Home Office perm sec sets out plans to tackle compliance ‘weaknesses’
08 May Policy

Home Office perm sec sets out plans to tackle compliance ‘weaknesses’

Antonia Romeo tells MPs multi-million-pound asylum-accommodation failings exposed need for “incentivised culture-change”
by CSW staff
Government picks chair for new independent disability advisory panel
21 Aug Policy
Government picks chair for new independent disability advisory panel
Simon Case: Reform UK could bring huge change to Whitehall
14 Aug Policy
Simon Case: Reform UK could bring huge change to Whitehall
Homes England names former HMPPS boss as chief exec
11 Aug Policy
Homes England names former HMPPS boss as chief exec
Can ChatGPT do a civil servant's job? CSW's panel put it to the test
13 Jun 2023 Policy
Can ChatGPT do a civil servant's job? CSW's panel put it to the test
We asked a cross-section of officials to play around with ChatGPT and establish how good it is at some of the everyday tasks they perform in their jobs. See how well it did...
Cabinet Office sets out plans for ‘policy campus’ in Sheffield
09 Jun 2023 Policy
Cabinet Office sets out plans for ‘policy campus’ in Sheffield
City will also pilot regional Fast Stream programme starting with 2024 intake
Revolution by retweet: The growing influence of social media on education policy
05 Jun 2023 Policy
Revolution by retweet: The growing influence of social media on education policy
Richard Willis analyses the impact of changing technology on education policymaking
PCS 'rules nothing out' amid Home Office staff concern over asylum policy
31 May 2023 Policy
PCS 'rules nothing out' amid Home Office staff concern over asylum policy
PCS official says industrial solution could be sought to "look after welfare" of civil servants if Rwanda deal litigation fails
‘Dysfunctional’ FCDO systems left aid watchdog unable to recruit staff and pay contractors
25 May 2023 Policy
‘Dysfunctional’ FCDO systems left aid watchdog unable to recruit staff and pay contractors
ICAI details recruitment and spending challenges following FCO-DfID merger
Braverman's missed PR move and 'terrifying' Sue Gray: Five things we learned at the IfG’s civil service impartiality summit
24 May 2023 Policy
Braverman's missed PR move and 'terrifying' Sue Gray: Five things we learned at the IfG’s civil service impartiality summit
The home secretary missed a trick by skipping her speed-awareness course, while Gus O’Donnell fears a crony takeover of Whitehall
'Relentless' policy shifts have hit civil servants' faith in leadership, Chisholm says
19 May 2023 Policy
'Relentless' policy shifts have hit civil servants' faith in leadership, Chisholm says
Officials have been "discombobulated" by non-stop change in policy and ministers, COO says
George Eustice is right: ministers should spend more time with junior civil servants
18 May 2023 Policy
George Eustice is right: ministers should spend more time with junior civil servants
While the civil service is dominated by generalists when it comes to policy, junior civil servants may be the closest thing ministers have to experts
Whitehall ‘not moving fast enough’ on product-safety reform
12 May 2023 Policy
Whitehall ‘not moving fast enough’ on product-safety reform
Public Accounts Committee chair voices concerns about pace of progress with 2021 review
'Opening up my door to junior civil servants was powerful,' ex-environment secretary says
10 May 2023 Policy
'Opening up my door to junior civil servants was powerful,' ex-environment secretary says
George Eustice extols virtues of interrogating officials who have done 'hard graft to understand an issue'
DfE minister admits ‘challenge’ of Spring Budget childcare offer
09 May 2023 Policy
DfE minister admits ‘challenge’ of Spring Budget childcare offer
Expansion of 30-hours-a-week entitlement requires renaissance in recruitment, Claire Coutinho tells MPs
NICS head unpacks impact of power-vacuum budget cuts
05 May 2023 Policy
NICS head unpacks impact of power-vacuum budget cuts
Jayne Brady warns there will be some decisions officials cannot legally make in absence of Northern Ireland Executive
Scottish Government decision making can be 'rushed and unclear', ex-officials warn
03 May 2023 Policy
Scottish Government decision making can be 'rushed and unclear', ex-officials warn
Financial rules are sometimes seen as "bureaucratic or optional", former civil servants tell committee
Civil servant to walk length of UK for charity
27 Apr 2023 Policy
Civil servant to walk length of UK for charity
DSIT official says managers have been "extremely supportive" of his career break
Think tank calls for all departments to get a chief exec
14 Apr 2023 Policy
Think tank calls for all departments to get a chief exec
Reform plans also target churn and prospect of annual £80bn in savings from better productivity
Long-suppressed DWP report shows benefits sanctions 'slow progress into work'
11 Apr 2023 Policy
Long-suppressed DWP report shows benefits sanctions 'slow progress into work'
DWP forced to release 2020 report – after making more people subject to sanctions
Time travel in Whitehall: Institutional amnesia and learning lessons from history
03 Apr 2023 Policy
Time travel in Whitehall: Institutional amnesia and learning lessons from history
Closing the gap between history and policy is a critical concern with relevance to contemporary debates about immigration, sentencing policy, childcare, to mention just a few
Departments ‘back net-zero objectives', Pocklington tells MPs
27 Mar 2023 Policy
Departments ‘back net-zero objectives', Pocklington tells MPs
But energy security department perm sec acknowledges that decarbonising power sector by 2035 will be “very challenging”
BEIS recovered just 1% of £1.1bn fraud in Covid support loans to small firms
24 Mar 2023 Policy
BEIS recovered just 1% of £1.1bn fraud in Covid support loans to small firms
Losses come on top of multi-billion-pound Bounce Back Loans hit, National Audit Office says
Read the spring 2023 issue of Civil Service World
21 Mar 2023 Policy
Read the spring 2023 issue of Civil Service World
Read exclusive interviews with Home Office perm sec Matthew Rycroft and first civil service commissioner Gisela Stuart – plus deep dives on the trade profession and chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance's legacy
‘These are almost impossibly difficult issues to grapple with’: Matthew Rycroft on Rwanda, Windrush and transforming the Home Office Exclusive
20 Mar 2023 Policy
‘These are almost impossibly difficult issues to grapple with’: Matthew Rycroft on Rwanda, Windrush and transforming the Home Office
‘Permacrisis’ may have been Collins Dictionary’s Word of the Year for 2022, but it’s been part of the Home Office lexicon for decades. What’s it like leading such a closely scrutinised department while trying to transform its culture at the same time?
Spring Budget: Government launches new savings tracker amid departmental spending squeeze
15 Mar 2023 Policy
Spring Budget: Government launches new savings tracker amid departmental spending squeeze
IFS warns defence and childcare boosts could mean “very tough time for other spending areas”
DWP pledges to improve disabled people's experience of benefits system
15 Mar 2023 Policy
DWP pledges to improve disabled people's experience of benefits system
White paper promises to boost "trust and transparency" as Jeremy Hunt announces “biggest change to our welfare system in a decade"
Universal Credit sanctions tightened again as DWP told to publish research on their effectiveness
15 Mar 2023 Policy
Universal Credit sanctions tightened again as DWP told to publish research on their effectiveness
ICO tells DWP to publish evaluation as chancellor says sanctions will be applied "more rigorously"