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
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
'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