Report shows trust in government improved, but public concerned about NHS and cost of living.
In a new report, public sector leaders have urged the Northern Ireland Executive to turn optimism about its return and the publication of its new Programme for Government into bold reforms that will put public services on a more sustainable long-term footing.
The State of the State 2025 is an annual report delivered by Deloitte and the independent think tank Reform that examines attitudes to government and public services from the people who rely on them and the people who run them.
The research includes a survey by Ipsos UK of 5,721 UK adults aged 16-75, including Northern Ireland, as well as in-depth interviews with more than 80 leaders from across the public sector.
In this year’s report, Northern Ireland’s public sector leaders highlighted three key ambitions: bold reform, even if that means structural change; a sense of urgency in its delivery; and greater collaboration across services alongside greater engagement with the voluntary sector.
Cost of living and NHS remain top public priorities
For the third year running, the cost-of-living crisis was the Northern Ireland public’s biggest concern, mentioned by 77% of people, with the NHS a close second, as 76% of people said it should be a top government priority. The public in NI placed the ‘availability of affordable housing’ third (48%) and ‘jobs and economic growth’ was the fourth highest area of concern (47%).
Asked what the biggest challenges facing public services will be in the next five years, 66% of people highlighted ‘budget cuts and lack of funding’, 52% said ‘the need to deliver services more efficiently’ and 51% expressed concern about ‘a loss of trust in the ability to deliver services’.
When asked what would help deliver a stronger economy, the most common answer was ‘improving health and wellbeing’ (54%), in line with the rest of the UK, but the second most popular answer was ‘reducing barriers to trade with other countries’ (46%), ahead of ‘improving education and skills’, which was the second most common answer in other UK nations.
Northern Ireland was still the UK region most worried about the cost of living, housing and the NHS. The survey also found that while overall trust in the Northern Ireland government has improved following the Executive’s return, it remains the least trusted of the UK’s administrations.
Marie Doyle, partner at Deloitte in Belfast, said: “Without exception, public sector leaders interviewed for this year’s State of the State report welcomed the return of the Northern Ireland Executive. Many lauded the demonstrably positive relationships between ministers, especially at the top of government.
“Senior civil servants were the most pleased to see the return of political leaders, not least to mark the end of legal ambiguity and allow them to concentrate on their core jobs. However, many interviewees were impatient for ministers to make the bold decisions needed to reform public services and put the state on a more sustainable financial footing.
“It was clear in our interviews that expectations of the Programme for Government were sky high across the public sector. While it does set out ambitious measures to stabilise the public sector in the next two years, the next step will be to look beyond fixing current issues and set out a longer-term vision of what NI’s government and public services could look like in future.”
The State of the State interviews highlighted the difficulties faced by public servants in the recruitment of a new generation of leaders. Public sector leaders acknowledged that new technology such as AI will be integral to public sector reform but said the sector struggles to afford digital skills and existing leaders don’t have the time or resource to drive change.
Ed Roddis, head of public sector research at Deloitte, said: “One of the most interesting themes to emerge in this year’s Northern Ireland report was the challenge of attracting new talent with the right skills to drive transformation in the public sector.
“The current generation of leaders across Northern Ireland’s government and public services have lived through a series of challenges that have taken their toll. Some interviewees told us the public sector faces a leadership crisis, as experienced hands leave and their roles appear too daunting to fill. Others said that years of ‘firefighting’ have left the civil service too risk averse.
“But many see a way forward. Politicians and officials need to change the narrative around public service leadership to attract a new generation of courageous public servants ready to deliver change.