'We want to do more work in the open and co-create change': JP Marks interview
28 Jan Economy

'We want to do more work in the open and co-create change': JP Marks interview

HMRC perm sec JP Marks on empowerment, Covid and his plans for the department
by Suzannah Brecknell
'I promoted flexible working like a campaigner': What I learnt driving inclusivity in the civil service
02 Feb Civil Service Reform
'I promoted flexible working like a campaigner': What I learnt driving inclusivity in the civil service
Give those you lead what they need: How to be an emotionally intelligent leader
30 Jan Analysis
Give those you lead what they need: How to be an emotionally intelligent leader
'It's a very creative job': Jessica de Mounteney on turning policy into law
26 Jan Leadership
'It's a very creative job': Jessica de Mounteney on turning policy into law
Read the summer double issue of CSW
02 Aug 2021 Civil Service Reform
Read the summer double issue of CSW
All you need to know about the Declaration on Government Reform, an exclusive interview with the Department for Education perm sec, and much more
Caroline Slocock: The Greensill review's treatment of Jeremy Heywood is blatantly unfair
29 Jul 2021 Commercial
Caroline Slocock: The Greensill review's treatment of Jeremy Heywood is blatantly unfair
Refusing to hear evidence from the late cab sec's widow is an unfortunate look for a government with a track record of treating civil servants badly
Ending the great divide: Let’s scrap distinctions between civil servants, council officers and NHS staff
27 Jul 2021 Civil Service Reform
Ending the great divide: Let’s scrap distinctions between civil servants, council officers and NHS staff
The distinction between different kinds of public servants hinders public sector collaboration. It is time to end it, says former Whitehall permanent secretary Lord Michael Bichard
Time for evidence: an ex-Treasury official on why the Spending Review must match money to outcomes
22 Jul 2021 Finance
Time for evidence: an ex-Treasury official on why the Spending Review must match money to outcomes
Ministers regularly talk about the amounts they are spending but, with a difficult Spending Review under way, the public need the tools to determine whether they are getting value for money, says former Treasury official Andrew Hudson
Opinion: Can Covid get the public sector working as one?
19 Jul 2021 Leadership
Opinion: Can Covid get the public sector working as one?
The government’s plans for reform have placed an emphasis on operating “more seamlessly with institutions outside government”. Pamela Dow, the executive director of the Government Skills and Curriculum Unit and Stephen Crookbain, the director of leadership (interim) at Cabinet Office, set out some of the lessons from the public sector’s pandemic response that can unlock progress
Divided we fall: time to strengthen Britain’s centre of government
19 Jul 2021 Civil Service Reform
Divided we fall: time to strengthen Britain’s centre of government
A proposal to create a prime ministerial department would provide a central organisation at the heart of government to ensure policies get delivered, says two-time perm sec Sir Suma Chakrabarti
‘The stars have aligned’: Exploring digital transformation in defence Sponsored
16 Jul 2021 Security & Defence
‘The stars have aligned’: Exploring digital transformation in defence
The government’s flagship Integrated Review into defence has thrown plans for improving digital technology into the spotlight. CSW brought together a panel of experts to discuss the opportunities
Dave Penman: Bold ideas and recipes for chaos from the Commission for Smart Government
15 Jul 2021 Civil Service Reform
Dave Penman: Bold ideas and recipes for chaos from the Commission for Smart Government
The new review is a serious piece of work, and comes just weeks after the government’s own declaration on reform. But do ministers have a clear strategy for the reform they want?
Opinion: Getting Great British Railways on track
06 Jul 2021 Economy
Opinion: Getting Great British Railways on track
There remains a great deal to do to translate the government’s high-level vision into a concrete plan, says the Institute for Government's Matthew Gill
How ministers can be involved in civil service appointments
02 Jul 2021 Civil Service Reform
How ministers can be involved in civil service appointments
After the government pledged to give ministers ‘visibility’ of senior civil service appointments in their department, a member of the Civil Service Commission sets out how the system works now
‘Substantial ideas cleverly hidden under bland headings’: Ciaran Martin on the Declaration on Government Reform
30 Jun 2021 Civil Service Reform
‘Substantial ideas cleverly hidden under bland headings’: Ciaran Martin on the Declaration on Government Reform
The Declaration on Government Reform may not excite the culture warriors who want to tear down Whitehall, but it should interest serious public service reformers
Dom versus Declaration: How reform plan matches against Cummings’ civil service criticisms
29 Jun 2021 Civil Service Reform
Dom versus Declaration: How reform plan matches against Cummings’ civil service criticisms
The prime minister’s former top adviser made civil service reform a key plank of his time in No.10. Now that the official plan has been published, how much of his vision remains?
