Ministerial reshuffles and the centre of government: What should civil servants expect now?
12 Sep Civil Service Reform

Ministerial reshuffles and the centre of government: What should civil servants expect now?

What’s changed? What does it mean for the centre of government? And how should civil servants and ministers adapt?
by Patrick Diamond and Vijay K. Luthra
Why I feel privileged to judge the Ethnic Minorities into Leadership Awards
17 Sep HR
Why I feel privileged to judge the Ethnic Minorities into Leadership Awards
If delivery is the government's focus, stability is one of the best ways to deliver it
09 Sep Operational Delivery
If delivery is the government's focus, stability is one of the best ways to deliver it
Home Responsibilities Protection – how a lack of trust and fear of scams can undermine government’s intentions
09 Sep
Home Responsibilities Protection – how a lack of trust and fear of scams can undermine government’s intentions
Policymakers must listen to the communities their decisions affect – however remote
19 Aug 2024 Policy
Policymakers must listen to the communities their decisions affect – however remote
Nineteen-year-old Innes Morgan makes a plea for government to end Whitehall-centric policymaking
The road to net zero is paved with high-quality data
13 Aug 2024 Digital, Data & Technology
The road to net zero is paved with high-quality data
High-quality datasets and analysis helped the North Sea Transition Authority secure a prestigious award. Its corporate director explains how data and digital tools can help organisations make better decisions
Civil servants don’t need an independent pay review body to tell them what fair pay is
08 Aug 2024 Civil Service Reform
Civil servants don’t need an independent pay review body to tell them what fair pay is
PCS chief outlines why the union backs collective bargaining for civil servants, not a new pay review body
Can Labour’s plans for a ‘mission-driven government’ succeed? A veteran's view
07 Aug 2024 Policy
Can Labour’s plans for a ‘mission-driven government’ succeed? A veteran's view
Labour has promised a mission-based approach to government. Owen Pritchard, a military – and political – veteran, explains why the new administration needs to back up the rhetoric with the right mindset.
All hands on deck: Why government lawyers were as busy as ever during the pre-election period
06 Aug 2024 Legal
All hands on deck: Why government lawyers were as busy as ever during the pre-election period
With the State Opening of Parliament on 17 July, the first session of Parliament is now underway and new legislation is being introduced. However, as Government Legal Department lawyer Sally Harris shares, the work never really stopped for government lawyers
Involving the public in policymaking can help restore trust in our political institutions. Here's how to do it
05 Aug 2024 Policy
Involving the public in policymaking can help restore trust in our political institutions. Here's how to do it
From setting up a central hub of participatory policymaking expertise to introducing a Duty to Consider Participation, here are some of Demos and Involve's recommendations for embedding public participation in national policymaking
'We help keep the skies safe': Looking back on 170 years of the Met Office
01 Aug 2024 Digital, Data & Technology
'We help keep the skies safe': Looking back on 170 years of the Met Office
Today's Met Office has capabilities Admiral Fitzroy could never have imagined when he proposed the concept of a Meteorological Department in 1854
Ministers want HMRC to close the tax gap. Can it?
31 Jul 2024 Fraud, Error Debt & Grants
Ministers want HMRC to close the tax gap. Can it?
The NAO's Joshua Reddaway sets out three actions which could help HMRC recover more tax
What could a properly flexible model for the future civil service look like?
29 Jul 2024 Civil Service Reform
What could a properly flexible model for the future civil service look like?
The civil service must become better equipped to cope with surprises. Outsourcing for agility is costing billions
Consultancy stands ready to serve Partner Content
29 Jul 2024 Leadership
Consultancy stands ready to serve
Tamzen Isacsson, CEO of the Management Consultancies Association (MCA), explores the ways that consultancy is applying private sector expertise to support public sector clients with some of their toughest challenges
Book review: John Bowers' manifesto for reform is a must-read for those who care about ethics in public life
25 Jul 2024 Civil Service Reform
Book review: John Bowers' manifesto for reform is a must-read for those who care about ethics in public life
Reading Downward Spiral is like listening as a wise and well-informed observer expresses their exasperation and anger at the last decade of UK politics
Book review: Neil Lee’s Innovation for the Masses is an ideal book for policymakers
22 Jul 2024 Economics
Book review: Neil Lee’s Innovation for the Masses is an ideal book for policymakers
Can we drive innovation and also build greater equality? This solution-focused guide suggests so
Civil service expansion has unbalanced the Westminster system. Here's how to put politics back in charge
15 Jul 2024 Civil Service Reform
Civil service expansion has unbalanced the Westminster system. Here's how to put politics back in charge
Policy Exchange's head of government reform and home affairs runs through some of the recommendations of the think tank's latest report
If Keir Starmer is serious about delivery, he must be bold on civil service pay
08 Jul 2024 Civil Service Reform
If Keir Starmer is serious about delivery, he must be bold on civil service pay
After years of politically driven decisions, civil service pay is broken. The government must tackle the issue head on if it is serious about delivering for the public
From the editor: Is it really only five years since the last general election?
04 Jul 2024 Leadership
From the editor: Is it really only five years since the last general election?
After voters have done their duty at the polling stations, civil servants' work of welcoming, briefing and supporting new ministers will be just beginning
'Trying not to overburden them will help': How civil servants can work effectively with new spads
03 Jul 2024 HR
'Trying not to overburden them will help': How civil servants can work effectively with new spads
The relationship between spads and civil servants is often caricatured, but it's a vital partnership
Don't get new ministers' briefs in a twist
02 Jul 2024 Policy
Don't get new ministers' briefs in a twist
Planning for new ministers is important, including studying all the manifestos. Just make sure those plans are flexible, as you never know what they will ask when they’re actually in office
From London to Llandudno, the country and civil service is crying out for stability and a long-term plan
27 Jun 2024 Local & Devolved
From London to Llandudno, the country and civil service is crying out for stability and a long-term plan
The big challenges all governments face require big thinking, but that requires stability, writes FDA general secretary Dave Penman
Transition tips from a seasoned cabinet secretary
25 Jun 2024 HR
Transition tips from a seasoned cabinet secretary
Gus O’Donnell on some key issues likely to face civil servants before and after 4 July
Stop ordering your staff back to the office. Shift your cultures instead
20 Jun 2024 HR
Stop ordering your staff back to the office. Shift your cultures instead
Leaders need to place themselves in front of their people and reinstate confidence and cohesion among their workforce, a chief exec writes
Global challenges and the role of public policy Partner Content
20 Jun 2024 Policy
Global challenges and the role of public policy
Now is the time to develop the knowledge, skills, and capabilities for a successful and rewarding public policy career
Civil service reform: How do the manifestos stack up?
19 Jun 2024 Civil Service Reform
Civil service reform: How do the manifestos stack up?
While the proposals were not front and centre, both the Labour and Conservative manifestos addressed the "how" of government
How to read a general election manifesto
18 Jun 2024 Policy
How to read a general election manifesto
A former civil servant who helped write a party manifesto explains how civil servants should analyse the all-important publications
Dear next government, there is one way to rebuild trust... and it already exists
17 Jun 2024 Politics & Constitution
Dear next government, there is one way to rebuild trust... and it already exists
If people are to trust politicians, then politicians have to trust the people, writes the chair of the UK Open Government Network