Energy & Environment

Compensation to firms hits nearly £100m due to botched deal, says business secretary Greg Clark

New department says £125k role will focus on developing its “underpinning foundations”, building values and forming its culture

Longstanding top scientist at the environment department heading for the exit, in move Defra says comes at "natural end" of his fixed term

After the merger of DECC and BIS, the new Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy's permanent secretary Alex Chisholm tells CSW that his department's low ranking for "organisational objectives and purpose" will be addressed in the next Civil Service People Survey

Former Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs perm sec Bronwyn Hill tells CSW that Brexit offers the chance to rethink UK's rural subsidy system

Report on full impact of delays with Common Agricultural Policy funds distribution says UK taxpayers will be left with £642m in penalties 

Watchdog cites failure to get Treasury agreement for scheme's lifetime funding as contributing factor to the cancellation of a £100m competition

With the end of 2016 fast approaching, we asked the UK's top officials to look back at the year, outline their goals for 2017 – and shed some light on their festive favourites. Nigel Clifford, chief executive of Ordnance Survey takes part in our annual perm secs round-up...

With the end of 2016 fast approaching, we asked the UK's top officials to look back at the year, outline their goals for 2017 – and shed some light on their festive favourites. Permanent secretary, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

With the end of 2016 fast approaching, we asked the UK's top civil servants to look back at the year, outline their goals for 2017 – and shed some light on their festive favourites.Clare Moriarty, permanent secretary at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs takes part in our annual perm secs round-up​

Climate sceptics were jubilant when Theresa May announced the end of a dedicated climate change department. But, as Professor Sam Fankhauser of the Grantham Research Institute argues, bringing together the teams working to cut carbon with those drawing up industrial policy could be a smart move 

Martin Donnelly and Alex Chisholm leading the newly-created department as joint permanent secretaries

New report praises cross-government progress since 2010 but questions the value of Single Departmental Plans

The new prime minister Theresa May has triggered a major overhaul of Whitehall. CSW has full the details on what the merger of the energy and business departments will mean for staff and policy

The environment department’s top official calls on staff to confide in each other as a way of boosting morale in one of the government’s unhappiest departments

The former Energy and Climate Change chief scientist, who died earlier this year, taught his department how to do policymaking without the hot air – by making the process data-led, iterative and open

Microsoft looks at the digital infrastructure that allows cities to prosper

Energy secretary Amber Rudd leads tributes as former chief scientific advisor loses battle with stomach cancer

National Audit Office (NAO) report finds that each loan given out under the Department of Energy and Climate Change's Green Deal cost government £17,000, and flags poor use of evidence and testing when the scheme was designed 

Lovegrove to leave DECC after three years at the top, taking over from Jon Thompson at the MoD "shortly"

Public appointments watchdog Acoba approves former Defra perm sec's appointment to board of the Office for Nuclear Regulation

Regulator Ofgem’s energy markets inquiry lead Rachel Fletcher appointed for seven-year term

MPs on the Public Accounts Committee says the industry regulator is failing to ensure savings are passed on

Dieter Helm, chair of the advisory Natural Capital Committee, urges creation of a new "smaller, more tightly focussed Environment Protection agency"