Central units should be ‘used sparingly’

Special units at the centre of government “should be used sparingly and cannot be a substitute for increasing core capacity at the centre”, an Institute for Government (IfG) report published on 9 July has warned.


By Winnie.Agbonlahor

09 Jul 2014

The report, Centre Forward: Effective Support for the Prime Minister at the Centre of Government, says central thematic units – such as those set up by previous PMs to pursue efficiency and deregulation – may provide a “useful device for prime ministers to counter conservatism in Whitehall” and “can be a useful way of attracting outside expertise and driving change”. However, it adds that they “often have to battle against the entrenched powers of budget-holding departments”.

The report continues: “There has been little attempt inside government to learn lessons from the past experience of these units or those who have run them. The Cabinet Office should hold that knowledge and be ready to help the prime minister rapidly establish units where they are likely to be effective.”

So far, the report notes, would-be prime ministers have proved reluctant to make plans before taking office – “especially about how to organise the centre of government, fearing they will be accused of taking the election result for granted”.

As a result, it says, “new entrants to Number 10 are more likely to be locked in by political commitments made before they crossed the threshold”. It adds that both Gordon Brown and David Cameron sought to avoid what they then saw as the mistakes of their predecessor, and initially cut the number of special advisers at the centre.

Jill Rutter, IfG programme director, said: “The debate about the support for the prime minister has focused on the wrong things: the number of special advisers in the Policy Unit or whether or not the Cabinet Office works for the Cabinet or the prime minister.  The result is that we have left successive prime ministers with ad hoc support from a ‘court’, which is no way to oversee the functioning of a £715bn  operation as complex as modern government.

“Those recruited from outside comment on the ‘amateurishness’ of arrangements they encounter.  Our proposals set out a minimum core offer that the civil service should make to any prime minister, which they can then tailor to suit their style, priorities and political circumstances.  These should ensure that all prime ministers can call on the resources they need to make their governments function effectively.”

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