Leaders call for ‘bold decisions’ from Executive to reform public services

Public sector leaders have urged the Stormont powersharing Executive to turn optimism about its return into “bold decisions” that will transform public services in Northern Ireland.

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.

The research includes a survey by Ipsos UK of 5,721 UK adults aged 16-75, including more than 500 in Northern Ireland, as well as interviews with more than 80 leaders from across the public sector.

The report states Northern Ireland’s public sector leaders highlighted three ambitions – bold reform, a sense of urgency in its delivery and greater collaboration across services. alongside greater engagement with the voluntary sector.

The poll suggested the cost-of-living crisis is the Northern Ireland public’s biggest concern, mentioned by 77% of people, with the NHS second, as 76% of people said it should be a top government priority.

The availability of affordable housing (48%) and jobs and economic growth (47%) were other areas of concern.

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%).

The poll suggested Northern Ireland is still the UK region most worried about the cost of living, housing and the NHS.

It also suggested 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 Northern Ireland’s government and public services could look like in future.”

The State of the State interviews highlighted difficulties faced by public servants in the recruitment of a new generation of leaders.

Public sector leaders who were interviewed acknowledged 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.”

Deloitte commissioned Ipsos UK to conduct an online survey of 5,721 UK adults aged 16-75 between December 13-19, including 501 people in Northern Ireland.

The research also comprised of interviews with more than 80 leaders in government and public services, including permanent secretaries and other senior civil servants, police chief constables, council chief executives, NHS leaders and elected representatives.

The interviews took place between October 2024 and February 2025 and included a cohort of leaders in Northern Ireland.