Comment, analysis and opinion on the Civil Service

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

by Garry Graham

12 Jan HR

Dave Penman: There’s huge demand from civil servants for greater flexible working. Departments should help make it happen

16 Dec 2020 Commercial

Less ‘just in time’, more ‘just in case’: How government can be a better customer when the next crisis hits

30 Nov 2020 Civil Service Reform

Opinion: Civil service relocations should not be driven by “levelling up”

27 Aug 2020 HR

Dave Penman: Civil servants must not fear they will be sacrificed, undermined and discarded – that’s no way to run a government

"If those who you routinely ask to go that extra mile, feel that at a moment’s notice they will be sacrificed, undermined, briefed against and discarded, then you will not attract the best people and you will not get the most out of them"

27 Aug 2020 HR

Garry Graham: Slater sacking underscores toxic blame culture of Johnson administration

As DfE perm sec becomes the latest Whitehall chief to be ousted, Prospect's deputy general secretary says the government is offering a masterclass on how NOT to drive positive change

21 Aug 2020 Digital, Data & Technology

Five data-ethics and AI experts on... what we can learn from the qualifications algorithm fiasco

The Open Data Institute asked experts to explain where Ofqual and other qualifications regulators went wrong in this week's A-Level grade controversy

06 Aug 2020 Coronavirus

The genie has left not only the bottle, but the entire building – so stop trying to shame civil servants back to the office

As journalists accuse "workshy" officials of "wrecking the economy", Dave Penman asks: If remote working works for employees, why not embrace it?

04 Aug 2020 Coronavirus

It's not the plan, but the planning: leadership tips from the coronavirus response

Leadership in the current crisis is about recognising changed circumstances, trusting your people and neutralising uncertainty by embracing the reality of it, says The Whitehall & Industry Group chief executive Simon Ancona

31 Jul 2020 Coronavirus

Opinion: Now is not the time for a three-year spending review

Heightened uncertainty around the economy and public services mean that the government’s decision to hold a three-year spending round is the wrong one and should be reversed writes Institute for Government senior economist Thomas Pope

23 Jul 2020 Communications

Garry Graham on government comms overhaul: 'The independence of the civil service is under threat'

If planned comms changes go through, the PM will find they have made the government machine work much less effectively when the next crisis bites

14 Jul 2020 Security & Defence

Opinion: Why Britain's risk-averse, fragmented research funding is hampering our ability to deliver national security effectively

To harness radical benefits for society, the UK needs a single research funding body which can commandeer funds from across government departments and bodies, argues defence and security expert Dr Simon Harwood

09 Jul 2020 Communications

Dave Penman: What we can read into the latest bout of anonymous briefing

New leaks to the press about reforms to the Government Communication Service are yet more proof that this government sees control from No.10 as critical to its operation and success

Operationally led, digitally enabled: A fresh approach to transforming legacy border systems

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06 Jul 2020 Commercial

Substitutability: Maybe government is less unique than it imagines

Is it in our best interests to assume our needs are unique, or should government procurement professionals look to ‘best fit’ substitutes? New observations from Proxima’s Guy Strafford, EVP

03 Jul 2020 Legal

‘His decency and integrity shone through in everything he did’: Government Legal Department's Stephen Amos remembered by Sir Jonathan Jones

GLD perm sec pays tribute to "a brilliant lawyer and the most diligent of public servants"

01 Jul 2020 Civil Service Reform

Mark Sedwill’s extraordinary career shows ministers work with talented public servants. They must inspire them, not just challenge them

The civil service is full of civil servants who have excelled throughout their career. Continued briefing against them won’t get the best from them amid unrepresented challenges, Dave Penman says

25 Jun 2020

‘I hope an enduring legacy will be how we seek to work together’: one civil service union’s Covid lessons

The deputy general secretary of Prospect says the civil service has never before worked at such pace as it had to in response to coronavirus. Close collaboration between staff and employees could be one the pandemic’s legacie

19 Jun 2020 Foreign Affairs

Opinion: The government must protect and nurture the best of DfID as it merges with the Foreign Office

If done correctly, blending the skills of both the Department for International Development and the Foreign Office could yield something that is greater than just the sum of its parts

19 Jun 2020 Economy

Case study: How academic ‘policy entrepreneurs’ can help the civil service

From the impact of Covid-19 to dealing with the impact of climate change, government has never faced greater policy challenges. But, as recent work on developing policy strategies for carbon capture and storage shows, civil servants can get help from academics to find the right solutions. Professor Karen Turner, the director from the Centre for Energy Policy at the University of Strathclyde, explains

16 Jun 2020 Government Tax Profession

How civil servants have learnt at pace during Covid-19

Two former directors general – now leadership coaches – share their observations about civil servants seizing opportunities to innovate

05 Jun 2020 Government Tax Profession

We have special legislation to cope with crises like Covid – so why didn’t the government use it?

Instead of invoking the Civil Contingencies Act when the pandemic broke out, the government drafted its own coronavirus bill. Could it be because of the CCA's emphasis on scrutiny?

29 May 2020

‘I cannot remember such a period of bravery in public services’: NAO head Gareth Davies on auditing the Covid-19 response

Gareth Davies, head of the National Audit Office, shares his thoughts on auditing the government’s response to Covid-19 and the launch of the NAO’s new strategy

07 May 2020 Government Tax Profession

Sarah Nickson: Testing targets can miss the point

Symbolic numbers picked to deflect public pressure can create more problems than they solve

27 Apr 2020 Government Tax Profession

Dave Penman and Mike Clancy: Covid-19 means a single pay settlement for the whole civil service is in the national interest

The civil service does not need the distraction of over 200 separate pay negotiations in the middle of a pandemic, argue the general secretaries of the FDA and Prospect unions

20 Apr 2020 Civil Service Reform

Old guard, new tricks? Alex Thomas on what the new civil service chief operating officer must prioritise

Recent appointments may have gone to experienced insiders, but the new civil service chief operating officer must build on the momentum of outsider John Manzoni and help tackle persistent problems

16 Apr 2020 Government Tax Profession

Doing the unimaginable: don't forget the unsung heroes across government

As the civil service responds to the immense challenges of the coronavirus pandemic, they have achieved something incredible - leaving Dave Penman (almost) lost for words