The briefings against Chris Wormald damage the trust that is essential to good government
23 Oct Civil Service Reform

The briefings against Chris Wormald damage the trust that is essential to good government

For the Cummings admirers in No.10 reading this: Anyone can break a system down, putting it back together is a different skill
by Dave Penman
The UK needs regulation – but we can do it an awful lot better
24 Oct Civil Service Reform
The UK needs regulation – but we can do it an awful lot better
How much money could the government's Covid fraud voluntary repayment scheme recover?
23 Oct Coronavirus
How much money could the government's Covid fraud voluntary repayment scheme recover?
One body, two missions: How Skills England is working with partners to drive opportunity and growth
16 Oct Education
One body, two missions: How Skills England is working with partners to drive opportunity and growth
Under the Rwanda bill, civil servants face an impossible dilemma. The government must put this right
14 Mar 2024 Legal
Under the Rwanda bill, civil servants face an impossible dilemma. The government must put this right
Ministers want to break the law; civil servants have a legal duty to uphold it
In a momentous year, civil service leaders must be capable of delivering government aims
13 Mar 2024 Leadership
In a momentous year, civil service leaders must be capable of delivering government aims
The NAO's latest report shows the Cabinet Office needs a more coherent and integrated "whole-system" approach to boosting civil service leadership capability
David Halpern on the Budget: Could evidence-based policy be key to improving public sector productivity?
12 Mar 2024 Civil Service Reform
David Halpern on the Budget: Could evidence-based policy be key to improving public sector productivity?
The path to improving public sector productivity is not a quick fix but it can be done
Tell us about HR in your organisation
11 Mar 2024 HR
Tell us about HR in your organisation
Take part in this Reform and CSW research into civil service HR processes
Charting a smoke-free future Partner Content
11 Mar 2024 Health & Social Care
Charting a smoke-free future
Duncan Cunningham, External Affairs Director for the UK & Ireland at Philip Morris International, advocates for science-backed solutions to help adult smokers switch to less harmful alternatives, and calls for collaboration with government to accelerate the transition to a smoke-free nation
The civil service has a people problem – you can help us find the solutions
07 Mar 2024 Civil Service Reform
The civil service has a people problem – you can help us find the solutions
I refuse to believe there aren’t solutions to tackle civil service's talent and poor performance problems, especially among the people most affected by them
The People Survey results should be a wakeup call
06 Mar 2024 Civil Service Reform
The People Survey results should be a wakeup call
The worst thing that can happen with the People Survey is that its findings do not deliver meaningful change
Book review: Baroness Falkender's biography is the story of a woman who lived and breathed politics
27 Feb 2024 Politics & Constitution
Book review: Baroness Falkender's biography is the story of a woman who lived and breathed politics
The first woman political adviser to a British prime minister, Marcia Williams may have had her share of failings but, as Linda McDougall’s excellent book makes clear, she deserves to be remembered as a trailblazer
Why local governance is important on the path to net zero
26 Feb 2024 Energy & Environment
Why local governance is important on the path to net zero
As the British Academy publishes a new report on governance and net zero, one of its fellows advising the project, Professor Andy Jordan, reflects on the role of local leadership
The public is ready for citizens' assemblies – civil servants should embrace this
23 Feb 2024 Civil Service Reform
The public is ready for citizens' assemblies – civil servants should embrace this
Deliberative democracy will allow us to harness the collective intelligence of millions of citizens, not just depend on a handful of politicians and civil servants
Book review: 400-odd pages of how right Rory Stewart was at the time, and how history will prove him to be a visionary
21 Feb 2024 Politics & Constitution
Book review: 400-odd pages of how right Rory Stewart was at the time, and how history will prove him to be a visionary
This autobiographical amble through Rory Stewart’s political career highlights much of the former Conservative minister’s unmet potential
From the editor: Whatever else 2024 will be, it will be a year of change
20 Feb 2024
From the editor: Whatever else 2024 will be, it will be a year of change
Even if we find ourselves with a stable, majority government by the end of this year, it’s unlikely that we’ll see a sudden end to the other challenges which have been battering public services
