News

A former police call centre worker tells Freya Pascall about the pressures – exacerbated by central government – that led to their resignation. Illustration by John Levers

After a rocky start, the government’s ambitious plan to integrate health and social care is ready for launch. But is the challenge simply too big? Mark Rowe asks the experts

Lords Economic Affairs Committee says Department for Transport has not made case for why High Speed 2 more 'cost-effective' than alternatives

 The next government must build on existing Whitehall reforms if it wants to avoid mid-term failures, says think tank the Institute for Government

Cabinet Office says contracts for private firms running public services will include 'presumption in favour of disclosing information' to the public

GDS's Mike Bracken appointed to new chief data officer role aiming to improve Whitehall's use of data

Report by MPs on the Defence Committee says UK must be prepared to deal with both 'unconventional and conventional threats'

From the homeless and crime victims to the abused children of Rotherham, Louise Casey has spent her career fighting for society’s most vulnerable. Sarah Aston meets her. Photos by Tal Cohen

Minister for the Cabinet Office Francis Maude says £11bn of £20bn annual Whitehall efficiency drive identified, but Labour warns of little room for more 'back office efficiencies' 

Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude confirms that Standard Life's Sir Gerry Grimstone will review work of the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments

Amid the furore around HSBC's Swiss operations, FDA general secretary Dave Penman says we should remember that HMRC has had to prioritise in the face of budget cuts

How fiscal devolution will lead to greater asymmetry across the Celtic nations and confuse the Barnett Formula

Minister for the Cabinet Office Francis Maude, who is stepping down as an MP in May, tells Sky News there is a 'huge amount' of work left to do

Former environment secretary set to pressure government over Ministry of Defence budget, while defence secretary Michael Fallon says he will be 'fighting' against MoD cuts

The London mayor’s adoring paean to Churchill sometimes reads as an effort to reflect some glory back onto its author, writes John Ashmore

Farming body Rural Payments Agency shelves £154m IT payments system due to performance problems  

There's an end-of-term feeling in Whitehall, writes Jane Dudman, as the civil service gears up for the election

MPs on the Public Accounts Committee warn commercial skills gap at Defence Equipment and Support will undermine MoD efforts to reduce costs if not addressed

With the defence budget becoming ever more contentious, the MoD’s permanent secretary Jon Thompson must continue to balance spending decisions with national security. It’s a tough job – but one he’s privileged to do, he tells Jess Bowie. Photos by Paul Heartfield

Former environment secretary (2010-12) talks to Civil Service World about her best and worst experiences of working with the civil service, clearing her desk post-reshuffle, and why she believes Whitehall training could be boosted by secondment to the private or voluntary sectors

Downing Street spokesperson says David Cameron disagrees with unions' view that civil service code change will undermine transparency

Some Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) civil servants believe Whitehall prejudice is acting as a brake on career progression, exclusive survey reveals

Budget confirms departmental agreement on 2013 plan to end automatic pay rises

Former Royal Mail managing director Mark Thomson to become director general of Passport Office for three-year term