above anything else.
The public’s next biggest priority is climate change, mentioned by 46% of respondents. Improving crime and policing (44%), social care for older and vulnerable people (44%) and the availability of affordable housing (40%) came close behind as key priorities for the UK public.
The State of the State report is always an interesting take on the public’s perceptions of the big issues. In the North East, tackling the cost-of-living crisis (86%) and NHS waiting lists (66%) were cited as key priorities for government. The third highest priority is improving the social care provision (50%), followed by crime and policing (46%) and then climate change (44%).
Across the North of England (North East, North West and Yorkshire & Humberside) the importance of priorities were pretty similar – tackling the cost-of-living crisis is the biggest public priority for government (81%), followed by NHS waiting lists (66%). The third highest priority is crime and policing (48%), followed by social care for older people, vulnerable adults and children (46%). Climate change is the North’s fifth priority, cited by 42% of the public.
Going back to the national picture, when the UK public were asked about the balance of tax and public spending, just 17% wanted the current balance to remain the same. A third (33%) believe that Britain should aim for lower taxes, even if that means lower public spending, while 29% believe Britain should tax more to increase spending. Younger people aged 16-34 years old are more likely to favour tax cuts (43%) than higher spending (22%), compared to 55-75 year-olds who are more likely to favour higher spending (36%) than cutting taxes (26%). Compared to other regions, the public in the North East are England’s most convinced that lower taxes are the right way forward.
When asked about their expectations over the next few years, nearly three-quarters of UK respondents (74%) expect the cost-of-living crisis will get worse, while 58% think NHS waiting lists will worsen. However, more people than not believe that the UK’s protection against COVID-19 is improving (27% vs 17%), indicating a public mood that the UK may be over the worst of the pandemic.
When asked about private sector engagement with public services, people in the North East saw the potential of companies reducing pressure on public services. However, more said they would worry about the private sector’s accountability and the risk of companies deciding to stop providing services. The same goes for the potential of the third sector alleviating pressure on public services – people in the North East were worried about accountability and expertise.
The region’s level of trust in public services is relatively buoyant. The public has a notably high level of trust in the NHS, followed by the police and then local councils. And when it comes to trust in digital public services, data security is non-negotiable with nearly half the people in the North East saying keeping their data safety was either essential or very important.
The State of the State is an excellent barometer of public perception and once again the people in the North East have not held back with their opinions.