Opinion: What Covid revealed about government’s legacy IT, and what to do next
26 Jan Coronavirus

Opinion: What Covid revealed about government’s legacy IT, and what to do next

The coronavirus pandemic pressed unprecedented stress on government’s technology systems. Many parts of the system coped well, but it also revealed problems that must be addressed to avoid future crisis, says Reform's director of research, Eleonora Harwich
by Eleonora Harwich
Dave Penman: There’s huge demand from civil servants for greater flexible working. Departments should help make it happen
12 Jan HR
Dave Penman: There’s huge demand from civil servants for greater flexible working. Departments should help make it happen
Less ‘just in time’, more ‘just in case’: How government can be a better customer when the next crisis hits
16 Dec 2020 Commercial
Less ‘just in time’, more ‘just in case’: How government can be a better customer when the next crisis hits
Opinion: Civil service relocations should not be driven by “levelling up”
30 Nov 2020 Civil Service Reform
Opinion: Civil service relocations should not be driven by “levelling up”
Opinion: There is evidence of workplace bias in the civil service – we need some way of addressing that
16 Dec 2020 HR
Opinion: There is evidence of workplace bias in the civil service – we need some way of addressing that
If the government is determined to eliminate discrimination in the workplace, then it’s time we saw the evidence, says Prospect’s Garry Graham
Populists in power: the impact on public administration
30 Nov 2020 Leadership
Populists in power: the impact on public administration
Academics are studying the impact of populists in power. Colin Talbot looks at the research and whether it can provide a perspective of Whitehall’s churn of top jobs
Spending Review 2020: Do outcomes for departments point to a new way of measuring performance?
27 Nov 2020 Finance
Spending Review 2020: Do outcomes for departments point to a new way of measuring performance?
New frameworks and metrics to judge how well departments work could form the building blocks of a reformed approach to managing public spending, but more detail is needed, says Martin Wheatley
Opinion: Sunak’s pay freeze adds insult to injury
26 Nov 2020 Coronavirus
Opinion: Sunak’s pay freeze adds insult to injury
Government claims on the generosity of public sector earnings mean it really is time for an independent pay-review body, says Prospect’s Garry Graham
‘We have a moral vacuum at the heart of government’: Dave Penman on the PM’s Patel decision
23 Nov 2020
‘We have a moral vacuum at the heart of government’: Dave Penman on the PM’s Patel decision
Pledges by Boris Johnson about tackling bullying in the future are not only hollow but insulting following last week’s events, says the FDA general secretary
Opinion: rethinking public services in a time of Covid-19
20 Nov 2020 Coronavirus
Opinion: rethinking public services in a time of Covid-19
Public services are facing a unforeseen and mammoth challenge in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, changing demands for users also create a challenge to create more user-centred services, say Dr Edwina Yida Zhu, Prof Stephen P. Osborne, and Dr Kirsty Strokosch, of the University of Edinburgh.
Calling Champions: right now, kindness matters most Sponsored
18 Nov 2020 Health & Social Care
Calling Champions: right now, kindness matters most
To help us help more civil servants, we’re recruiting The Champions. There are no hoops to jump through, writes Marie McNeil from The Charity for Civil Servants
Can’t make all your payments? Make the right ones Sponsored
10 Nov 2020 Finance
Can’t make all your payments? Make the right ones
Some repayments are more critical than others. If you have some hard choices to make, Elaine Jefferys from The Charity for Civil Servants helps you to decide how to prioritise payments.
‘What is it that can only be done by us?’: preparing your team for a difficult winter
09 Nov 2020 Leadership
‘What is it that can only be done by us?’: preparing your team for a difficult winter
The months ahead are going to be challenging. Now is the time for civil service leaders and their teams to discuss how they keep their resilience, say Hilary Douglas and Peter Shaw
Opinion: Don’t lock prisoners out of the digital revolution
30 Oct 2020 Digital, Data & Technology
Opinion: Don’t lock prisoners out of the digital revolution
The impact of coronavirus has shown how important digital skills and tools are. The Ministry of Justice must do more to ensure they form part of offenders rehabilitation to prepare them for life outside, says Aidan Shilson-Thomas
‘Personal still’: what Black History Month 2020 means to me
28 Oct 2020 HR
‘Personal still’: what Black History Month 2020 means to me
Brian Stanislas MBE reflects on his civil service career and working to engage more people from BAME backgrounds in the opportunities available
Dave Penman: The new big beast enters the alpacas' den
27 Oct 2020 Civil Service Reform
Dave Penman: The new big beast enters the alpacas' den
Simon Case’s first appearance before the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs select committee meant that Dave Penman heard his voice for the first time. And he had a lot to say.