Bolt of insight: ex-chief inspector of borders and immigration David Bolt on the challenge of overseeing the Home Office Exclusive
24 Jun 2021 Civil Service Reform
Bolt of insight: ex-chief inspector of borders and immigration David Bolt on the challenge of overseeing the Home Office
As independent chief inspector of borders and immigration, David Bolt spent six years shedding light on the Home Office’s work. He tells Beckie Smith about inspecting Napier Barracks, post-Windrush reforms, and the challenge of changing the department’s culture
Opinion: Why the Declaration on Government Reform shows the time for change has come
23 Jun 2021 Civil Service Reform
Opinion: Why the Declaration on Government Reform shows the time for change has come
Civil service reform is not a zero sum game where ministers win and civil servants lose, says Martin Wheatley, the research director of the Commission for Smart Government. Now is the time to make positive change for all
Opinion: What the Whitehall-focused Declaration On Government Reform gets wrong
21 Jun 2021 Civil Service Reform
Opinion: What the Whitehall-focused Declaration On Government Reform gets wrong
The government’s plan for civil service reform doesn’t engage with the reality of the devolved UK, says Colin Talbot
Home truths: how top officials are working to implement the recommendations of the Windrush review
18 Jun 2021 Civil Service Reform
Home truths: how top officials are working to implement the recommendations of the Windrush review
The Home Office has embarked on a wide-ranging reform effort following the Windrush scandal. Matthew Rycroft and Hamid Motraghi tell Richard Johnstone about the need for change
Dave Penman: Dom should put up or shut up
17 Jun 2021 Coronavirus
Dave Penman: Dom should put up or shut up
The prime minister’s former top adviser fired broadsides across all of Whitehall in his evidence on the government’s coronavirus response. But we got more accusations than facts
Gove’s government reform plan: what it means for the civil service, and what is missing
17 Jun 2021 Civil Service Reform
Gove’s government reform plan: what it means for the civil service, and what is missing
The Declaration on Government Reform sets out plans for civil service reform one year on from Michael Gove’s landmark speech on public service. Bronwen Maddox and Alex Thomas from the Institute for Government take a look at what it means
Forward operations: Alex Chisholm sets out the future for civil service reform
15 Jun 2021
Forward operations: Alex Chisholm sets out the future for civil service reform
Alex Chisholm has had a busy first year as civil service chief operating officer. Now the UK is looking towards its recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, he tells Beckie Smith about his priorities for the months ahead, and how the plans for civil service reform are shaping up
All change for digital government?
15 Jun 2021 Digital, Data & Technology
All change for digital government?
This year has seen the biggest changes to Whitehall’s technology leadership in a decade. Sam Trendall runs through what’s new
Read the June 2021 edition of Civil Service World
14 Jun 2021
Read the June 2021 edition of Civil Service World
Alex Chisholm sets out civil service reform plans in exclusive interview
From civil service to civil disobedience: one official’s struggle to balance activism with Whitehall ethics Exclusive
10 Jun 2021 Economics
From civil service to civil disobedience: one official’s struggle to balance activism with Whitehall ethics
Cee MacDonald was working as an economist in the civil service when she was arrested at an Extinction Rebellion protest. She reflects on how she balanced her activism with the civil service code
Games, simulations, and digital twins: the technology transforming the citizen experience Sponsored
09 Jun 2021 Coronavirus
Games, simulations, and digital twins: the technology transforming the citizen experience
Data is playing an increasingly important role in the delivery of public services. But what if a shock like the COVID-19 pandemic renders data out of date? Deloitte has been working out not only how to unlock insight from the most recent information, but also how to use this information with cutting-edge technology to fundamentally improve the citizen experience
Andy Cowper: The Treasury’s back – and so is Dom
08 Jun 2021 Coronavirus
Andy Cowper: The Treasury’s back – and so is Dom
The Department of Health and Social Care – and its secretary of state – has had another month in the headlines. But did it just see its future in the school funding row?