News

The leader of the Opposition’s new electoral strategist, Lucy Powell, was also named as shadow Cabinet Office minister in yesterday’s Labour mini-reshuffle.

Andy Samuel has been appointed as the chief executive of the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA).

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ (Defra’s) flood defence resources are limited and current spending is “insufficient to meet many of the maintenance needs” identified by the Environment Agency (EA), the National Audit Office (NAO) said today.

 Britain has refused to participate in the Frontex Mediterranean refugee operation, claiming it is "encouraging more migrants to attempt the dangerous sea crossing".

UK secret service bodies, MI5, MI6 and GCHQ, will start a recruitment drive for more Russian and Mandarin linguists this month.

The Government Digital Service (GDS) has announced that next year it will launch its new virtual ID assurance service, Gov.UK Verify.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced the three private sector companies who have been offered contracts to deliver its £164bn equipment plan. 

Sir Jonathon Porritt has been an environmental campaigner for 40 years – including nine spent working directly with civil servants. He tells Winnie Agbonlahor why, despite his disappointment with the ‘greenest government ever’, he has reasons to be optimistic

The Department for Communities and Local Government is to carry out more work on a solution after identifying problems converting Excel documents in open source format.

“Choices will be made soon on further devolution,” said Dr Jim McCormick as he took up his appointment as a member of the Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC) on Monday 3 November. 

Katherine Kerswell has criticised the Department for Communities & Local Government (DCLG) for attacking local authorities over parking fees.

CSW asks former ministers to appraise the UK civil service. This month, Charles Clarke gives his views.

Greater Manchester will gain significant decision-making powers from Whitehall after chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne and leaders of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) signed a devolution agreement today. 

Andrew Lansley’s health reforms, designed to put doctors in the driving seat, have been widely panned – and he’s subsequently been sacked. But what do local GPs think? CSW finds out

Finance professionals across government should “get on the front foot” and make sure they’re involved in the policymaking process, the government’s new director-general of public spending, Julian Kelly, has said.

Improving Europe’s railway systems would lead to substantial economic and environmental benefits, argues Izaskun Bilbao Barandica.

Alex Younger has today taken up his new role as chief of the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), taking over from Sir John Sawers, who retired after five years in the post. 

The Crown Prosecution Service saw its staff survey scores on learning and development rise 11 percentage points in a year, thanks to chief exec Peter Lewis

Civil service CEO John Manzoni will now have to quit his second job next year following pressure from 70 leading medical professionals and charities over the potential conflict the role could cause.

As chairman of the Environment Agency, Chris Smith had even more reason than most Brits to curse the weather last winter.

The UK Green Investment Bank (GIB) has been “instrumental” in making Britain “one of the best places for green investment anywhere in the world”, prime minister David Cameron said today.

Björn Conway, EY Government and Public Sector Leader, gives his outside perspective of the civil service

Public officials should be free to try new approaches without fear of being “hauled in front of ministers, the Public Accounts Committee or being investigated by the National Audit Office”, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) says in a report published today.

The National Audit Office (NAO) today reported that only 62 out of 129 underperforming maintained schools improved their rating following formal intervention.