News

As the Civil Service Commission highlights “negligible” progress on Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic diversity in its annual report – and cautions that appointment panels often face “insufficient choice” of good candidates – first civil service commissioner Ian Watmore talks to CSW about his priorities for the coming parliament

Conservative peer and former education secretary launches House of Lords tirade against “megaspads” and calls for substantial headcount reduction

Paul Caldwell confirmed as permanent head of troubled Defra distribution arm

But Cabinet Office agrees to formal review of pay system for Senior Civil Service

New appointments in the civil service, UK politics, and public affairs, via our colleagues at Dods People

Melanie Dawes cites “amazing” response as evidence of Whitehall departments’ ability to break down operational silos

Alastair Whitehead, Theresa May's private secretary for home affairs, also shares how he draws on his policing experience for life in Whitehall

Osborne-led department rapped Theresa May’s domain over pay agreement for child-abuse inquiry chief, it has emerged

Warning as Brexit pressures massively increase scale and complexity of  £157m plan to replace "ageing technology"

The chair of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee finds the Donmar’s new musical Committee a fair and compelling portrayal of the hearing on the collapse of Kids Company 

Civil service chief exec says he and colleagues are "very conscious" of the 1% cap on pay rises, and suggests officials could see a more regionalised and role-related approach to increases

Sir Amyas Morse goes public with concerns over government's 'uncoordinated' response to leaving the European Union

Prime minister applauds Grenfell Tower and terror responses, but calls on Whitehall staff to “be bold” in facing future challenges

National Audit Office report says late-running programme was “overly ambitious” with an “unachievable” timescale

GOV.UK  revamp will group information by theme, rather than organisation

Open-spaces campaign group says just-launched database falls short of Conservative Party’s 2015 manifesto pledge

George Bridges reflects on the life of his uncle, who was son of Second World War-era cabinet secretary Edward Bridges

National Audit Office says pioneer areas require ongoing support and scrutiny, while regeneration role may expand

Geoffrey Lyons reviews Nick Spencer’s The Mighty and the Almighty: How Political Leaders do God – a collection of essays on how current and former heads of state engage with faith and religion

Commission urges focus on investment away from London and the South East, but warns of “dilution” of know-how witnessed by civil service departments

New appointments in the civil service, UK politics, and public affairs, via our colleagues at Dods People

The outgoing permanent secretary of the Department for International Trade breaks bread with Jess Bowie

David Gauke tells MPs fewer than 100 of the planned 750 Jobcentre redundancies will be frontline roles

Controversial element of so-called ‘Project Fear’ assumed no policy response to a leave vote, says NAO