News

HM Passport Office will be abolished and its operations absorbed by the Home Office from 1 October, it has been announced today, and the organisation’s chief executive Paul Pugh will be replaced by a newly-appointed director general.

There is “unfinished business” in civil service reform, former head of the civil service Sir Bob Kerslake said yesterday – including devolving powers away from Whitehall, and breaking down departmental structures. 

After my friend and I stumbled across Studio6 some months ago, I had been proclaiming it as one of London’s best hidden gems. Located a 30-second walk from the river Thames, amongst a nice bunch of other unique-looking restaurants, it offers a bright and inviting interior; a lovely beer garden; a good selection of wine and draft beer; and reasonable prices. After that discovery, my friend returned several times and spoke enthusiastically about the food.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has today called on the Department for Transport (DfT) to work more closely with the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) on maintaining the country’s road network.

Civil servants achieve so much for the public good, argues Dave Penman, but rarely get the praise they deserve: their leaders should sing their praises more loudly – even if it gets the critics irate

Former UK Border Agency chief executive Rob Whiteman writes about the challenges and frustrations of heading up, and ultimately dismantling, the organisation

Helen Edwards left a career in frontline social work and charity management for a job on Whitehall; now she's the DCLG's deputy permanent secretary. She tells Matt Ross about pursuing change in service delivery, councils, and her own department. Photo by Mark Weeks

Analytics has been our business for almost 40 years and so uniquely, we have the broadest and deepest solution stack to enable you to transform data into insight, into action.

Former head of the civil service Sir Bob Kerslake has said his biggest regret is that the government didn’t publish a civil service diversity plan more quickly.

Oliver Robbins, director-general, civil service, has spoken out in defence of the government’s new Talent Action Plan – designed to promote diversity in the civil service – after a blog about its publication attracted 130 comments on the civil service website.

Leaders across the civil service are wrestling with change management. Here’s how to rise to the challenge

An MBA has long opened doors in the business world – but the qualification is just as valuable to civil servants

A total of 200 18-21-year-olds are this week starting the government’s civil service Fast Track apprenticeship scheme.

Senior civil servants often “don’t know what’s going on” with contracts held by their departments and thus spot problems too late, Joshua Reddaway, the National Audit Office’s director for commercial and contracting, has warned.

Former Cabinet Office perm sec Ian Watmore explains why the Olympics worked so well – and how officials avoided pitfalls such as political meddling and hasty deadlines

Paul Pugh, chief executive of the Passport Office, has been accused of a “complete management failure” by the Home Affairs Select Committee. In a report published today, the committee calls for the office to be abolished and its functions to be returned to the direct control of ministers.

A monthly interview with people who've crossed organisational and sectoral boundaries to join a new working world.

Perspectives from outside the civil service

Improving board performance would reduce staff turnover and cut the number of costly project failures.

Lord Browne of Madingley, Lead Non-Executive Director, HM Government offers and overview of the progress the civil service has seen in recent years.

Chris Wormald tells Winnie Agbonlahor how he's trying to raise the standard of policymaking across government - without imposing too much central control

More than half of permanent secretaries attended Oxbridge, compared to less than 1% of the public as a whole, according to a report by the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission which criticises the lack of diversity among the people running the country.

The new set of published perm secs' objectives seem much improved, but are they really what they claim to be? Report by Samera Owusu Tutu. Illustration by John Levers.

A survey of health professionals reveals negativity about NHS reforms across the board. Samera Owusu Tutu reports