Thinking about how to improve the centre of government might seem very wonkish. But how well the centre of government works is vital for the country's wellbeing.

An effective centre helps the Prime Minister make good their promises to voters, and makes it less likely their government will be overwhelmed by events or derailed by blunders. Because it is an issue that has long been neglected in Britain, there are big opportunities to change things for the better, and to learn from other countries. And the best time to deal with it is just after an election, when people expect change and when the Prime Minister's political stock is high.

With that in mind, we've written a letter for whoever turns out to be the UK's new Prime Minister after May's general election, with a range of suggestions for how to make the centre a truer and more effective servant of the people.

It includes some radical shake-ups:

• Abolishing the Treasury, and setting up a department for growth and a real PM's department
• Creating superministers for big policy areas like infrastructure or equality, thus making Cabinet a more useful body
• Increasing the centre's ability to bring on board new ideas, to experiment rigorously, and to talk and listen to the people.

We hope you enjoy it. If you have any comments, please let us know.