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
Passport Office crisis ‘fixed’, says Braverman – but no promise of return to pre-Covid processing target
25 Nov 2022 Operational Delivery
Passport Office crisis ‘fixed’, says Braverman – but no promise of return to pre-Covid processing target
Braverman says 99% of applications are now being processed within 10 weeks
Home Office asylum caseworkers offered bonuses in effort to reduce exits
24 Nov 2022 Operational Delivery
Home Office asylum caseworkers offered bonuses in effort to reduce exits
Retention allowance revealed amid reports Home Office is recruiting low-paid, inexperienced staff who are quickly leaving
Home Office empties Manston asylum centre after legal challenge
23 Nov 2022 Operational Delivery
Home Office empties Manston asylum centre after legal challenge
Detainee claimed centre was “overcrowded, unhygienic and unsafe” and Home Office violated rights not be arbitrarily detained
Read the November 2022 issue of Civil Service World
21 Nov 2022 Operational Delivery
Read the November 2022 issue of Civil Service World
This month's issue shines a light on science and innovation in the civil service – plus, the civil servants behind Operation Bridges and an exclusive interview with government's chief property officer
Manston asylum centre crisis 'not over', home secretary told
15 Nov 2022 Operational Delivery
Manston asylum centre crisis 'not over', home secretary told
People still sleeping on floors at "short-term" processing facility, Home Affairs Select Committee chair says after visit
PCS union: Civil service strikes will maximise disruption – but protect benefits claimants
15 Nov 2022 Operational Delivery
PCS union: Civil service strikes will maximise disruption – but protect benefits claimants
Cabinet Office walkouts could have government-wide impact, but union promises to tread carefully at DWP
Bridge builders: How civil servants helped the nation mourn Queen Elizabeth II
15 Nov 2022 Operational Delivery
Bridge builders: How civil servants helped the nation mourn Queen Elizabeth II
Operation Bridges included the organisation of national and international mourning for the UK’s longest-serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. Here, CSW hears from four of the many civil servants who worked on the operation
HMRC’s new complaints-management system will be ‘ready in weeks’
11 Nov 2022 Operational Delivery
HMRC’s new complaints-management system will be ‘ready in weeks’
Delayed CHART project on course for January delivery, tax-collection agency says
Cabinet Office pledges to ‘minimise’ impact of civil service strikes
11 Nov 2022 Operational Delivery
Cabinet Office pledges to ‘minimise’ impact of civil service strikes
Experience of Covid response "will help departments flex" to keep key services running
DWP accused of passing the buck for 'unacceptably high' benefits fraud
09 Nov 2022 Operational Delivery
DWP accused of passing the buck for 'unacceptably high' benefits fraud
PAC chair says DWP does not have plan to "get a grip" on the billions it is losing every year
Civil service has fat to cut but ministers must be smart about it, IfG says
04 Nov 2022 Operational Delivery
Civil service has fat to cut but ministers must be smart about it, IfG says
Report applauds demise of 20% headcount reduction target, but says policy profession “likely to feel the heat”
Home Office accused of 'failing at every turn' on migrant crisis
03 Nov 2022 Operational Delivery
Home Office accused of 'failing at every turn' on migrant crisis
Local authority leaders share safety concerns and criticise lack of consultation over location of immigration facilities
Civil service should shrink, but government should do less, top officials say
03 Nov 2022 Operational Delivery
Civil service should shrink, but government should do less, top officials say
Public sector have mixed views on scrapped 91,000 job-cuts plan but call for more "streamlined" government
With budgets stretched and workforces drained, government must decide what it can – and can't – deliver
03 Nov 2022 Operational Delivery
With budgets stretched and workforces drained, government must decide what it can – and can't – deliver
As the cost-of-living crisis bites, the public is divided on public spending – but bold reform is needed, not salami-slicing cuts
Departments under fire for ‘fragmented and ineffective’ net-zero work
03 Nov 2022 Operational Delivery
Departments under fire for ‘fragmented and ineffective’ net-zero work
MPs say government’s commitment to “lead by example” on combatting climate change is not being met
Opening the door to a better life: how government agencies are working together to reduce reoffending
02 Nov 2022 Operational Delivery
Opening the door to a better life: how government agencies are working together to reduce reoffending
Like many complex issues, reducing reoffending is a challenge that can get caught in the web of organisational boundaries. But with focused, collaborative work, positive change can happen. Jess Bowie speaks to officials working together through the Reducing Reoffending Board and finds out how they build common goals, line up their budgets – and why they still value their own departments
Home Office told to 'get a grip' on Manston asylum centre
02 Nov 2022 Operational Delivery
Home Office told to 'get a grip' on Manston asylum centre
Watchdog's report reveals litany of problems at processing centre as minister says asylum system 'will not be fixed overnight'
Home Office under pressure over 'wretched' conditions at Manston asylum centre
31 Oct 2022 Operational Delivery
Home Office under pressure over 'wretched' conditions at Manston asylum centre
Immigration watchdog said he was "speechless" after visiting centre that is at double its capacity
Home Office 'committed' to Rwanda deportation scheme as airline pulls out
21 Oct 2022 Operational Delivery
Home Office 'committed' to Rwanda deportation scheme as airline pulls out
Privilege Style says it "will not operate flights to Rwanda" after pressure from campaigners
Read the October 2022 issue of Civil Service World
19 Oct 2022 Operational Delivery
Read the October 2022 issue of Civil Service World
We delve into the complex issue of reducing reoffending and take a snapshot of today's civil service
No meaningful fat to cut from public service budgets, report warns
17 Oct 2022 Operational Delivery
No meaningful fat to cut from public service budgets, report warns
Performance tracker slams “lost decade for public services” amid predicted department budget cuts
Ofgem apologises for slow response to MPs' letters amid energy crisis Exclusive
14 Oct 2022 Operational Delivery
Ofgem apologises for slow response to MPs' letters amid energy crisis
Regulator “working hard to fix” response time, while Passport Office, UKVI, Immigration Enforcement and Border Force fail to cope with deluge of correspondence
First ever government-wide complaints standards 'could be life changing'
12 Oct 2022 Operational Delivery
First ever government-wide complaints standards 'could be life changing'
"Trailblazer" departments have already adopted PHSO's standards, which aim to ensure complaints are "embraced"
'Money is tight': Foreign Office must cut spending, Cleverly warns
05 Oct 2022 Operational Delivery
'Money is tight': Foreign Office must cut spending, Cleverly warns
Foreign secretary says FCDO must "cut cloth" and deliver "on a tighter budget"