Economics

Hammond avoids big tweaks to Whitehall budgets, but targets extra funding for social care and business rate relief

Treasury trails Hammond's first Budget, as OECD upgrades UK growth forecast

RSA says power in the UK remains "too centralised" – and urges central government to give more freedom to local authorities to tackle regional imbalances

Union calls for independent review of pay as it warns that maintaining a 1% cap on pay rises is “unsustainable”

Continuing pay cap would mean up to 20% drop in average civil service earnings by 2020, union analysis reveals

After decades of reviews aimed at driving down the civil service's running costs, Sir Michael Barber, former chief of Blair's delivery unit, is hailed by one Whitehall-watcher as "much less celebrity and much more focused on getting the job done"

Chancellor will not use improved growth forecasts to borrow more money, it is reported

Internal appointments come ahead of expansion of the public spending watchdog’s remit

PCS union points out that staffing costs make up a big chunk of departmental spending, and called on Philip Hammond to ditch George Osborne's extra cuts

House of Lords committee puts HMRC officials through their paces

Ex-Treasury perm sec challenges David Davis's claims about the civil service's readiness for Brexit, as his former colleague Lord O'Donnell warns of major task presented by Great Repeal Bill

COO, who can expect to earn up to £140,000, set to take a lead on new Brexit-focused department's HR, finance and estates strategy

Tax collection agency beats target by 400,000 users months ahead of self-imposed deadline

Departmental data release breaks down £583m spend on foreign outposts during 2015-16

Report claims Sir Jeremy Heywood secured extra £250m for health service with ultimatum

Department says it is "committed to Verify as the single identification service for individuals and is fully focused on delivering this", amid questions over its use of an alternative to the Cabinet Office-backed platform

Government rejects think tank's calculations which suggest the UK missed target to spend 2% of GDP on defence thanks to unexpectedly strong economic growth

HMRC programme director Mike Howes-Roberts calls for "honest and candid dialogue" with other departments as he confirms tax authority will not make full use of much-heralded GDS platform

Peter Riddell calls for stronger diversity monitoring rules, as government plans a “stock take” of gender balance across public boards

UK Government Investments – which leads on the management and privatisation of state assets – seeks new director

Former head of the civil service's review for Labour says Treasury must "up its game" on financial expertise; do more to support regional growth; and stop "second guessing" departments

Some staff are still uncertain about joining the GCO, Institute for Government researchers find, though the reforms to improve commercial capability are already making an impact

FDA and Prospect argue enhanced salaries but thin pension offer for staff in the new Government Commercial Organisation will deter civil service interest and fail to attract real private sector talent

Green light from the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee follows hearing in which he said the Government Statistical Service appeared to have been “downgraded” over the years