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Unacceptable IT is "pervasive" across government and some people in the profession don't have the capability to bring about the changes required, the retiring head of the government's G-Cloud programme, Chris Chant, has written in a blog post on a government website.

As demand for traditional postal services declines, the Post Office is moving to occupy a new role assisting in the delivery of online public services. A week-long series of CSW seminars explored the implications for civil servants

Funding has been cut for efforts to broaden student intakes. What now?

The government’s suggestion last month that it could create a ‘right to choose’ between service providers – made in its Open Public Services 2012 document – may provide a valuable signal that it is committed to increasing individuals’ power to choose between providers.

Under the latest pension reform proposals, civil servants will pay more and receive less; the government says this is its final offer, but the unions have not yet agreed to accept it. Becky Slack explains what’s on offer

Last July, I helped to launch the Open Public Services white paper alongside the prime minister. The CBI welcomed the government’s pledge to open up every public service to new providers, but warned that the government would have to be bold to make its ambition a reality.

The Home Office must ensure that the UK Border Agency (UKBA) ditches its “bunker mentality” and starts to provide consistently accurate statistics to Parliament, the Commons Home Affairs Committee said in a report yesterday.

A star ratings system is to be added to the CloudStore that will enable those using its products and services to review their experiences for the benefit of others.

The Treasury needs to improve its contingency planning, broaden the capability of its staff, and encourage officials to challenge policy orthodoxies if it is to better handle future financial crises, a report has stated.

The majority of the Government Communication Network’s content is to be made available to the public.

The Canal & River Trust, the new name for British Waterways, has received charitable status from the Charity Commission.

Sir Bob Kerslake, the head of the civil service, has established a blog and an account on the social networking site Twitter, so that he can better engage with civil servants across the UK and the globe.

The government must provide a thorough response to last month’s final report from the Riots, Communities and Victims Panel, its chair Darra Singh has told CSW.

Big Society Capital, the government’s social investment ‘bank’, is now accepting loan bids. The £600m institution aims to make it easier for charities, social enterprises and community groups to access finance.

The Cabinet Office is to run a central academy to train civil servants and local government employees in commissioning and procurement, the department has told CSW.

Andy Nelson is a busy man. The Ministry of Justice’s chief information officer, he’s also now replaced Joe Harley as the government’s overall head of IT. Becky Slack meets him to learn about his plans for two rather hefty jobs

Ten councils have signed up to a new payment-by-results scheme that rewards councils for helping ‘troubled families’ by sharing with them the savings created as the demands on social services, criminal justice and other services decline.

Public sector trading funds are to be paid to release more of their data to the public for free as part of the government’s ‘open data’ initiative, it was announced last week.

An overwhelming majority of civil servants (79 per cent) believe that they would benefit from ‘new ways of working’ (NWW) – such as hot desking and remote working – and some 99 per cent believe that their departments would benefit, according to CSW research carried out in conjunction with property and infrastructure firm Capita Symonds.

A new proposal for civil service pension reform has been sent to trade unions for consultation, following the conclusion of talks between both sides earlier this month.

Former cabinet secretary Lord O’Donnell has told the House of Commons Justice Committee that a ‘safe house’ should be established where ministers can speak freely without fear of a Freedom of Information request.

The head of Civil Service Learning (CSL), Jerry Arnott, has told CSW that he’s relying on departments’ procurement and finance professionals to ensure that all training purchases pass through CSL’s ‘Gateway’ – a key element of the reforms to civil service training set to come into force on 1 April.

Central guidance and oversight of government procurement cards (GPCs) is inadequate and inconsistent, increasing the risks of wasteful spending, the National Audit Office (NAO) said in a report last week.

The Independent Commission for Aid Impact has raised concerns about the financial management of DfID’s aid projects in Afghanistan, which are worth up to £178m in 2011-12.

The final National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) – which was published yesterday – incorporates a set of major improvements on the draft version, the Communities and Local Government Committee chair Clive Betts has said.

A Public Administration Select Committee report into the role of the independent adviser on ministers’ interests has concluded that the role is not “independent in any meaningful sense”. 

Despite a change of approach in Whitehall, civil servants in Northern Ireland will continue to pursue ‘spend to save’, Dr Malcolm McKibbin, head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS), has told CSW.

Departments have spent billions on shared services schemes but have failed to reap the benefits, with projects often over-budget and over-customised, the National Audit Office says in a report today.

A care manager says cuts can drive useful change – but uncertainty prevents it

The civil service has been a front runner in treating lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGB & T) workers fairly. Same sex adoption and parenting leave is available, same sex partners are recognised in pensions, and there are LGB & T staff networks.

Performance measurements will always be contested. Recently, Professor Nick Black of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine published a paper in The Lancet arguing that productivity in the NHS has increased in recent years. This conflicts with health secretary Andrew Lansley’s claim that it has fallen by 15 per cent. For some, such arguments demonstrate only that you can prove anything with statistics – but the fact that people disagree over how to measure something isn’t a good argument against measurement. In fact, the only way that we can estimate productivity is by proper measurement.

Robert Devereux has defended plans to charge single parents for work carried out by the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission (CMEC).

Public service targets still have a role to play in improving outcomes, Sir Suma Chakrabarti, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Justice has said.

A third of civil servants who would be expected to know about the Public Services Network (PSN) have never heard of it, while a further third have heard of it but know little about it, according to CSW research conducted in conjunction with BT.

The Public Services (Social Value) Bill has been passed by Parliament. It says that civil servants commissioning services must give consideration to economic, social and environmental wellbeing.