Stephen Ibbotson, director of business at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), offers his peers in the finance profession a view from outside government

The public sector is hurting – particularly civil servants. The government must act before the damage is irreparable

New chief executive of the civil service John Manzoni named “clarity, accountability and delegation” as “opportunities for improvement” in public sector management.

Don’t fall for the accepted wisdom. The real story of the coalition lies in the hard data

This year’s Civil Service Award winners were announced yesterday, at a ceremony held at Lancaster House and featuring speeches by prime minister David Cameron and deputy prime minister Nick Clegg.

Francis Maude’s tweaks to a core facet of our democracy have the support of key players. But what about everybody else?

Hilary Spencer became the new director of Civil Service Learning (CSL) at the end of October, taking over from Jerry Arnott, who retired from the civil service.

The Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has appointed Professor John Loughhead as its new chief scientific adviser. Loughhead, who took his post on 22 October, was previously executive director at the UK Energy Research Centre – a publicly-funded institute – and will keep this role on a part-time basis until December.

The civil service must foster “a more vibrant, competitive marketplace” of government contractors and rebuild its skills in contract management, the government’s outgoing chief operating officer Stephen Kelly has told CSW.

The leader of the Opposition’s new electoral strategist, Lucy Powell, was also named as shadow Cabinet Office minister in yesterday’s Labour mini-reshuffle.

Katherine Kerswell has criticised the Department for Communities & Local Government (DCLG) for attacking local authorities over parking fees.

CSW asks former ministers to appraise the UK civil service. This month, Charles Clarke gives his views.