1. Covid-19 has shown Policy-making is detached from realities on the ground, the challenges posed by the operational delivery implementing those policies, the differences in the regions not taken into account by the one size fits all policies created in London. Priorities of policy-making reflect the London-centric nature of Government with all the lobbying power of wealth and patronage, the speedy awarding of contracts to friends of Government, the emphasis on prosecuting the poor for benefit fraud rather than rich tax dodgers. Policy is currently very unwieldy, very slow to react, like the juggernaut that can’t be turned. Policy staff, senior management and Government ministers appear scared to make fast-paced decisions. Policy is far too far removed from the operational delivery, the silo effect with totally inadequate communication with the operational delivery teams implementing the policy. The process seems to be that new policy is developed with little consultation with the operational delivery teams and based on short term interests of the Government of the day rather than the long-term public interests. The Windrush scandal is a good example of this. New policy is signed off as law or whatever which is fed by Ministers to senior civil servants to impose on operational delivery teams who then have to fudge things as best they can to try to get the results the minister requires (often figures dreamt up by Policy to satisfy short term Government priorities of the day, i.e. vote winners) so the particular government can claim the credit – very short term interests. Covid-19 lock down and Brexit has already introduced new technology and begun to change the status quo. It has shown how easily policy-making can be moved out to the regions, be more flexible and faster-paced, reacting to needs/developments on the ground.
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