Cummings and No.10 policy unit to move to Cabinet Office
13 Aug 2020 Civil Service Reform
Cummings and No.10 policy unit to move to Cabinet Office
The move is seen as part of Cummings-inspired government changes as top adviser has long wanted more control over the civil service by Downing Street
No.10 urged to clarify who is leading major defence review
13 Aug 2020 Civil Service Reform
No.10 urged to clarify who is leading major defence review
Call made as review calls for evidence submission
Where Dominic Cummings is right, and more: seven things we learned in Mark Sedwill’s CSW exit interview
10 Aug 2020 Civil Service Reform
Where Dominic Cummings is right, and more: seven things we learned in Mark Sedwill’s CSW exit interview
Sir Mark Sedwill will soon leave the civil service’s top jobs – cabinet secretary, head of the civil service and national security adviser. He has reflected on his time at the top of government with CSW, and here is some of what we found out
'New radicals': Barclay reveals what Treasury will get and give in Spending Review
29 Jul 2020 Civil Service Reform
'New radicals': Barclay reveals what Treasury will get and give in Spending Review
Chief secretary reveals a civil servant found £1.3bn in savings as he sets out plans for better use of data
Fundamental review of civil service pay needed to drive reform: departing Sedwill’s Whitehall reflections
28 Jul 2020 Civil Service Reform
Fundamental review of civil service pay needed to drive reform: departing Sedwill’s Whitehall reflections
Cabinet secretary sets out possible roadmap for government, including new model to drive service integration and performance framework
Second government hub in Croydon gets go-ahead
23 Jul 2020 Civil Service Reform
Second government hub in Croydon gets go-ahead
GPA contractors begin work on Croydon hub, with Home Office officials to start move by 2024
Treasury confirms £95k redundancy pay cap – one year on from consultation
22 Jul 2020 Civil Service Reform
Treasury confirms £95k redundancy pay cap – one year on from consultation
Treasury says government will take forward proposals to limit public sector payoffs
Home Office staff to undergo training on race in 'sweeping' post-Windrush reforms
22 Jul 2020 Civil Service Reform
Home Office staff to undergo training on race in 'sweeping' post-Windrush reforms
Home Office will also review hostile environment policy so “no one with a legal right to be here is wrongly penalised”
Civil servants invited to air frustrations as Chisholm reveals 'prospectus for reform'
21 Jul 2020 Civil Service Reform
Civil servants invited to air frustrations as Chisholm reveals 'prospectus for reform'
"This is a call to join a movement, not a top-down initiative," COO tells officials
MPs slam Boris Johnson’s ‘impulsive’ decision to merge DfID with the Foreign Office
17 Jul 2020 Civil Service Reform
MPs slam Boris Johnson’s ‘impulsive’ decision to merge DfID with the Foreign Office
Government urged to retain the ICAI aid watchdog after overseas aid department's abolition
Cabinet Office urged to review pay disparities of up to £56,000 for specialist staff
16 Jul 2020 Civil Service Reform
Cabinet Office urged to review pay disparities of up to £56,000 for specialist staff
Pay flexibility so departments can recruit and retain staff prompts "workforce issues" and concern about "internal markets", NAO says
Chisholm takes on churn and ‘costly, inefficient processes’ in the civil service
15 Jul 2020 Civil Service Reform
Chisholm takes on churn and ‘costly, inefficient processes’ in the civil service
Coronavirus crisis has added "renewed weight" to the imperative for reform, COO says
Gove reaffirms plans to move officials out of London amid report of new York hub
13 Jul 2020 Civil Service Reform
Gove reaffirms plans to move officials out of London amid report of new York hub
Senior officials already sizing up properties on Rightmove, according to The Times
Michael Gove on No.10 adviser Dominic Cummings: blunt, original and not always right
06 Jul 2020 Civil Service Reform
Michael Gove on No.10 adviser Dominic Cummings: blunt, original and not always right
Cabinet Office minister also reveals some top officials provided feedback to landmark reform speech
Government confirms comms reform drive
06 Jul 2020 Civil Service Reform
Government confirms comms reform drive
PM’s official spokesperson says work will begin this week to move to a single employer for government communication service
Government plans televised media briefings in major civil service comms shake-up
03 Jul 2020 Civil Service Reform
Government plans televised media briefings in major civil service comms shake-up
Reports say No.10 wants to slim down departmental communications and centralise PR
Gove pledges to reform civil service training and 'whirligig of transfers and promotions'
30 Jun 2020 Civil Service Reform
Gove pledges to reform civil service training and 'whirligig of transfers and promotions'
Government needs a “proper, and properly-resourced campus for training”, Cabinet Office minister says
Mark Sedwill to step down as cabinet secretary as Boris Johnson eyes major Whitehall shake-up
28 Jun 2020 Civil Service Reform
Mark Sedwill to step down as cabinet secretary as Boris Johnson eyes major Whitehall shake-up
Sedwill will be nominated for a life peerage “in recognition of his distinguished service to public life”, Cabinet Office confirms
Coronavirus: DWP ‘must not ignore’ people claiming legacy benefits after Universal Credit boost
22 Jun 2020 Civil Service Reform
Coronavirus: DWP ‘must not ignore’ people claiming legacy benefits after Universal Credit boost

Recipients of benefits including jobseekers’ allowance and employment support allowance have “slipped down the list of priorities”, says committee chair
Scrapping DfID would undermine global Covid-19 fight, MPs warn Boris Johnson
09 Jun 2020 Civil Service Reform
Scrapping DfID would undermine global Covid-19 fight, MPs warn Boris Johnson

Report comes amid renewed speculation about possible merger with the Foreign Office after appointment of joint ministerial team
'We still fall short': Sedwill pledges more action on inequality in the civil service Exclusive
09 Jun 2020 Civil Service Reform
'We still fall short': Sedwill pledges more action on inequality in the civil service

Covid-19 and killing of George Floyd have shown up “persistent and painful inequalities” in society, cab sec says
How the DVSA uses AI and agile to support ‘a lifetime of driving’
21 May 2020 Civil Service Reform
How the DVSA uses AI and agile to support ‘a lifetime of driving’

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has already done a great deal of work implementing technology across its operations. But digital chief Alex Fiddes tells Sam Trendall it has even bigger ambitions
Watch: Ex-No.10 strategy chief recalls the crises that created the civil contingency secretariat
06 May 2020 Civil Service Reform
Watch: Ex-No.10 strategy chief recalls the crises that created the civil contingency secretariat

Prof Geoff Mulgan, former head of Tony Blair's Strategy Unit, talks to Colin Talbot about how the UK government put in place risk and resilience systems in the early 2000s – and what has gone wrong since. And how governments can improve things for the future.
Home Office pushes on with multimillion-pound digital borders programme
05 May 2020 Civil Service Reform
Home Office pushes on with multimillion-pound digital borders programme

Department seeks partner to support ongoing work to build a range of services