Cabinet Office ‘needs enhancing’ to properly support PM says George Osborne
09 Nov 2020 Civil Service Reform
Cabinet Office ‘needs enhancing’ to properly support PM says George Osborne
Former chancellor also floats boosted powers for departmental boards to sack perm secs
‘No longer world class’: Commission calls for civil service overhaul
04 Nov 2020 Civil Service Reform
‘No longer world class’: Commission calls for civil service overhaul
Report claims Whitehall skill gaps and “running policy sores” illustrate need for improvement
Chisholm pledges to curb use of consultants with plan to bolster in-house skills
03 Nov 2020 Civil Service Reform
Chisholm pledges to curb use of consultants with plan to bolster in-house skills
Lord Agnew "makes a really good point" about the need to increase specialist skills in the civil service and rely less on consultants, COO says
Move 50,000 civil servants to northern 'clusters' to break London 'stranglehold' on policymaking, think tank says
03 Nov 2020 Civil Service Reform
Move 50,000 civil servants to northern 'clusters' to break London 'stranglehold' on policymaking, think tank says
Manchester, Warrington and Liverpool among most promising locations for hubs of similar public organisations, says report on levelling-up agenda
Work begins on Peterborough hub as part of plans to move officials out of London
27 Oct 2020 Civil Service Reform
Work begins on Peterborough hub as part of plans to move officials out of London
Development forms part of government drive 'to spread jobs, growth and prosperity' across the country, Cabinet Office minister says
Chisholm ‘open’ to the idea of creating a centralised civil service HR function
26 Oct 2020 Civil Service Reform
Chisholm ‘open’ to the idea of creating a centralised civil service HR function
Cabinet Office perm sec tells MPs he would be very willing to look into the case for a comms-style reorganisation of departmental personnel teams
Maude: It’s ‘a myth’ that the UK has the best civil service in the world
23 Oct 2020 Civil Service Reform
Maude: It’s ‘a myth’ that the UK has the best civil service in the world
Former Cabinet Office minister says service is a “deeply flawed institution” but accepts it has some great civil servants
Policy Exchange recruits heavy-hitters to take on civil service reform
19 Oct 2020 Civil Service Reform
Policy Exchange recruits heavy-hitters to take on civil service reform
Reform of Government Commission will "go back to first principles and ask: what sort of civil service do we want?"
'Good people are trapped inside the system': minister for reform blasts 'broken' civil service
06 Oct 2020 Civil Service Reform
'Good people are trapped inside the system': minister for reform blasts 'broken' civil service
Lord Agnew criticises dearth of commercial skills and excess of "urban metropolitan thinkers"
Darlington tipped as site for Treasury's northern campus
05 Oct 2020 Civil Service Reform
Darlington tipped as site for Treasury's northern campus
Covid-19 remote working arrangements prove civil servants don't need to be in London, Gove says
Ministers admit it’s too early to know cost of merging FCO and DfID
05 Oct 2020 Civil Service Reform
Ministers admit it’s too early to know cost of merging FCO and DfID
Committee chair “astonished” government failed to consult stakeholders before announcing creation of FCDO
Home Office culture change pledge branded 'laughable' as government considers offshore detention centres
01 Oct 2020 Civil Service Reform
Home Office culture change pledge branded 'laughable' as government considers offshore detention centres
Human rights group criticises "improvement plan" amid reports officials considered putting asylum seekers on oil rigs
Civil service “infantilised” by use of consultants, Cabinet Office minister says
30 Sep 2020 Civil Service Reform
Civil service “infantilised” by use of consultants, Cabinet Office minister says
Letter seen by the Guardian criticises official capacity to deliver Brexit
Chisholm says Covid-19 will accelerate civil service’s shift away from Whitehall
30 Sep 2020 Civil Service Reform
Chisholm says Covid-19 will accelerate civil service’s shift away from Whitehall
Cabinet Office perm sec tells MPs continued remote working will see more people based at the same office, but not there at the same time
Cabinet Office commissions pay benchmarking study to give 'assurance and transparency' for top roles
23 Sep 2020 Civil Service Reform
Cabinet Office commissions pay benchmarking study to give 'assurance and transparency' for top roles
Review will provide 2020 data to support senior and delegated grade recruitment for 47 departments
‘PM must choose’: Johnson faces further calls to clarify Dido Harding’s role
22 Sep 2020 Civil Service Reform
‘PM must choose’: Johnson faces further calls to clarify Dido Harding’s role
Dual work as public-health head and Conservative peer ‘blurs the fundamental distinction that officials cannot act in a party political way’, Downing Street is warned
Government accused of breaking civil service rules on Harding appointment
21 Sep 2020 Civil Service Reform
Government accused of breaking civil service rules on Harding appointment
Appointing Dido Harding to head up the National Institute for Health Protection is a breach of the civil service code, Labour peers claim
Boris Johnson says civil service must ‘respond faster and better’ to needs of public
17 Sep 2020 Civil Service Reform
Boris Johnson says civil service must ‘respond faster and better’ to needs of public
Prime minister tells watchdog MPs he is not “shy of reform” but insists changes won’t be made in a “spirit of disapproval”
DCMS to plan for 'increased responsibilities' amid Covid in five-year organisational blueprint
17 Sep 2020 Civil Service Reform
DCMS to plan for 'increased responsibilities' amid Covid in five-year organisational blueprint
US-based consultancy Bain will work on a cost plan as part of the review in £900k deal
Cummings never forecast a 'hard rain' for Whitehall, Gove claims
11 Sep 2020 Civil Service Reform
Cummings never forecast a 'hard rain' for Whitehall, Gove claims
Cabinet Office minister tells MPs No.10 chief adviser's weather warning was misheard
New cab sec: 'We need to pull out all the stops to deliver what the public expects'
09 Sep 2020 Civil Service Reform
New cab sec: 'We need to pull out all the stops to deliver what the public expects'
In his first message to officials, Simon Case says he wants to "modernise" the civil service
Tory grandee Francis Maude gets second run at civil service reform
21 Aug 2020 Civil Service Reform
Tory grandee Francis Maude gets second run at civil service reform
Ex-Cabinet Office minister and Conservative peer brought in to lead Cabinet Office review
Jenkin speaks out over scapegoating of civil servants
21 Aug 2020 Civil Service Reform
Jenkin speaks out over scapegoating of civil servants
Chair of parliament’s powerful Liaison Committee says ministerial buck-passing risks hampering government’s effectiveness
Kerslake calls for accountability and transparency as civil service reforms gather pace
14 Aug 2020 Civil Service Reform
Kerslake calls for accountability and transparency as civil service reforms gather pace
Former civil service head says the Cummings office move is about power as well as efficiency