From the editor: Has the government become mission-oriented?
31 Jul Civil Service Reform

From the editor: Has the government become mission-oriented?

In the end, the Spending Review did not put mission-based working front and centre, but look closely and it's clear that the five missions did still exert some influence on the chancellor's allocations
by Jess Bowie and Suzannah Brecknell
From missions to milestones: what the Mission Delivery Unit’s move to No.10 tells us about delivery from the centre
08 Sep Civil Service Reform
From missions to milestones: what the Mission Delivery Unit’s move to No.10 tells us about delivery from the centre
In praise of the process: Laurie Magnus’s report on Angela Rayner
08 Sep Politics & Constitution
In praise of the process: Laurie Magnus’s report on Angela Rayner
The Fast Stream needs to rediscover its sense of purpose
04 Sep HR
The Fast Stream needs to rediscover its sense of purpose
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
'There will be many tougher days than this': an ex-perm sec's open letter to Simon Case
01 Sep 2020 Leadership
'There will be many tougher days than this': an ex-perm sec's open letter to Simon Case
Former DWP perm sec Sir Leigh Lewis offers some words of wisdom to the new cabinet secretary
Dave Penman: Civil servants must not fear they will be sacrificed, undermined and discarded – that’s no way to run a government
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"
Garry Graham: Slater sacking underscores toxic blame culture of Johnson administration
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
Five data-ethics and AI experts on... what we can learn from the qualifications algorithm fiasco
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
The genie has left not only the bottle, but the entire building – so stop trying to shame civil servants back to the office
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?
It's not the plan, but the planning: leadership tips from the coronavirus response
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
Opinion: Now is not the time for a three-year spending review
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
Garry Graham on government comms overhaul: 'The independence of the civil service is under threat'
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
Opinion: Why Britain's risk-averse, fragmented research funding is hampering our ability to deliver national security effectively
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
Dave Penman: What we can read into the latest bout of anonymous briefing
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 Sponsored
07 Jul 2020 Foreign Affairs
Operationally led, digitally enabled: A fresh approach to transforming legacy border systems
Simon Daykin, Chief Technology Officer at Leidos, on how to deliver a more advanced border through digital transformation
The Care Inspectorate: Introducing agile working to improve the complaints-handling process Sponsored
06 Jul 2020 Operational Delivery
The Care Inspectorate: Introducing agile working to improve the complaints-handling process
PA Consulting on why an agile system for handling complaints means better care for employees and complainants alike
Substitutability: Maybe government is less unique than it imagines Sponsored
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
‘His decency and integrity shone through in everything he did’: Government Legal Department's Stephen Amos remembered by Sir Jonathan Jones
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"
Mark Sedwill’s extraordinary career shows ministers work with talented public servants. They must inspire them, not just challenge them
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
‘I hope an enduring legacy will be how we seek to work together’: one civil service union’s Covid lessons
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