Why is it so hard to sell an idea to government (even one that could make millions for the public purse)?
04 Apr Operational Delivery

Why is it so hard to sell an idea to government (even one that could make millions for the public purse)?

To an outsider, reaching the right civil servants with an idea that could revolutionise services or save money seems impossible
by Jon McKnight
SR25: MoJ gets funding injection for new prison places and probation services
12 Jun Operational Delivery
SR25: MoJ gets funding injection for new prison places and probation services
MoJ sets up new probation and reoffending directorate
02 Jun Operational Delivery
MoJ sets up new probation and reoffending directorate
HMRC labelled 'lumbering dinosaur' and urged to modernise systems
30 Apr Operational Delivery
HMRC labelled 'lumbering dinosaur' and urged to modernise systems
EXCL: DWP civil servants describe ‘unbearable’ workloads amid ‘all-time low staffing’ levels Exclusive
04 Dec 2023 Operational Delivery
EXCL: DWP civil servants describe ‘unbearable’ workloads amid ‘all-time low staffing’ levels
Pressures causing Department for Work and Pensions officials to skip breaks, work long hours and "leave in droves" or take long-term sick leave
Home Office vetoes MPs' request to attend immigration inspection
29 Nov 2023 Operational Delivery
Home Office vetoes MPs' request to attend immigration inspection
Request to accompany borders watchdog was denied to "preserve the independence of the inspectorate", select committee told
Lack of 'operational readiness' delayed measures to curb Covid, Vallance says
20 Nov 2023 Operational Delivery
Lack of 'operational readiness' delayed measures to curb Covid, Vallance says
"Urgency of action" was not "as consistent and as reliable as it should have been across Whitehall", ex-scientific adviser says
Departments facing 16% real-terms budget cuts, think tank predicts
06 Nov 2023 Operational Delivery
Departments facing 16% real-terms budget cuts, think tank predicts
Such a big five-year drop in spending "looks completely undeliverable", Resolution Foundation research director says
DWP 'too slow to fix mistakes' as it pays out £74m in disability-benefit arrears
01 Nov 2023 Operational Delivery
DWP 'too slow to fix mistakes' as it pays out £74m in disability-benefit arrears
Department has reviewed just under a quarter of cases affected by a court judgment since 2021
Efficiency is a moral imperative – but there are few incentives in Whitehall to really do more for less
20 Oct 2023 Operational Delivery
Efficiency is a moral imperative – but there are few incentives in Whitehall to really do more for less
Every pound that is wasted is a pound that could have been used to improve people’s lives, but little is done to recognise those who identify specific risks to spending, or operational bottlenecks to greater efficiency
MoJ agrees sentencing delays as prisons near capacity limits
12 Oct 2023 Operational Delivery
MoJ agrees sentencing delays as prisons near capacity limits
Judges urged to postpone jailing some categories of criminal to ease pressure on places
HS2 'assessing impact' of cancellation on contracts
10 Oct 2023 Operational Delivery
HS2 'assessing impact' of cancellation on contracts
Signed contracts include £300m of framework agreements signed shortly before cancellation of Manchester leg
Generalist scheme axed in Fast Stream revamp Exclusive
06 Oct 2023 Operational Delivery
Generalist scheme axed in Fast Stream revamp
Grad programme pathway is split into individual policy and operational delivery schemes
'No longer safe': Watchdog finds 'prison-like conditions' at Home Office detention centre
05 Oct 2023 Operational Delivery
'No longer safe': Watchdog finds 'prison-like conditions' at Home Office detention centre
Prisons inspector "concerned about deteriorating outcomes" at Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre
All departments should take responsibility for rough sleeping, report argues
26 Sep 2023 Operational Delivery
All departments should take responsibility for rough sleeping, report argues
Kerslake Commission says departments should collaborate and have collective accountability for rough sleeping
NI perm secs told to begin consultation on cash-raising measures
21 Sep 2023 Operational Delivery
NI perm secs told to begin consultation on cash-raising measures
Move follows secretary of state’s imposition of £14.2bn budget amid Stormont power vacuum
Read the autumn 2023 issue of Civil Service World
19 Sep 2023 Operational Delivery
Read the autumn 2023 issue of Civil Service World
Our Energy and Environment special asks: What can the UK do to prepare for climate change? Plus, the secret life a press secretary, and government's ugliest postwar buildings
Probation inspector calls for independent review of 'struggling' service
19 Sep 2023 Operational Delivery
Probation inspector calls for independent review of 'struggling' service
Watchdog says understaffed and resource-constrained services could do better under local control
UK aid impoverished by FCO-DfID merger, report warns
18 Sep 2023 Operational Delivery
UK aid impoverished by FCO-DfID merger, report warns
Officials have been faced with ‘strategic drift’ in recent years, aid watchdog says
DHSC lacked economic advice to support Covid response, ex-minister says
06 Sep 2023 Operational Delivery
DHSC lacked economic advice to support Covid response, ex-minister says
Bethell also criticised No.10’s "odd" approach to managing the pandemic, and argued that government should be like Transformers
Railway bridge remedials signal tensions between National Highways and local planners
15 Aug 2023 Operational Delivery
Railway bridge remedials signal tensions between National Highways and local planners
National Highways provides update on removal of infill from Cumbrian bridge, amid ongoing tension with local authorities and heritage campaigners over management of Historical Railways Estate
Treasury publishes new efficiency guidance for civil servants
31 Jul 2023 Operational Delivery
Treasury publishes new efficiency guidance for civil servants
Institute for Government praises “more sophisticated approach”
What does a second permanent secretary do and why are there so many of them?
18 Jul 2023 Operational Delivery
What does a second permanent secretary do and why are there so many of them?
More and more departments are appointing second permanent secretaries. Beckie Smith speaks to civil service leaders and outside experts to find out more
Too many cooks in the kitchen? Here’s a recipe for cross-government success
12 Jul 2023 Operational Delivery
Too many cooks in the kitchen? Here’s a recipe for cross-government success
Complex challenges increasingly require officials to work across departmental boundaries, but it's not always easy to deliver on these shared projects. Sian Jones offers advice from the latest National Audit Office guide which aims to help civil servants get better together
'It’s a precious thing to doubt your certainty': CSW chews the cud with Food Standards Agency chief executive Emily Miles
06 Jul 2023 Operational Delivery
'It’s a precious thing to doubt your certainty': CSW chews the cud with Food Standards Agency chief executive Emily Miles
Jess Bowie meets FSA chief executive Emily Miles to discuss the safety of what we eat, idealism versus pragmatism, and why a bit of self-doubt is crucial to good leadership
Covid Inquiry: DHSC did not plan for pandemic quarantine measures despite 'system overload' warning
27 Jun 2023 Operational Delivery
Covid Inquiry: DHSC did not plan for pandemic quarantine measures despite 'system overload' warning
DHSC board warned in 2016 of need for quarantine and contact-tracing preparations, inquiry hears
Home Office ‘disbands’ Windrush reform unit
20 Jun 2023 Operational Delivery
Home Office ‘disbands’ Windrush reform unit
Civil servants concerned commitments to reform department are being “watered down”
MPs ask HMRC for answers over summer helpline closure
16 Jun 2023 Operational Delivery
MPs ask HMRC for answers over summer helpline closure
Treasury Committee questions impact of self-assessment phone line changes on citizens and lack of notice