News

Pact pledges “appropriate” pay for new starters and protects salaries of existing staff members who retrain under apprenticeship proposals

With staff numbers and responsibilities growing, DCMS is undergoing something of a renaissance. Permanent secretary Sue Owen tells Suzannah Brecknell about the importance of leadership, the value of culture, and the power of music

IfG says realism is needed on the scale of the EU divorce challenge

Alexandra Jones set to leave Centre for Cities to take up new role

Public Accounts Committee says economic case is “crystal clear” for both houses to relocate for the duration of a £3.9bn overhaul

We shouldn't have to wait until the wheels fall off to find that cuts to services have gone way beyond any sustainable level, argues the former DWP permanent secretary

Watchdog’s anger follows government response to committee’s Grimstone Review findings

Fledgling ministry offers £90,000 a year for senior officer to deliver “single device” for international trade staff to work with

Departmental chiefs must work to create an environment that’s good for body and mind

Hammond avoids big tweaks to Whitehall budgets, but targets extra funding for social care and business rate relief

Treasury trails Hammond's first Budget, as OECD upgrades UK growth forecast

RSA says power in the UK remains "too centralised" – and urges central government to give more freedom to local authorities to tackle regional imbalances

Union calls for independent review of pay as it warns that maintaining a 1% cap on pay rises is “unsustainable”

Continuing pay cap would mean up to 20% drop in average civil service earnings by 2020, union analysis reveals

After decades of reviews aimed at driving down the civil service's running costs, Sir Michael Barber, former chief of Blair's delivery unit, is hailed by one Whitehall-watcher as "much less celebrity and much more focused on getting the job done"

Chancellor will not use improved growth forecasts to borrow more money, it is reported

New appointments in the civil service, UK politics, and public affairs, via our colleagues at Dods People

Internal appointments come ahead of expansion of the public spending watchdog’s remit

Public Accounts Committee says accountability system for major electrification programme was too complex, and casts doubt on cost estimates even after £1.2bn increase

With the appointment of Mark Sedwill, Britain is now on its fourth national security adviser since 2010. Dr Joe Devanny asks whether such churn at the top really makes for effective government

Microsoft Surface has helped Cheshire Police reduce paperwork and free up time

New Institute for Government report highlights key frictions between political leaders and Whitehall, including poor drafting and a lack of understanding of parliament

Foreign Affairs Committee says UK should stick to its guns on Russia sanctions – but warns that decline in expertise at the FCO "must be reversed"

FDA general secretary Dave Penman takes the former Cabinet Office minister to task after he said civil servants in line departments rely too heavily on jargon and management skills to get by