News

The prime minister will be able to pick permanent secretaries out of a candidate shortlist from December this year, under new rules announced today – with the first competition to be held under the new process that to replace Sir Bob Kerslake in February as permanent secretary of the Department for Communities and Local Government.

The civil service has not gone far enough in appointing women to senior positions, the Treasury’s second permanent secretary Sharon White told a conference audience last month.

This year’s civil service Diversity and Equality Award winners have been named at a ceremony in Petty France today.

I rundown of a key piece of legislation; what are its aims and how will it affect you? This edition we look at the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill.

Developments in public service reform from around the world

In our monthly feature focussing on people who have crossed organisational and sectoral boundaries, Mark Gibson talks about his move from the then-Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform (BERR) to the Whitehall and Industry Group

John Manzoni, the chief executive of the Major Projects Authority, has been named as the new chief executive of the civil service.

Susanne Baker, senior climate & environment policy adviser at EEF, the Manufacturer’s Organisation

Journalist and historian Peter Hennessy meets former chief of the defence staff General Sir David Richards to discuss Whitehall’s internal wars, and the need for truly strategic thinking in Whitehall

The government is considering extending the Social Value Act to include goods, works, infrastructure and public assets, under a Cabinet Office review.

By chance, two service delivery heavyweights have shared a single message. Ministers and officials alike should listen up

The Tories will continue Whitehall cuts at the same pace for at least two further years if re-elected for another term in office, chancellor George Osborne has announced today.

Victor Adebowale may be a peer of the realm, but his ideas for public service reform – built on 30 years’ experience in housing and social care – challenge established thinking. Winnie Agbonlahor meets him

HM Passport Office will be abolished and its operations absorbed by the Home Office from 1 October, it has been announced today, and the organisation’s chief executive Paul Pugh will be replaced by a newly-appointed director general.

There is “unfinished business” in civil service reform, former head of the civil service Sir Bob Kerslake said yesterday – including devolving powers away from Whitehall, and breaking down departmental structures. 

After my friend and I stumbled across Studio6 some months ago, I had been proclaiming it as one of London’s best hidden gems. Located a 30-second walk from the river Thames, amongst a nice bunch of other unique-looking restaurants, it offers a bright and inviting interior; a lovely beer garden; a good selection of wine and draft beer; and reasonable prices. After that discovery, my friend returned several times and spoke enthusiastically about the food.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has today called on the Department for Transport (DfT) to work more closely with the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) on maintaining the country’s road network.

Civil servants achieve so much for the public good, argues Dave Penman, but rarely get the praise they deserve: their leaders should sing their praises more loudly – even if it gets the critics irate

Former UK Border Agency chief executive Rob Whiteman writes about the challenges and frustrations of heading up, and ultimately dismantling, the organisation

Helen Edwards left a career in frontline social work and charity management for a job on Whitehall; now she's the DCLG's deputy permanent secretary. She tells Matt Ross about pursuing change in service delivery, councils, and her own department. Photo by Mark Weeks

Analytics has been our business for almost 40 years and so uniquely, we have the broadest and deepest solution stack to enable you to transform data into insight, into action.

Former head of the civil service Sir Bob Kerslake has said his biggest regret is that the government didn’t publish a civil service diversity plan more quickly.

Oliver Robbins, director-general, civil service, has spoken out in defence of the government’s new Talent Action Plan – designed to promote diversity in the civil service – after a blog about its publication attracted 130 comments on the civil service website.

Leaders across the civil service are wrestling with change management. Here’s how to rise to the challenge