Flaws in fuel poverty and homelessness data show the urgent need for effective national data infrastructure
16 Feb 2024 Digital, Data & Technology
Flaws in fuel poverty and homelessness data show the urgent need for effective national data infrastructure
Strong data infrastructure would enable us to anticipate social needs, design services that respond to these needs and signpost people towards the best advice
Cross-government working is not a nice to have – a paradigm shift is long overdue
13 Feb 2024 Civil Service Reform
Cross-government working is not a nice to have – a paradigm shift is long overdue
The Treasury and Cabinet Office must wield their influence to remove any remaining barriers to departments working in harmony
We need a constitutional reset but a pick 'n' mix of ideas is not the answer
12 Feb 2024 Civil Service Reform
We need a constitutional reset but a pick 'n' mix of ideas is not the answer
With a cast of heavy-hitters, the UK Governance Project has some good ideas, says Dave Penman, but forget a Royal Commission: ministers need practical suggestions if we are to make real change
Too many; time wasting; little value – meetings don't have to be this way
09 Feb 2024 HR
Too many; time wasting; little value – meetings don't have to be this way
A good meeting requires more than a tight agenda – the way we prepare, listen and engage is vital to developing presence and improving the experience for everyone
For the civil service, prestige can be a double-edged sword
09 Feb 2024 HR
For the civil service, prestige can be a double-edged sword
Prestige, properly practised, can encourage people to join the civil service and keep giving their best. But it can also be toxic
Now is the time to learn lessons about maintaining standards in an emergency
08 Feb 2024 Fraud, Error Debt & Grants
Now is the time to learn lessons about maintaining standards in an emergency
The NAO's review to learn lessons from spending during an emergency was extensive. Here are the key takeaways for government
The UK must learn lessons from New Zealand on the generational smoking ban Partner Content
06 Feb 2024 Health & Social Care
The UK must learn lessons from New Zealand on the generational smoking ban
The UK government plans to ban cigarettes for people under a certain age. However, youth smoking rates have significantly decreased over the last decade, and evidence from other countries shows that supply-side policies do not effectively reduce tobacco consumption. If the goal is to reduce tobacco usage, governments should focus on demand, not supply, according to Philip Barry, director of independent economics advisers at TDB Advisory
Driving change: Navigating the path to net zero through modal shift Partner Content
06 Feb 2024 Planning
Driving change: Navigating the path to net zero through modal shift
Surface transport must reduce its carbon footprint if the UK is to reach its net-zero goals by 2050. This requires investing in new tech and fuels, green finance, and promoting behaviour change in our communities, as James Knoll-Pollard, behavioural design lead for future mobility, and Melinda Matyas, associate director for future mobility at WSP explain
Good workplace culture attracts good people, but attacks on the civil service will keep coming
31 Jan 2024 HR
Good workplace culture attracts good people, but attacks on the civil service will keep coming
The allegation that diversity networks distract from officials' core mission is false, but the civil service is an easy target in an election year, Prospect's general secretary writes
Who's to blame for the Horizon scandal? It’s more Oliver Cromwell than Tony Benn
29 Jan 2024 Communications
Who's to blame for the Horizon scandal? It’s more Oliver Cromwell than Tony Benn
As the Post Office scandal continues to unfold, Prof Colin Talbot dives into the murky world of internal "policing" in posts and telecoms
'We've lost the art of prioritisation' - what public sector leaders think about the state of the State
24 Jan 2024 Civil Service Reform
'We've lost the art of prioritisation' - what public sector leaders think about the state of the State
As exclusive polling shows the public think there's an urgent need for reform in public services - but have little hope it will happen - what do public service leaders think about the state of the State? The anwer might suprise you
New guidance on the Rwanda scheme may be of limited comfort to civil servants
19 Jan 2024 Justice & Home Affairs
New guidance on the Rwanda scheme may be of limited comfort to civil servants
The message of the latest guidance to civil servants seems to be that they don’t need to worry about international law. It is pretty extraordinary that such guidance is thought necessary in the first place, writes former top government lawyer Sir Jonathan Jones