Last week, departments published figures showing their spending on a range of back office functions. Suzannah Brecknell analyses what they reveal about departments’ efficiency – and about the weakness of government data.

A city planner working in a tough part of the North warns that coalition plans may undermine wider regeneration aims in a dash for instant cash.

As the cuts bite, areas that are heavily dependent on public sector jobs are suffering. Matt Ross meets Sir Ian Wrigglesworth, who’s just helped hand out a billion quid to support private sector investment in these areas.

The head of the only department to receive a real-terms increase in its budget, DfID permanent secretary Mark Lowcock, tells Joshua Chambers how he intends to get maximum bang for the taxpayers’ bucks.

When he warned of impending economic catastrophe in 2008, Alistair Darling prioritised rigorous honesty above short-term political advantage. Joshua Chambers finds that he’s still just as determined to voice awkward truths

Every adult applying for their first passport now has to attend an interview with the Identity and Passport Service, to be questioned about their background. Stuart Watson turns the tables on IPS chief executive Sarah Rapson.

A PE teaching coordinator laments the changes to school sport which he believes have undermined an effective network.

The National Audit Office has almost untrammelled access to departments, providing a fascinating window on Whitehall. NAO chief Amyas Morse tells Matt Ross that the view is one of vast, complex and irreversible change.

In a Special Report analysing six years of recruitment data, Joshua Chambers reports on how senior civil service recruitment has changed – and considers how the next generation of SCS are likely to emerge.

If opposition to the cuts turns into mass protest, the government will need the police at its side – but as things stand, panicking ministers dialling 999 are likely to receive quite a grumpy response. Matt Ross reports

The Appointments Commission faces the axe. But chief executive Andrea Sutcliffe is determined to look on the bright side: she tells Suzannah Brecknell what she’s doing to ensure that the commission’s work lives on.

Since the election, education secretary Michael Gove has driven his department at breakneck pace. And the DfE is already producing results, permanent secretary David Bell tells Matt Ross – despite the odd stumble on the way.

A library assistant explains that government policies have expanded libraries’ roles – and stretched staff.

Richard Thomas chairs the body that scrutinises all the government's systems of appeals and complaints, the AJTC. But now it faces the axe – and he’s making his own appeal, arguing for its survival. Matt Ross reports.

Richard Thomas chairs the body that scrutinises all the government's systems of appeals and complaints, the AJTC. But now it faces the axe – and he’s making his own appeal, arguing for its survival. Matt Ross reports.

For today’s civil servants, says Defra permanent secretary Bronwyn Hill, success rests on the ability to work across organisational boundaries. Suzannah Brecknell hears her explain her philosophy – with plenty of examples.

Sian Jarvis has spent more than a decade overseeing communications for the Department of Health. She tells Joshua Chambers about public health policy – and communicating controversial reforms to the NHS.

The UK government buys a huge variety of goods and services – most of which are governed by EU rules on procurement. Suzannah Brecknell reports on the latest attempts to reform this wide-ranging legislation.

As head of the influential centre-right think tank Policy Exchange, Neil O’Brien tells Joshua Chambers that his organisation aims base its findings on evidence, not ideology – unlike some of its rivals.

A London youth worker warns that cuts to services will further disenfranchise an alienated generation.

Sir Bob Kerslake has a record of taking tough jobs just as they get still tougher, and that’s certainly true of his arrival at the DCLG. He tells Matt Ross about localism, budget cuts, policy reform – and the threats to morale