Opinion: Dominic Cummings is keen to make the UK a technology superpower. He should change procurement rules to make it happen
13 Oct 2020 Commercial
Opinion: Dominic Cummings is keen to make the UK a technology superpower. He should change procurement rules to make it happen
Innovation is stifled by public sector procurement rules. Brexit, and the Integrated Review, offer a chance to change that, says Simon Harwood, the head of defence and security at Cranfield University
'The best thing was being treated like an adult from day one': what it's like to join the care leavers internship programme
08 Oct 2020
'The best thing was being treated like an adult from day one': what it's like to join the care leavers internship programme
Danielle June shares her reflections on the Care Leavers Internship as applications open for 2020.
Feel better – by tending to your mental health Sponsored
07 Oct 2020 Coronavirus
Feel better – by tending to your mental health
The pandemic has called for extra precautions – physically as well as mentally. There are simple ways to find help, writes Jill White from The Charity for Civil Servants.
Opinion: The UK’s post-Brexit role in the world should be digital
06 Oct 2020 Brexit
Opinion: The UK’s post-Brexit role in the world should be digital
Championing and developing progress in digital government across the globe could place the UK at the heart of global networks, say Tanya Filer and Antonio Weiss
Why following the science won’t be enough to build a better future after coronavirus
05 Oct 2020 Coronavirus
Why following the science won’t be enough to build a better future after coronavirus
Policymakers will need the full power of the humanities and social sciences to deliver an inclusive, equitable and sustainable pandemic recovery, says Hetan Shah of the British Academy
28 Sep 2020 Justice & Home Affairs
As a black civil servant, I want to talk about ‘allyship’ in the fight against racism
The murder of George Floyd and the subsequent global protests have seen many white people declare themselves allies in the fight against racism, in workplaces like the civil service and beyond. But, in these personal reflections, one official asks: what does this mean in practice?
‘The importance of diversity at senior levels is the difference of perspective’: reflections on working in the civil service with a disability
18 Sep 2020 HR
‘The importance of diversity at senior levels is the difference of perspective’: reflections on working in the civil service with a disability
In the first of a series of articles about disability and working in the civil service, Alistair Watters, the director of the Grenfell site and programme at Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, talks about his own experience in both the private and public sector and what needs to happen to build candidates’ confidence that their disability won’t count against them.
Opinion: government environment bodies felt austerity hard. The Covid recovery is a chance to rebound
16 Sep 2020 Coronavirus
Opinion: government environment bodies felt austerity hard. The Covid recovery is a chance to rebound
The legacy of government austerity is still felt by many agencies in government, writes Nick Kirsop-Taylor of the University of Exeter. But the government’s aim for the recovery from Covid gives them a chance to build back better too
Opinion: net zero should be the test case for civil service reforms
15 Sep 2020 Civil Service Reform
Opinion: net zero should be the test case for civil service reforms
A stronger centre, more engineering capability, and a sharper focus on delivery should all be on the checklist for the government’s climate change mission, argues Tom Sasse
Dave Penman: the government’s return-to-office drive is yet another insult to civil servants
08 Sep 2020 Civil Service Reform
Dave Penman: the government’s return-to-office drive is yet another insult to civil servants
The introduction of targets for officials to get back into departments is gesture politics, says the FDA general secretary, and is likely to fail
Opinion: It’s time to rebrand the civil service
04 Sep 2020 Civil Service Reform
Opinion: It’s time to rebrand the civil service
The civil service works hard to reach out to the country to make itself more representative of the nation. But at a time of looming reforms, perhaps a more fundamental refresh is in order
Home (working) truths: how the government could really deliver something world-beating from Covid-19
03 Sep 2020 Coronavirus
Home (working) truths: how the government could really deliver something world-beating from Covid-19
A civil servant laments mixed messages on remote working and suggests radical thinking could help the levelling-up agenda, aid small businesses and contribute to tackling climate change