Regulation is emerging as an important early issue for the new Government. Pauses to the Office for Local Government (Oflog) approach, the emergence of the Regulator of Social Housing, the move to Ofsted single-word ratings and the anticipated criticism of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) from Dr Penny Dash's imminent review draw attention to assurance. This presents an opportunity to consider how good regulation might contribute to the new public service reform agenda.

Regulation is crucial for ensuring quality, safety and accountability in public services, for safeguarding vulnerable people and for ensuring resilience across systems. Failures of regulation all too often have devastating human consequences.